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Levain Bakery Two Chip Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe is their classic chocolate chip cookie made without nuts. Perfectly crispy on the outside and satisfyingly thick and gooey in the center, this cookie is brimming with semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips.
There’s no question I am obsessed with Levain Bakery Cookies.
It all started when I was filming a segment for a show at Food Network Studios in New York City and I heard about the best cookie in New York City.
After I was done shooting, we rode our bikes along the Hudson River all the way to the Upper East Side to get our first taste of the uber popular chocolate chip cookie.
I was hooked and determined to go home and try to recreate their Levain Bakery Cookie Recipe. It took months of tweaking and when I finally debuted my website, modernhoney.com, it was the very first recipe I shared!
What I love about Levain Bakery Cookies is how unique they are from the ingredients to the size to the baking temperature. This isn’t your typical chocolate chip cookie recipe!
Since then I have recreated so many of Levain Bakery’s cookies from their Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip to their Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies to their Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. I even share their popular seasonal cookie recipes.
When I first posted the OG Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie Recipe, many readers have asked over the years, “can I make these cookies without nuts?” Yes, absolutely! Levain Bakery came out with their Two Chip Chocolate Chip Cookies and they are made without walnuts.
This is the Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe without walnuts for all of my chocolate chip cookie purists out there.
What ingredients are in Levain Bakery Cookies?
- Butter — this butter should be cold or barely softened and cut into cubes for easier creaming. This helps to keep the cookies from spreading too much and keeping their shape while baking.
- Brown Sugar — this is light golden brown sugar and helps to create the chewy centers.
- Sugar — this helps to give the perfectly crispy exterior Levain Bakery is known for.
- Eggs — use large eggs in this cookie recipe.
- Vanilla Extract (optional) — Levain Bakery is known for not using vanilla extract in its recipes. It adds flavor so add it if you would like to!
- Flour — I suggest using both all-purpose flour and cake flour. Cake flour has less gluten in it which helps to create a tender, soft texture. You can use only all-purpose flour in this recipe and the cookies still turn out delicious!
- Cornstarch — this is a game-changing ingredient as it helps to create a thick and gooey center, without making the cookies cakey.
- Baking Soda — this is what helps the cookies to rise once they hit the oven.
- Salt — a flavor enhancer and an integral ingredient in baking.
- Chocolate Chips — I suggest using semi-sweet chocolate chips or a mix of dark and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Levain Bakery uses both types of chocolate.
What makes Levain Bakery Cookies special?
Levain Bakery is known for its large, thick, gooey chocolate chip cookies. There is a reason why there is a line out the door at every single bakery! There are certain ingredients and techniques that make these cookies different — the use of cold butter, no vanilla extract, using two types of flour, the addition of cornstarch, their large 6-ounce size, and baking at a high temperature.
This isn’t your average chocolate chip cookie recipe! No chilling required chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Tips for making Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies:
- Start by cutting the butter into small cubes to make the butter easier to cream with the sugar and brown sugar. Creaming the butter and sugars together is an important step to create a smooth texture and to whip air into the cookie dough, which helps to give the cookies loft.
- Don’t overmix the dry ingredients. If you overmix the cookie dough once you add the flour, it can create too much gluten and will result in a tough cookie.
- Bake just until a light golden brown color on a light-colored baking sheet. Make sure to not overbake these cookies or they may end up brown on the bottom. To avoid that, read my tips below.
- Let set up for at least 10-15 minutes. This is an important step as these are gooey cookies and need time to set up before eating them.
Why are my cookies burning or becoming too brown on the bottom? What can I do?
- You may be baking your cookies for too long. The rule of thumb in baking is that it is better to underbake and cookie rather than overbake a cookie. The cookies will continue to bake on the hot cookie sheet once you remove the cookies from the oven. It is better to pull the cookies out of the oven before they look completely baked.
- Use a heavy, light-colored baking sheet. The thin, dark baking sheets will attract too much heat and the cookies will burn on the bottom before they are fully baked in the center. I suggest using light-colored baking sheets for even baking.
- Check your oven temperature. Your oven may be running too hot which is burning your cookies. Also, make sure to rotate your baking pan halfway through baking time to ensure even baking and to avoid hot spots in the oven for too long.
- Raise your oven racks. If your cookies are burning on the bottom, raise your rack to the middle or more toward the top of the oven. Since Levain Bakery is known for crispy tops and chewy centers, I tend to place them higher up in the oven.
Popular Levain Bakery Cookie Recipes:
- Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies — the OG classic Levain Bakery chocolate chip cookie recipe that put them on the map!
- Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies — rich chocolate cookie with peanut butter chips
- Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies — double chocolate cookie with semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Levain Bakery Chocolate Peppermint Cookies — seasonal holiday cookie made with chocolate dough and peppermint chips
- Levain Bakery Oatmeal Raisin Cookies — thick and chewy, bakery-style oatmeal raisin cookie
- Levain Bakery Rocky Road Cookies — rich chocolate cookies with marshmallows and almonds
- Levain Bakery Fall Spiced Chocolate Chip Cookies — the perfect Fall spiced cookie with semi-sweet chocolate chips
Baking Tools:
Light-Colored Baking Sheets — light-colored, heavy-gauge aluminum half-sheet pan measuring 18 x 13 inches. I suggest USA Pans or Nordicware.
