Say hello to the best cookie I’ve ever had. I’m a huge fan of the Levain Bakery cookie trend going on right now on Instagram. A backstory for those who don’t know: Levain Bakery is a wonderful bakery in New York that has become widely known for their 6-ounce walnut chocolate chip cookies. It’s crunchy on the outside with a thick and gooey center. And when I say thick, I mean it. Like a full inch tall. It is a large and in charge cookie.
So tons of people have been instagramming Levain cookies recently, leaving all the rest of us drooling at their good fortune (or good eats, I should say). But being me and loving cookies as I do, I could not pass up the opportunity to share my take on the Levain Bakery cookie recipe on Broma Bakery. Because who doesn’t love a mile high cookie overflowing with chocolate chips and with a perfectly gooey center?
Well I guess the answer is my grandfather. It went like this:
Making these copycat cookies for my grandpa
He was visiting us over the holidays. Rebe and I made mason jars of cookie and brownie mixes for our family for Christmas, and he got an oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookie mix. My dad thought it would be a good idea to bake the cookies with my grandfather, so one day after Christmas Rebe and I went over to the house to bake.
Me: Granddad, do you want to bake with us?
Granddad: Do I want to bake with you?
Me: Yes.
Granddad: No, not really.
So Rebe and I got to work on the cookies ourselves. While they were baking, I asked him if he preferred chewy or crispy cookies, as I wanted to know when to take them out of the oven.
Granddad: Chewy cookies are Plebeian. They don’t know any better. Crispy cookies are the best cookies.
Me: ……
Granddad: And Plebeians don’t drink good German beer. They drink that American stuff.
Me: Budweiser?
Granddad: Yeah.
Me: What does that have to do with cookies?
Granddad: It has nothing to do with cookies.
So I learned that day that if you like chewy cookies, you are a Pleb. And if you are a Pleb then you also have a horrible taste in beer.
Ipso facto we are all Plebs and wouldn’t know a good German pilsner if it whacked us in the head.
Ipso ipso facto at least there is this Levain Bakery cookie recipe to keep us happy.
Tips for making this copycat Levain Bakery cookie recipe
My top advice is to bake these copycat Levain chocolate chip cookies right before you plan to eat them. They’re best straight out of the oven. If that means keeping all of the cookie dough balls in your freezer until you’re ready to bake them one by one, then by golly do it. Nothing beats that fresh-from-the-oven taste.
Also, you should know that this recipe works best if you undercook the cookie slightly. These massive cookies continue baking as they cool, so be sure to take them out of the oven early. Oh, and use large chocolate chips (or cut your own chocolate chunks from a chocolate bar). They create those beautiful melted chocolate puddles inside your cookie that are impossible to resist!
Hope you are all off to wonderful weekends, friends. Happy baking!
3cups plus 2tablespoons all purpose flour (I used King Arthur Unbleached AP Flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
3/4cup + 4teaspoons (6 ounces) light or dark brown sugar
1/2cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, cold, lightly beaten in a separate bowl
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2cups dark chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli dark chocolate baking chips)
Instructions
Line a large baking sheet with a silicon mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until it comes together in one lump, about 1 minute. Add in the sugars and beat for another 1-2 minutes, or until the sugar dissolves into the butter. Lower the speed to medium-low, and mix in the eggs and vanilla and beat until mixed (the batter will be lumpy). Gradually add in the flour mixture, beating until a little flour remains. Fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
Divide the dough into 12 even pieces. Shape the dough roughly into a ball, but do not roll it. Place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes but up to 12 hours before baking.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake cookies for 15-20 minutes, until light golden brown. When in doubt, take your cookies out early. The cookies will continue to cook as they cool. There’s nothing that ruins them more than being overcooked. I can’t stress this enough! Cool on a wire rack, then serve!
This recipe works best if:
-You undercook the cookie. It keeps baking as it cools, so be sure to take it out of the oven early.
-Use large chocolate chips. They create those beautiful melted chocolate puddles inside your cookie!
these did not turn out for me. made recipe as written but halved. i wish there were gram measurements for the flour because i think even spooned and leveled i got too much. they tasted good because they were a cookie but spread even after a few hours’ chill and didn’t get any real color on the top before i needed to pull them.
This has become my new favorite cookie! I used to make a cookie similar to this when i was younger, but this is definitely the thirty-flirty-and thriving version of it! LOVE IT!
Best cookies ever!, if you like a thick, doughy and gooey cookie. I’ve made them for crowds and some (crazy lol) people out there aren’t a fan of how big and slightly underdone they are so something to keep in mind if making for a group. For my family I usually alternate between these and a brown butter cookie recipe to get the best of both cookie worlds 🙂 also I often do about 14-15 cookies per batch and cook roughly the same amount of time and they always turn out great!
Hello! I absolutely adore this recipe! And so does everyone that I’ve made it for. I do have a couple of people in my life that are diabetic and need a sugar substitute such as splenda. How would you suggest modifying the recipe? Thank you!
Hi Lindsey! I’ve never made these with sugar substitute so I can’t personally vouch for it, but I would imagine any sugar free baking blend would be okay!
Leave a comment and rate this recipe!
these did not turn out for me. made recipe as written but halved. i wish there were gram measurements for the flour because i think even spooned and leveled i got too much. they tasted good because they were a cookie but spread even after a few hours’ chill and didn’t get any real color on the top before i needed to pull them.
★★★
Yum! These came out so delicious! I mixed the chips using chocolate, white chocolate and butterscotch. These are perfect!
This has become my new favorite cookie! I used to make a cookie similar to this when i was younger, but this is definitely the thirty-flirty-and thriving version of it! LOVE IT!
Best cookies ever!, if you like a thick, doughy and gooey cookie. I’ve made them for crowds and some (crazy lol) people out there aren’t a fan of how big and slightly underdone they are so something to keep in mind if making for a group. For my family I usually alternate between these and a brown butter cookie recipe to get the best of both cookie worlds 🙂 also I often do about 14-15 cookies per batch and cook roughly the same amount of time and they always turn out great!
★★★★
Hello! I absolutely adore this recipe! And so does everyone that I’ve made it for. I do have a couple of people in my life that are diabetic and need a sugar substitute such as splenda. How would you suggest modifying the recipe? Thank you!
★★★★★
Hi Lindsey! I’ve never made these with sugar substitute so I can’t personally vouch for it, but I would imagine any sugar free baking blend would be okay!
Thank you so much!