This copycat Levain chocolate chip cookie recipe allows you to recreate the magic of Levain Bakery in your own kitchen. Levain Bakery in New York City is famous for its giant, gooey, and outrageously delicious chocolate chip cookies.
They're packed with rich flavor, melty chocolate, and a chewy texture that's truly irresistible. You'll love our recreation of this iconic cookie!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
This recipe captures the essence of the Levain cookie: a chewy, slightly crisp exterior gives way to a soft, gooey center bursting with melty chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.
- Bakery-Style Results: This recipe replicates the signature texture and taste of Levain Bakery's iconic cookies, offering a taste of NYC at home.
- Giant & Gooey: These cookies are true to the Levain style – large, thick, and incredibly gooey in the center.
- Easy to Make: This recipe uses pantry staples and comes together quickly, making it perfect for satisfying your chocolate chip cookie cravings anytime.
- Giant & Shareable: These cookies are generously sized, perfect for sharing (or indulging solo!).
Ingredients You'll Need
This recipe captures the essence of the Levain cookies – big, soft, and overflowing with chocolate chips – without requiring any fancy equipment or hard-to-find ingredients.
- Butter - salted and softened to room temperature
- Brown sugar - light brown
- Sugar - white granulated
- Eggs - large
- Vanilla extract - use pure vanilla for best flavor
- All purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Chocolate chips - semi sweet or milk chocolate (or a blend of the two!)
- Nut - chopped walnuts or pecans
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Make Copycat Levain Chocolate Chip Cookies
It's surprisingly easy to make this copycat cookie recipe, requiring just basic ingredients and a little patience. So, preheat your oven, gather your supplies, and get ready to bake a batch of these legendary cookies!
Make The Cookie Dough
- Preheat oven to 400 °F. Line two larged rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on low. When they start to combine together, boost the speed up to medium high and beat for an additional 4 minutes to get a light and creamy texture.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix in until just combined.
- Mix in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt in two or three additions. Use your mixer to get it into just combined stage.
Mix In The Chocolate Chips and Nuts
- Add the chocolate chips and walnuts and mix until they are disbursed.
- Divide your dough into 8 rough balls. Do not pack or roll the dough. Levain bakery’s charm is to leave the cookies looking rough and bumpy.
- Chill cookie balls for 30 minutes. This will reduce spread and allows the texture to be ooey, chewier.
Leave Plenty Of Room Between Cookie Balls
- Place 4 cookies to a pan, being sure to allow room for spread, because they spread.
Bake The Cookies
- Bake for 10-14 minutes, or until lightly browned at the edges and on top. They will still be doughy and underbaked on the inside.
- Remove baking sheet from the oven at 14 minutes. Set on top of the oven or counter without using a cooling rack. The heat from the hot baking pan will continue to cook the center of the cookies.
Serving Suggestions
These Levain-inspired cookies are delicious on their own, but you can also enjoy them with a tall glass of cold milk or a cup of coffee. They're perfect for a decadent dessert or a satisfying afternoon snack.
Substitutions and Variations
Here are a few delicious variations or substitutions when making this recipe.
- Feel free to use a combination of dark, semi-sweet, and milk chocolate chips for a variety of textures and flavors.
- Chopped pecans or other nuts can be substituted for the walnuts, or you can omit them altogether if you prefer a nut-free cookie.
Related Recipes
- Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Condensed Milk Brownies
- Chocolate Reese's Pieces Cookies
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Below are some of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use when making this Levain style chocolate chip cookie recipe.
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Storage Options
- These cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- For longer storage, you can freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months. Wrap the cooled cookies tightly in plastic wrap or a freezer safe plastic tub.
Tips for Success
Here are a few tips for making this recipe:
- Ensure all your ingredients, especially the butter and eggs, are at room temperature for even mixing and a smooth batter.
- Once the dry and wet ingredients are combined, stop mixing. Overmixing can lead to a tough cookie.
- Leave plenty of space between the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet as they will spread during baking.
- Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking helps the cookies spread less and maintain their signature thick and chewy texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
The edges of the cookies should be golden brown while the centers are still slightly soft. You can also insert a toothpick into the center – it should come out with a few moist crumbs attached.
Yes, you can adjust the baking time accordingly. For smaller cookies, bake for 8-10 minutes.
Chilling the dough is not necessary for this recipe, but it can help the cookies spread less and achieve a chewier texture.
More Delish Ideas
Copycat Levain Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter cold & cubed
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2¾ cups flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups semisweet or milk chocolate chips
- 2 cups walnuts roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 °F. Line two larged rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on low. When they start to combine together, boost the speed up to medium high and beat for an additional 4 minutes to get a light and creamy texture.1 cup salted butter, 1 cup light brown sugar, ½ cup sugar
- Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix in until just combined.2 large eggs, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In several additions, add in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Use your mixer to get it into just combined stage. There should be flour streaks, but they will get mixed in adding the chocolate chips. Be sure not to over mix or your cookies will be dense.2¾ cups flour, ¼ cup cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Add the chocolate chips and walnuts and mix until they are disbursed.2 cups semisweet or milk chocolate chips, 2 cups walnuts
- Divide your dough into 8 rough balls. Do not pack or roll the dough. Levain bakery’s charm is to leave the cookies looking rough and bumpy.
- Chill cookie balls for 30 minutes. This will reduce spread and allows the texture to be ooey, chewier.
- Place 4 cookies to a pan, being sure to allow room for spread, because they spread.
- Bake for 10-14 minutes, or until lightly browned. They will still be doughy and underbaked on the inside, but after they are removed from the oven they will sit on the pan for an additional 15 minutes to continue baking.
Notes
- Ensure all your ingredients, especially the butter and eggs, are at room temperature for even mixing and a smooth batter.
- Once the dry and wet ingredients are combined, stop mixing. Overmixing can lead to a tough cookie.
- Leave plenty of space between the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet as they will spread during baking.
- Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking helps the cookies spread less and maintain their signature thick and chewy texture.
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