Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies
A copycat recipe for the unparalleled, massive Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are crispy on the outside and soft & gooey on the inside!
This is exactly how you make enormous gooey, chewy, Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies that make everyone in your life love your guts.
I may just never make another chocolate chip cookie recipe ever again because I’ve truly found the best. You guys….these cookies. They are sky-high and absolutely to die for. I have made about a zillion recipes for chocolate chip cookies since I started this blog. While it’s really hard to go wrong when it comes to a warm chocolate chip cookie in your mouth, it’s rare for me to try one that I absolutely love and deem a keeper.
I’m so glad you’re here! Follow along on Pinterest for more inspiration!
These cookies are enormous in case you can’t tell in the photos. They are maybe just a little bit smaller than my fist (and I have man hands). I know my mom is rolling her eyes right now because that’s what she does when I claim that I have man hands. I used to work at a floral shop back in the day and I worked there for 5 years. I can’t tell you how many times I had someone comment on how long my fingers were. I started to get a complex! It doesn’t bother me much anymore but I periodically I think about whether or not I missed my calling as a piano player with these “piano fingers”, as people called them.
It is of vital importance that you use very COLD butter in this Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe. If you don’t use cold butter you will have flat cookies that will still taste yummy but not look like the photos you are seeing in this post. I highly recommend you striving for the huge, puffy cloud looking cookies that are slightly “crispy” on the outside and still a bit gooey and soft on the inside. The hard butter will help them hold their shape in the oven better. Their tallness is what makes these extra unique.
Tip: I left out the walnuts because I am a chocolate chip cookies purist like that. Feel free to add 2 cups of roughly chopped walnuts if that floats your boat. Levain Bakery uses walnuts in their recipe so they will taste great!
You deserve chocolate today so go run to the kitchen and make these right now. These are so good I could cry.
Here is my “how to” video with step-by-step instructions on how to make these chocolate chip cookies!
If you’re loving these Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies, definitely check out my chocolate version (photo below): Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies. I also highly recommend my extra large Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies. You must also check out my whole collection of cookie recipes. I hope you enjoy!
- 1 cup COLD salted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1½ cups cake flour
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups good quality dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Tip: you will want to work somewhat quickly so the butter stays cold before the cookies go in the oven)
- Preheat oven to 410 degrees.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer), cream together cold, salted butter and sugars until light and fluffy, approximately 4 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one.
- Mix in vanilla.
- Stir in flours, cornstarch, and baking soda. Mix until just combined (do not overmix as this will make for tough cookies).
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Separate dough into large balls (about 5-6 ounces each) and place on lightly colored cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. These are large and you will fit 4 cookies on one large cookie sheet. They don't spread a whole lot while baking.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown on the top and the tops of the cookies feel done, while cookies are still soft on the inside (oven times vary, so check periodically - cookies may need less time or extra time depending on the size you made them and your oven).
- Let them rest for at least 10 minutes to set. Eat warm, preferably.
- If you wish to freshen them after a day or two, nuke in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
Recipe source: adapted from modernhoney.com
Oh mer gawsh!!! Ashley, my daughter and I wait a whole year (sometimes more) to get our Levain Bakery Cookie fix – but not anymore from now on – cos I have this recipe of yours!!! Thank you thank you! Yes, I’m glad you put those long fingers to use as a recipe developer and not a piano player – cos I, we, wouldn’t have these!!! Btw – do you happen to have a copycat version of their oatmeal cookies? If you do – girl – I owe ya big time!
I totally need to make these this weekend. I’m a purist too, so no nuts in my cookies either!
Ashley, I finally, finally got to try Levain cookies only a couple of months ago and I’ve been thinking about trying this very recipe at home, too! So glad to see you do it and it looks so tasty! The texture is just amazing and you feel like it’ll stay warm for hours.
Oh, thank you for this! I’ve had Levain cookies and they were fantastic, so I’d love to be able to make them!
Update – I made these over the weekend as promised. My butter was too soft (I must have creamed it too much) so my cookies spread. However, they were still incredible, and I even managed to share some with friends. Word to the wise – keep that butter nice and cold! If it warms up, pop the dough in the fridge for 20-30 minutes! 🙂
U might try placing the cookie sheets in freezer about an hour or so b4 baking to let them set up a bit & bake 325 for 15 minutes.410 degrees is way too high to bake them at.I made some delicious Oatmeal Walnut Craisin cookies here’s my recipe.
