Levain Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you’ve ever eaten warm, delicious cookies from the Levain Bakery, you already know that they are some of the best you can ever have! I made it my mission to come up with a copycat Levain Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe that was so close you wouldn’t even know the difference. These homemade chocolate chip cookies will knock your socks off because they are seriously that amazing. 

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Levain Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I have been fortunate enough to stop by a Levain Bakery and munch on some of their cookies, I am in pure heaven. But, now it’s even better because I have finally figured out how to make my own homemade Levain cookies. They are soft, chewy, fudgy, rich, decadent, and purely amazing. When you take that first bite of these gooey cookies, you will realize how sinfully delicious they are. I am a huge fan of all types of cookies, but these are by far one of my most favorite. 

What Makes Levain Cookies Unique? 

Levain cookies are unique because they are always baked perfectly. They have a soft and chewy center and a crispy exterior. They are thick and almost cake-like. You can take them home and even freeze them to warm up later and eat. They are well known in New York and have been pleasing people’s taste buds for years. 

What’s the Best Brand of Chocolate for Chocolate Chunk Cookies? 

There are many brands of chocolate that would work well in these chocolate chunk cookies. We love to use Ghiradelli baking chocolate chunks. However, Hershey’s is also fantastic too. Use your best judgment and bake with the chocolate chunks you love the most. You can’t go wrong either way because it’s chocolate! Just steer clear of those cheap off brands because they won’t give you that intense chocolate flavor you get with these cookies. 

Does This Dough Need to be Refrigerated Before Baking? 

No, you do not need to refrigerate the Levain chocolate chip cookie dough before baking. I know that there are other recipes for chocolate chip cookies that require them to chill for a while, but you don’t need to worry about that with these. If you want to chill the dough, you are more than welcome to, but it’s not required at all. 

Ingredients

It’s amazing that you can take 11 simple ingredients and transform them into these incredible chocolate chip cookies. They are impossible to resist and look just as great as they taste. 

• Unsalted butter – It’s important to use really cold butter for these chocolate chip cookies. 
• Lightly packed light brown sugar
• Granulated white sugar
• Large eggs
• Cake flour – Using cake flour is important because they get a fluffy texture that is reminiscent of Levain cookies. 
• All-purpose flour – The combination with the cake flour is amazing. 
• Cornstarch
• Baking soda
• Table salt
• Roughly chopped walnuts
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips

How to Make Levain Chocolate Chip Cookies

Once you make these Levain chocolate chip cookies the first time, you are going to want to keep that recipe handy! It’s going to be your new favorite cookie recipe. Let’s start so you can be indulging in no time. 

First Step: Turn your oven onto 410 degrees F. Then, line a couple of baking sheets with some silicone baking mats to prevent sticking. 

Second Step: Use a stand mixer and beat the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. 

Third Step: Cream together the butter and sugars for about 2 minutes until they are light and fluffy. 

NOTE: The cold butter will make it a little bit harder to mix fast, so start at medium speed for 30 seconds then move up to high speed for a minute. 

Fourth Step: Continue beating the butter and sugar back on medium speed for 30 more seconds then speed it up to high for another minute. 

Fifth Step: Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, so there isn’t any butter or sugar mixture stuck. Slowly add in the eggs. 

Sixth Step: Turn the mixer to medium speed until the eggs have incorporated. 

Seventh Step: Sprinkle in the cake flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. 

Eighth Step: Mix the ingredients on low speed until everything is combined. Make sure not to overmix. 

Ninth Step: Mix in the walnuts on low speed. Make sure you don’t overmix them and just incorporate them into the dough. 

Tenth Step: Sprinkle in the chocolate chips and mix on very low speed. They should be evenly incorporated throughout the cookie batter. 

Eleventh Step: Take the dough out of the bowl and use your hands to knead it a handful of times to make sure that the chocolate and walnuts are mixed well. 

Twelfth Step: The dough will be pretty sticky, and this is entirely normal. 

Thirteenth Step: Grab a handful of dough and roll it into a loose ball. 

Fourteenth Step: It’s important not to press the dough ball together as it should be airy and not compact. 

Fifteenth Step: Put four cookies on each of the two baking sheets. Make sure they are around 2 inches apart. When they bake, they will spread, and if closer than 2 inches, they will touch. 

Sixteenth Step: Bake the first batch of cookies on the middle oven rack for 12-13 minutes. 

Seventeenth Step: The cookies should have a light brown top, and the dough should appear cooked, but they won’t be fully set when they are done. 

Eighteenth Step: Allow the chocolate chip cookies to cool for 15 minutes, and they will finish setting up. Don’t move the cookies until the 15 minutes are up. 

Nineteenth Step: The cookies should still have gooey insides even after the 15 minutes are up. This is the way they are supposed to be. Eat warm and enjoy!

Now, remember to save this recipe on Pinterest for later 🙂

In the mood for lots more cookie recipes? You are in luck because I have a bunch of delicious cookies just waiting for you to make them. 

• Strawberry Cookies With Chocolate Chips – They are incredible, easy, and will leave a lasting impression. Make these for pretty much any occasion you can think of.

• Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies – These cookies are decadent and taste beyond amazing. The combination of chocolate and peanut butter is fantastic in these soft cookies. 

• Chewy Lemon Cookies – I love some lemon cookies now and then. They are sweet, citrusy, and look gorgeous. 

• Maple Brown Sugar Cookies – There are many days I find myself craving these maple brown sugar cookies. They are irresistible.