Ah, Levain Bakery chocolate chip cookies! These are famous for a reason: they’re gigantic, thick, and have a distinctive gooey, underbaked center with slightly crisp edges, loaded with chocolate chips and often walnuts. They’re a true indulgence.

Making them at home is a fun challenge, and many copycat recipes aim to replicate that unique texture and flavor. Here’s a breakdown of the key elements and a recipe to help you achieve that Levain-style magic:

Levain Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

The secret to these cookies lies in a few specific techniques and ingredients.

Key Secrets to Levain-Style Cookies:

• Cold Butter: Unlike many cookie recipes that call for softened or melted butter, Levain-style cookies often start with cold, cubed butter. This helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much, contributing to their thickness.
• Combination of Sugars: Using a mix of light brown sugar (for chewiness and moisture) and granulated sugar (for crispiness) is crucial.
• Flour Mix: Many copycat recipes suggest a blend of all-purpose flour and cake flour. Cake flour has a lower protein content, which contributes to a more tender, almost cake-like interior. If you don’t have cake flour, you can use all-purpose, but the texture might be slightly denser. Some recipes also add a bit of cornstarch for softness and thickness.
• High Ratio of Mix-ins: These cookies are packed with chocolate chips and often walnuts. This high ratio of solids to dough helps keep the cookies thick and prevents excessive spreading.
• Minimal Mixing: Once the dry ingredients are added, mix just until combined. Overmixing can develop too much gluten, resulting in a tougher cookie.
• Large, Rough Dough Balls: Don’t perfectly smooth out the dough balls. Leave them a bit rustic and chunky. Each cookie is typically 6 ounces (about 170g), making them truly giant.
• High Initial Baking Temperature & Short Bake Time: A higher oven temperature helps the outside set quickly, trapping the gooey interior. The relatively short bake time ensures the center remains soft and “underdone.”
• No Flattening: Do not flatten the dough balls before baking. Let them spread naturally.
• Overnight Chill (Optional but Recommended): While some recipes skip this, chilling the dough overnight can further hydrate the flour and firm up the butter, contributing to that thick, chewy texture.

Recipe for Levain Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe yields 8-9 very large cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (226g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• ¾ cup (150g) packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, cold or room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional, some recipes omit)
• 1 ½ cups (170g) cake flour
• 1 ½ cups (187.5g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups (270g) semi-sweet chocolate chips (or a mix of semi-sweet and dark)
• 1 ½ cups (175g) walnuts, roughly chopped (optional, but classic Levain)

Equipment:

• Stand mixer with paddle attachment or large mixing bowl with hand mixer
• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper
• Kitchen scale (highly recommended for portioning dough)

Instructions:

1. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 205°C (400°F). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Cream Butter and Sugars: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cold butter cubes, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until light, fluffy, and creamy. Don’t worry if there are still tiny specks of butter.
3. Add Eggs and Vanilla: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in the vanilla extract, if using.
4. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
5. Add Dry to Wet: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients in the mixer bowl. Mix on low speed just until the flour is incorporated and no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
6. Fold in Mix-ins: Remove the bowl from the mixer. Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts (if using) by hand with a spatula until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
7. Portion Dough: Divide the dough into 8 or 9 equal portions, each weighing approximately 6 ounces (170g). The dough will be quite stiff and chunky.
8. Shape Cookies: Shape each portion into a rough, tall ball. Do not flatten them into discs like regular cookies; keep them chunky and somewhat irregular. This is key to their thick shape.
9. Chill (Optional but Recommended): For best results and to prevent spreading, cover the dough balls and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or ideally 2-4 hours, or even overnight. This step makes a noticeable difference in texture and thickness.
10. Bake: Place 4-5 dough balls on each prepared baking sheet, leaving ample space between them as they will spread a bit. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers still look soft and slightly underbaked. The exact time will depend on your oven. They will appear quite pale in the center.
11. Cool: Once baked, remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for at least 10-15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. They will continue to set as they cool. Breaking them open too early will make them seem raw.

Enjoy your incredibly decadent, warm, and gooey Levain Bakery-style chocolate chip cookies!

Would you like to try making these this week?