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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!
Hi, after mixing this dough should it be chilled for a couple of hours or so? All other cookie dough recipes I have ever made require to be chilled for at least 2 hours so they don’t turn out flat.
Also I was wondering about vanilla. I love love LOVE vanilla and its richness in cookies. Do you think adding a tsp would affect the recipe or is it really not needed?
Thanks
Hi Raven! Great question. I LOVE to chill my cookie dough. It just makes the cookies that much better. Most people don’t want to wait that long but if you have some patience, I would tightly wrap this dough and refrigerate for 24-48 hours. I love vanilla too but I left it out in these cookies since that is what they do at Levain Bakery. You can absolutely add 1 teaspoon of vanilla with no problem. Hope that helps!
Omg Melissa! I remember seeing this bakery featured on food network soon long ago and wanted these cookies when I saw them! Wow so happy I found this recipe on pinterect when I was on a cookie kick!! I just found it yesterday making them today! Can’t wait!!
Hi Pam! Oh yes…those are the cookies from Food Network. Oh so good! Thank you for trying them out. I appreciate it.
I made these cookies tonight and they taste amazing! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
So happy to hear that, Robin! Thank you for taking the time to write such a kind comment.
These cookies are drool worthy! They look exactly like Levain cookies. I was wondering if bread flour can be substituted for cake flour and still yield the same amazing chewy goodness?
Hi Marie! Well, I would rather you substitute all-purpose flour rather than bread flour. Bread flour has the most gluten out of any flour and that is why it is ideal for yeast bread. Cake flour has the lowest, at about 8%, so it is perfect for tender cakes and cookies. If you don’t have cake, go with all-purpose. Hope that helps!
Hi! How do you store them once made to keep them fresh? Thanks!
Hi Brittney! I usually cover them with a cake dome or the saran wrap that wraps around like a fitted glove. 🙂 The beauty of these cookies is that they are the only cookies I make that can last several days and still taste soft and fresh. I hope that helps!
I made these like twice in a week!!! My family loves them, and so do I 🙂 thank you for the AMAZING recipe!!!
Yay Maya! So happy to hear that. Thank you so much for trying out my recipe and for making them 2 times in one week. I love it!
Is it necessary to use cornstarch as I have no access to any in the uk
Hi there! I haven’t tried another substitute for cornstarch but I do hear that arrowroot or potato starch can be a substitute. I hope that helps!
Thanks so much for getting back to me. Ok last question- I could only find King’s Arthur whole wheat pastry flour- should I use that for the cake flour or stick to all purpose. I just ordered some cake flour on amazon but really want to try to make a batch today. Thoughts?
Thanks again!
Hi Diana! Hopefully I am not too late to the ball game. I think it would be better to stick with all-purpose flour rather than whole wheat pastry flour. The whole wheat will most likely make it a heavier texture. If you make them without the cake flour, you won’t get the exact same texture but it will be pretty close. Hope that helps! Have a blessed day! – Melissa 🙂
Sorry to ask this again but I forgot to click the notify button.
What type of butter did you use? Did you use unsalted butter?
Thanks! Can’t wait to try this out. I just had Levains last weekend and OMG’n
Hi Diana! I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. Great question! You can use either one — if you use salted butter, decrease the salt by 1/4 teaspoon. If you use unsalted butter, leave the salt right where it is. Hope that helps! 🙂 – Melissa
Did you use unsalted butter?