Stop what you’re doing and listen up.
This hunk of chocolatey butter needs to be in your life. More specifically, it needs to be in your mouth.
I know I’m not the first (or even the hundredth) to recreate the Levain Bakery chocolate chip cookies. But, I have been making cookies for a long time. My mom’s been baking cookies for a long time. And I’m sorry, but her cookies are better than Levain’s.
Yeah. I said it.
Levain Bakery is in New York City’s Upper West Side, and despite its tiny storefront, it cranks out thousands of these monster cookies each day. The lines are always long and the service is always friendly. They don’t have room for seating, which is too bad because it smells like heaven in there. I would easily sit there for hours enjoying a good book and a strong coffee.
Wei and I visited them last summer, on one of the hottest days of the year. And they were still working those ovens.
But they’re not famous for their bakery, they’re famous for their cookies.
My mom’s cookies are made the exact same way that Levain’s are made: enormous, gooey, crispy on the outside, and nearly raw on the inside. I learned how to make cookies from the woman, so I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that I’m somewhat of an expert at Levain Bakery’s cookies.
(It’s about the only thing I can claim to have any expertise in, other than eating copious amounts of chocolate and remembering all the words to Baby Got Back.)
These cookies are basically my mom’s cookies with a few walnuts thrown in, so as to better emulate Levain’s chocolate walnut cookies. These cookies are the only cookies in the history of nut-containing cookies that I actually like. The walnuts soften as they bake, so instead of turning all your mouth’s attention towards chewing, you can focus on letting the puddles of chocolate dissolve on your tongue.
Drop whatever it is your doing, and go make this cookie dough. That’s an order. One of these fatties will keep you satisfied all day, two will keep your sweet tooth happy for a week, and three might give you a heart attack. Don’t go too hard.
P.S. If you’re a cookie dough fanatic, I have just introduced you to your soulmate, the most doughiest of cookies. You’re welcome.
Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies {Levain Copycat Recipe}
Adapted from my White and Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cookies
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup raw (unsalted walnuts)
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate discs or chips
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cold butter with the paddle attachment until it lumps together.
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Add the granulated sugar, mix, then add the brown sugar. Scrape it down and mix until just combined. Add the eggs and vanilla extract.
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Before adding the flour, mix in the walnuts and chocolate chips. This way you can mix them in thoroughly without worrying about gluten developing. (This step should also break down the walnuts a little bit.)
- Add the flour mixture all at once, and mix on low until well combined. Cover the dough and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can shape the dough into 12 evenly sized cookies and place them on a sheet pan in the freezer before baking.
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While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 375F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
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If you haven’t yet, divide the chilled dough into 12 equal-sized balls (roughly weighing 110 grams each if you want to be precise). Bake 4-6 cookies per sheet pan for about 12-13 minutes. The cookies will be slightly browned on the outside and still barely raw in the middle. Don’t over-bake them! You want them to look a little undercooked.
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Cool on a wire rack for a few minutes. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature, and store any unbaked cookie dough balls in a ziplock bag or airtight container in the freezer for any emergencies – they’ll last up to three months. Add a minute or two extra when baking frozen dough.
Comments
One response to “Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies {Levain Copycat Recipe}”
Would you be able to give weights of flour and sugar? I weigh everything when I bake so it is always the same.