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Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies
The BEST Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies. The Famous Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe that everyone goes crazy over!
I’ve got issues.
I am a cookie junkie of epic proportions.
There’s probably a support group somewhere for people like me.
When I was a teenager, I would go to the library and thumb through cookbooks to find every single chocolate chip cookie recipe and would beg my Mom to try out the recipe creations almost daily. Issues, I tell you.
I started off by following recipes and then I thought….let’s take a walk on the wild side and start experimenting by throwing stuff in and see what happens. What’s the worst that can happen? Well, that’s another story. Little tweaks here and there were the difference makers – browning the butter, raising or lowering the temperature of the oven, and trying out some interesting ingredients.
When I won a trip to NYC to film a perfect cookie segment for the Cooking Channel’s Perfect 3 Show in the Food Network studios, I went online to seek out the best bakeries in Manhattan. The highest rated cookie was awarded to Levain Bakery and I knew that it had to be mine. Pronto.
Oh, and it was legit. Legit and different. Unique in such a way that I had to figure out how in the world they did it. I became a mad scientist in the kitchen to figure out the how to make the Famous Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I developed a massive crush on a cookie.
I have never, ever worked on a recipe as much as this one. Another trip had to be made to NYC in the name of food science to do some more investigative research. A trip to the Truvia Baking Star competition in NYC meant multiple trips to buy my favorite cookie. We rode our bikes in the freezing cold just for that one bite. By the time we arrived, my feet were frozen, but sacrifices have to be made, right?
I came home and tweaked some more and then it happened…. that glorious batch was perfection and I finally had it.
I was taught in kindergarten that it’s nice to share so that’s what I am doing. Sharing my years of experimenting so we can all have Levain at home. It’s just the right thing to do.
Let’s start with the basics.
Use cold butter. Cut into small cubes. Since you are collecting it straight out of the fridge, you need to cut it into small pieces so the butter and sugar can become friends and make a creamy masterpiece. It takes about 4 minutes for them to warm up and become besties.
This is where it’s all over for me….cookie dough. It’s my kryptonite, unfortunately, and I blame my hips on this goodness. Who else loves this stuff?
Now, these aren’t some ordinary bite-size cookies. No these are a full-on meal. Well maybe for some people. Here’s the deal – you make them big. Really big. Like only four can fit on a cookie sheet, BIG. These are the BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES EVER. Yep, I said it.
Usually, with thick cookies, they turn out like hockey pucks – cakey messes that hardly resemble a gooey cookie.
This is where these are different. We are going to crank up the heat in the oven to cook the outside quickly and leave that center nice, warm and gooey. As a cookie should be.
There are a few ingredients and techniques that set these cookies apart. First, you use cornstarch to add thickness without making the cookie dry. It does wonders in these cookies! Using cake flour also lends to a more tender cookie but you can also substitute all-purpose flour. Here’s one of my favorite cake flours — King Arthur Cake Flour
I am a huge fan of using nonstick silicone baking mats (Silpat) placed on top of the cookie sheets, which allows the cookies to be easily removed from the pan and to bake nicely. My cousin gave me a set as a gift years ago and I had no idea what I was missing out on! These are ones I have loved —Silicone Baking Sheets – 2 pack
You may want to eat these Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies the second they come out of the oven, but patience is a virtue and you must exercise some with these cookies. They need to “set up” so give them at least 10-15 minutes before you devour them. The amazing part of these cookies is that they are the only cookies I have ever made that are still cookie perfection even after a few days.
If you LOVE these cookies, you will love these other Levain Bakery copycat recipes:
- Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
- Levain Bakery Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Levain Bakery Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
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Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Crush Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Cold Butter cut into small cubes
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 1/2 cups Cake Flour*
- 1 1/2 cups Flour
- 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 3/4 teaspoon Salt
- 2 cups Chocolate Chips
- 2 cups Walnuts roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 410 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together cold cubed butter, brown sugar, and sugar for 4 minutes or until creamy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one.
- Stir in flours, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined to avoid overmixing. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Separate dough into large balls and place on lightly colored cookie sheet. They are bigger than you think! You will fit 4 cookies on one large cookie sheet. The dough makes 8 extra large cookies.
- Bake for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown on the top. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes to set.
Video
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Now go make some Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies! You need one (or two or three….no judging here) of these warm, gooey cookies, a big glass of cold milk and a to-do list with nothing on it except catching up on Netflix or those cheesy Holiday Hallmark movies that somehow keep playing on my TV.
If you are a huge fan of Levain Bakery cookies or just eating the best chocolate chip cookies, you will love my other copycat recipes — Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies and Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies.
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Happy Baking!
Love these cookies!!! They are my new recipe!! I like the idea that they stay longer than most chocolate chip cookies if I don’t need them all😂😂
I was truly skeptical about Levain style cookies but for once the hype is real! This recipe yielded the best, most luxurious chocolate chip cookies ever. Thank you so much for sharing!
