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My ultimate thick and gooey chocolate chip cookies will transport you straight to a cozy bakery. These beauties are my treasured take on the famous Levain cookies, loaded with melty chocolate and perfectly golden around the edges. I spent countless hours in my kitchen perfecting this recipe to give you that magical combination of crispy outside and soft center.
What Makes These Cookies Special
These cookies are pure magic in every bite. Each one is gloriously thick with pockets of melted chocolate and crunchy walnuts scattered throughout. The best part? You can have these incredible treats ready in under an hour without any fussy chilling time.
My Kitchen Tested Ingredients
- Cold butter: 1 cup, straight from the fridge, giving these cookies their perfect height
- Brown sugar: 1 cup, packed, creating that irresistible caramel note
- Granulated sugar: ½ cup, for the perfect sweetness
- Large eggs: 2, room temperature, binding everything together
- Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon, because every good cookie needs vanilla
- All purpose flour: 2 ¾ cups, creating that gorgeous thickness
- Cornflour: 1 tablespoon, my secret for incredibly soft cookies
- Baking soda: 1 teaspoon, for perfect rise
- Salt: ½ teaspoon, bringing out all the flavors
- Chocolate chunks: 2 cups, hand chopped for the best chocolate puddles
- Walnuts: 1 cup, roughly chopped, adding wonderful texture
Let's Make These Together
- Get Your Oven Ready
- Start by warming up your oven to 375°F. While that's happening, grab two baking sheets and line them with parchment paper.
- Mix Your Wet Ingredients
- Take your cold butter, brown sugar, and regular sugar and mix them until they're just combined. Add in your eggs and vanilla and keep mixing until everything looks smooth and happy.
- Prep the Dry Mix
- In another bowl, whisk your flour, cornflour, baking soda, and salt together. Slowly add this to your wet ingredients, mixing gently until everything comes together.
- Time for the Good Stuff
- Now comes the fun part! Fold in all those chocolate chunks and walnuts until they're evenly spread throughout your dough.
- Shape Your Cookies
- Grab about 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie. Roll them into balls and pop them on your baking sheets, leaving enough room between each one.
- Into the Oven
- Let them bake for 12-14 minutes until you see those gorgeous golden edges but the middle still looks soft. Give them 5 minutes to rest on the tray before moving them to a cooling rack.
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My Secret to Perfect Results
Trust me on this one using cold butter and a bit more flour makes all the difference. Take the extra minute to chop your own chocolate instead of using chips. Not sure about the thickness? Bake one test cookie first that's what I always do in my kitchen.
Cold Butter is Your Friend
Let me tell you why cold butter makes these cookies so amazing. It stops them from spreading too thin in the oven keeping all that delicious height. This is how we get that perfect gooey center that everyone loves.
Make Them Your Own
I love loading these cookies with chocolate chunks and walnuts just like the original Levain Bakery does. But your kitchen your rules. Feel free to swap in pecans almonds or just go nuts with extra chocolate if that's more your style.
Quick and Easy
You know what I love most about this recipe? No waiting around for dough to chill. You can have warm cookies in under an hour. Though between us if your kitchen is super warm a quick chill in the fridge never hurts.
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Start with One
My favorite kitchen trick is to bake just one cookie first. This way you can check if the timing is right for your oven and if you're happy with how thick they stay. If it spreads more than you'd like pop the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Keep Them Fresh
These beauties stay fresh for 5 days in an airtight container. Want that fresh from the oven magic again? Pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds and watch that chocolate get all melty and wonderful.
Perfect Pairings
Nothing beats these cookies with an ice cold glass of milk. Though I won't judge if you want to dunk them in your morning coffee or sandwich some vanilla ice cream between two of them for the ultimate treat.
For Every Sweet Moment
These cookies make any moment special. They're my go to for birthdays bake sales or just because it's Tuesday and we all need a little sweetness. Trust me they'll be the star of any dessert spread.
Mix It Up
Sometimes I like to play around with different chocolates. Dark milk white or a mix of all three. No walnuts? Pecans work beautifully or skip the nuts and add more chocolate because is there really such thing as too much chocolate?
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A Taste of NYC at Home
I fell in love with Levain Bakery cookies on a trip to New York and couldn't rest until I created something just as special at home. Now I can enjoy that same incredible taste without booking a flight.
Cookie Heaven
Every time I make these cookies they disappear faster than I can cool them. That perfect balance of crispy edges and gooey center gets them every time. It's like having a piece of bakery magic right in your own kitchen.
Getting That Golden Edge
The magic happens at 375°F in my oven. This temperature creates those irresistible crispy edges while keeping the middle perfectly soft. Keep an eye on them though every oven has its own personality.
My Secret Ingredient
A spoonful of cornflour might seem strange in cookies but trust me on this one. It's my secret weapon for getting that incredibly soft tender texture that makes these cookies absolutely unforgettable.
Size Matters
Want those massive bakery style cookies? Use about 6 ounces of dough per cookie and bake them a bit longer around 15-17 minutes. They're perfect for those times when you really want to wow someone.
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Why I Chop My Own Chocolate
Take it from someone who's made thousands of cookies chopping your own chocolate makes such a difference. You get those gorgeous melty pockets throughout the cookie instead of just uniform chips. It's totally worth the extra few minutes.
Making Them Nut Free
Got a nut allergy? No problem. Skip the walnuts and add more chocolate or try some dried cranberries for a lovely chewy texture. These cookies are just as amazing without nuts I promise.
Freezer Tips
I always keep a stash of cookie dough balls in my freezer for cookie emergencies. Roll them shape them freeze them on a tray then pop them in a container. When the craving hits bake them straight from frozen just add a couple extra minutes.
Year Round Favorites
These cookies are amazing any time of year. During the holidays I'll add some festive sprinkles or crushed candy canes. Come fall a pinch of cinnamon makes them extra cozy. They're endlessly adaptable.
Handle with Care
The secret to perfectly tender cookies? Don't overmix the dough. Mix just until everything comes together that's all it needs. This keeps your cookies soft and chewy instead of tough.
Share the Love
These cookies make the sweetest gifts. I love wrapping them individually in parchment paper and tucking them into pretty boxes. They always bring smiles and usually requests for the recipe.
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A Recipe to Treasure
This recipe has become my signature bake. Every time I share these cookies with friends they beg for the recipe. It brings me so much joy knowing these cookies are being baked in kitchens across the country spreading happiness one batch at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions
- → Why use cold ingredients?
Cold butter and eggs help prevent spreading, resulting in thicker cookies characteristic of Levain style.
- → What if my cookies spread too much?
Chill dough for at least 30 minutes before baking. Cold dough helps maintain thickness.
- → Why chop chocolate by hand?
Hand-chopped chocolate creates chocolate chunks of varying sizes, adding texture and helping cookies stay thick.
Conclusion
Discover how to create the iconic Levain Bakery chocolate chip cookies at home, featuring a unique method that guarantees thick, chewy, and utterly delicious results.