Parchment Paper Sheets — prevents cookies from sticking to the pan and can be thrown away afterwards for easy clean up.
Kitchenaid Mixer — allows you to do other tasks while it creams and mixes the ingredients together. It combines the ingredients more thoroughly and evenly than by hand.
Rubber Spatulas — a staple in the kitchen. This rubber spatula is perfect for scraping the sides of the bowl, especially when creaming the butter and sugars together, to ensure the ingredients are fully mixed.
Measuring Cups and Spoons – you want to invent in a quality set of measuring cups and spoons.
Wire Cooling Rack — a gridded wire rack allows air to circulate around the cookies which keeps them from getting soggy.
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Levain Bakery Two Chip Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter (cold, cut into cubes)
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (optional)
- 3 cups Flour (may use half cake flour and half all-purpose)
- 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 3/4 teaspoon Salt
- 2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (or 1 cup dark and 1 cup semi-sweet)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 410 degrees. If your oven runs hot, I suggest reducing heat to 400 degrees. See below in notes for further detail.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar for 4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Add eggs and vanilla, if using. Mix for 1 minute longer.
- Fold in flour *, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until combined to avoid overmixing. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Separate the dough into large balls. For extra large cookies, roll them into 6-ounce balls (you will get 8 cookies from this recipe). For large cookies, roll into 5-ounce balls. For medium cookies, roll into 3 to 4-ounce balls. Make sure to spread apart of the baking sheet.
- Line a light colored baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the cookie dough balls on baking sheet and bake for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown on the top. See below for tips.
- Let them rest for at least 10-15 minutes to allow time to set up.
- Store in an air-tight container.
Notes
- You may be baking your cookies for too long. The rule of thumb in baking is that it is better to underbake and cookie rather than overbake a cookie. The cookies will continue to bake on the hot cookie sheet once you remove the cookies from the oven. It is better to pull the cookies out of the oven before they look completely baked.
- Use a heavy, light-colored baking sheet. The thin, dark baking sheets will attract too much heat and the cookies will burn on the bottom before they are fully baked in the center. I suggest using light-colored baking sheets for even baking.
- Check your oven temperature. Your oven may be running too hot which is burning your cookies. Also, make sure to rotate your baking pan halfway through baking time to ensure even baking and to avoid hot spots in the oven for too long.
- Raise your oven racks. If your cookies are burning on the bottom, raise your rack to the middle or more toward the top of the oven. Since Levain Bakery is known for crispy tops and chewy centers, I tend to place them higher up in the oven.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve been making this recipe or other versions of it (from this blog) for a couple years now. It’s everyone’s favorite, including the pest control guy who happened to be around when a fresh batch came out of the oven. My MO is to try new recipes on a regular basis. This is one of the few recipes that I have stuck with because it is so good. It freezes well, both before and after baking. Can’t recommend it enough.
Clare thank you so much for the kind review! I am so glad that you all love this recipe, and that you share it with others. Thank you so much for following along and for using my recipes. It means the world to me!
This has become my “Special Guests” cookie. I did reduce the size of them by one half, but they are still remarkable. Recipe requests are almost 100%. I do add toasted walnuts or pecans on occasion too.
First off these are amazing! I baked them for Christmas and the first batch came out perfect!!! Big, thick and perfect round. I am making 6oz cookies and i wanted them for Xmas gifts. Soon they quickly changed. I’ve had most flatten out completely since my first batch. What am I doing and what can I do to keep them big and thick, not flat!
Can I use a hand mixer? That’s all I have at the moment, would I cream butter and sugars for longer to make sure it is combined well?
These cookies are a 10 plus…..better than those you buy at Levain Bakery….because they are over the top good, just fresh out of the oven. I love your copycat oatmeal raisin cookies, as well.
Can the dough be frozen after making them into balls for baking later?
Yes, absolutely! You can freeze them, no problem. I would suggest letting them come to room temperature, about 20 minutes before baking in the oven. The reason for this is that if they are too frozen, the cookies will stay in a round ball and won’t spread at all or bake in the center. I hope this helps!
Absolutely divine! I made these cookies yesterday and they were gone in no time. I’ll be using this recipe from now on. They were soft but not too soft, they were perfect. Thank you for posting!
You made my day, Lyndi! So happy you loved them. Thank you for trying my cookie recipe. 🙂
What is the baking time adjustment for making large cookies,5-ounce balls or medium cookies, 3 to 4-ounce balls?
Hi Nicki! The 6-ounce cookie will take about 2 minutes longer than a 3-ounce ball. I would set your time for the minimum time and keep an eye out on them. The thinner cookie, the faster it will bake.
Can you add metric measuring? I have a hard time using measuring cups for an accurate measure, flour, sugar, etc.
Absolutely! I am going to work on adding metric measuring to my recipes next year to make them more accurate. Thank you so much for the feedback!
These are the BEST cookies!!! I am obsessed.
I am obsessed with this Levain Bakery cookie recipe too! Thank you so much for trying them, Leslie!