Loved these, but would like instructions to make regular sized cookies out of this recipe. Think I’m going to leave out the walnuts and add in vanilla next time.
I always add vanilla. For smaller cookies just use same recipe but scoop with a small ice cream/cookie scoop. Then reduce cook time by a few minutes. Just watch them so they don’t overbrown. I do smaller all the time.
Hi Susan! I totally agree with Ed’s comment. You can make the cookies smaller, but they might lose some of that chewy soft center/ crispy edge texture. If you’re okay with that, then go ahead and make the cookies to be the size that you want and just watch them closely so that you don’t overtake them. Hope that this helps a bit!
Hi Susan! In my experience (and I make these a couple times a month) I just make the size whatever I want, keeping an eye on the baking time. No special instructions needed! Enjoy!
These are by far the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made!
I used the basic dough recipe and instructions and have started to alter the ingredients. Thank you !
Thank you so much, I am so happy to hear it!
Hi I am a bit confused about the flour and the sugar? Is it a combined total of only
Brown sugar as one measurement says brown and the second line Just says sugar. Also the same for the flour it is all cake flour or one line cake flour and the second line ap four please?
I love cookies that use brown butter. How does using melted browned butter instead of cold butter affect the end result? If it affects the result negatively, is it possible to brown the butter, refrigerate it until cold, and then use it in the recipe?
I sometimes brown my butter whether using it immediately as melted or let it solidifies; trust me this brings out the absolute best flavor when u brown the butter; in this recipe, I would let the butter get cold thereafter and use it accordingly to the recipe. U will love the diff; I do this with chocolate chip toffee cookies 😁
Hi Arthur! I absolutely LOVE browned butter as well. The problem is the butter needs to be cold to keep the cookies from spreading too much on the pan. If you’re able to, you can brown the butter then let it get cold again! I haven’t recipe tested this yet, but that’s what I recommend. Good luck!
Do you think the reduced amount of moisture in the brown butter (due to its browning process) might have a negative impact in the recipe?
I have baked this several times now and my family and friends love them. But i bake without chestnuts. Is it the chestnuts that give the cookies the thicknes? Because mine is pretty flat. They do have some thicknes but not as yours.
Hi Leif! The nuts are more for texture rather than thickness. If you’re struggling with flat cookies, there’s a couple things you can do.
Make sure you are using cold butter. Warm butter or room temperature might make the cookies spread on the pan more.
Make sure that you’re measuring your cake flour correctly. It is a big part of what makes cookies thick.
And try not to overmix the dry ingredients! This will make the dough too tough.
Hope this helps!
I haven’t tried it in this recipe yet but when I make regular choc chip cookies with browned butter I pour the butter into a measuring cup and add back enough water (usually as ice cubes) to make up the water lost in the browning process. So if I started with 1c butter, I add enough ice (usually just a couple of cubes) to the browned butter to make it 1c again.
what kind of chocolate chips and salted or unsalted butter (what brand do you use)
are both flours by king arthur?
Hi Lauren! I typically use Ghirardelli or Guittard chocolate chips, or I’ll buy and chop up a Trader Joe’s pound chocolate bar. The chocolate bar typically gets a little meltier!
I use all types of butter, but if you chose to use salted, I suggest reducing the added salt in this recipe by 1/4 a teaspoon.
I use King Arthur and Costco all-purpose flours.
Hope that this helps!
Some cookie recipes recommend that the dough be chilled after the cookies are on the baking sheet. Why don’t you recommend this for this recipe? Thanks.
Hi there CWL! If you wanted to chill the dough on the baking sheet that would be fine, I have just found that it is better to limit the dough’s exposure to air while chilling so that it doesn’t get too tough or dry. I also generally don’t have enough room in my fridge to pop a whole pan or two in, haha!
I will say that you definitely want to avoid a hot or warm baking sheet. Let the pan cool down in between batches that are going in the oven, if not the cookies could spread and flatten more easily.
That’s a lot, but I hope it helps!
Hey Melissa! Question: Can I use Swans Down Cake Flour which is bleached (I have it on hand) or do I need to get some King Arthur cake flour, which is unbleached? I can’t figure out if the cake flour should be bleached or unbleached. Also, if I make the cookies the size of an ice cream scooper, would I use the same oven temperature and for a shorter baking time?
Can’t wait to make these cookies! Your assistance is greatly appreciated!
I would also like to know that answer I have the same flour to use when I bake them
Are you swan cake flour, and it was fine
A great question, Brenda! So bleached flour is whiter and softer than unbleached flour. Unbleached ends up being denser, which is better for baked goods that need structure like yeast breads and pastries. I used bleached for that reason! Hope this helps!
Ed P. Since they were a bit smaller, temperature was your oven set too and did you have to adjust it at a lower temp say around 375 degrees or did you keep it at 410 degrees for 8 minutes? I want to make the same size you made. Your assistance is greatly appreciated, thank you in advance.
These are really big chocolate chip cookies and I didn’t make them as big as they did. I got 18 cookies and they’re still pretty big.