In Large bowl add the following:1/2C.Unsweetened Applesauce,1C.Instant Quick Oatmeal,(this absorbs the applesauce),Sprinkle in salt not too much,8tsp.Brown Sugar thats 10 calories per tsp.,2 tsp.Double acting Baking Powder,1/8tsp.Baking Soda,1 tsp.Nutmeg or to taste,1/2 Tablespoon Cinnamon,1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice it makes the cookies rise more & U can omit this & it doesn’t make them taste lemony.Mix with whisk now add 1/2C.Walnuts Finely Chopped,1/2C.Craisins,add Stevia to taste I added 1/2C.,A squirt of Orange Vanilla Water Enhancer its better than Vanilla & is very sweet too.1 egg,& 1C.Gluten Free Flour.Drop 1 Tablespponful on tin foil lined baking sheet sprayed with butter spray & bake 325 for 15 minutes.These are really good I got 17 cookies total probably would’ve gotten 18 if took some batter from others.These didn’t spread & their alot healthier 78 calories per cookie.I LOVE using Stevia & the 10 calorie Brown Sugar.When making biscuits or anything that calls for Baking Powder add a little lemon juice it acts as a levening more it will bubble & double up & tenderizes not making flour stiff.My biscuits turn out light as air.
I forgot to add I added Olive Oil 2 Tablespoons to this recipe Oatmeal Craisin Walnut cookies:
In Large bowl add the following:1/2C.Unsweetened Applesauce,1C.Instant Quick Oatmeal,(this absorbs the applesauce),Olive Oil 2 Tablespoons,Sprinkle in salt not too much,8tsp.Brown Sugar thats 10 calories per tsp.,2 tsp.Double acting Baking Powder,1/8tsp.Baking Soda,1 tsp.Nutmeg or to taste,1/2 Tablespoon Cinnamon,1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice it makes the cookies rise more & U can omit this & it doesn’t make them taste lemony.Mix with whisk now add 1/2C.Walnuts Finely Chopped,1/2C.Craisins,add Stevia to taste I added 1/2C.,A squirt of Orange Vanilla Water Enhancer its better than Vanilla & is very sweet too.1 egg,& 1C.Gluten Free Flour.Drop 1 Tablespponful on tin foil lined baking sheet sprayed with butter spray & bake 325 for 15 minutes.These are really good I got 17 cookies total probably would’ve gotten 18 if took some batter from others.These didn’t spread & their alot healthier 78 calories per cookie.I LOVE using Stevia & the 10 calorie Brown Sugar.When making biscuits or anything that calls for Baking Powder add a little lemon juice it acts as a levening more it will bubble & double up & tenderizes not making flour stiff.My biscuits turn out light as air.
These are meant to be baked at 410 only and it isn’t too high at all. Only way to get these cookies to their amazing texture and taste as they should be. She just didn’t cut the butter small enough is all, baby pieces and work quickly. These are the most amazing cookies. Good tips on the kind you make though hun but not the same type. I make these almost sugar free by using Truvia baking sugars instead and they always turn out amazing. Honey has recipes of all of the cookies Laberion makes if anyone is interested, it’s the ones I used but came here to try these too and they are awesome too.=) Good recipe
What kind of cake flour?
I used king Arthur’s flour brand
These look great. I’m definitely going to try this recipe. Thanks for posting.
Am making these now. 5 1/2-6 oz cookies were much too big for us so I cut the size to 2 1/2 oz and they are still massive. I cut the cooking time in half but as we just purchased the house I don’t think the oven temp was right and had to double the time. They are still nice and gooey inside. Not a traditional overly sweet cookie so that’s a plus
Hello I did the cookies and They are delicious. But muy cookies were Flat. What can I do to look like in the picture, Very fat cookies. Please help me. I want Big, fat, chewy cookies. Thanks
The Butter must have gotten too warm. That only happened to me once (and I make these a LOT) and it was when I wasn’t working fast enough and the Butter got too warm. Hope that helps!
I don’t have any cake flour, can I substitute? what do you recommend?
You can use regular all purpose flour. They just won’t be as soft of a texture but still will turn out fine. Watch the baking time more carefully as it might change slightly. Thanks!!
If making the 5-6 ounce cookies…. how many will this recipe make???
Hi Heidi! This recipe makes about 8 cookies every time I make it.
This is what Cookie Paradise must look like! Just wanted to reach into the screen and eat them all!
THE PERFECT THICKNESS OHEMGEE I NEEEED THESE COOKIES!
Can these be frozen to bake later in the week? What temperature should I bake them at? Do I thaw them completely?
Thank you!
They look delicious!
Yes you can freeze the dough. Defrost before baking and keep the temperature the same.
Hi there, just wondering – how do you cream cold, hard butter? I imagine it clunking around in the bowl and would think that by the time it becomes light and fluffy per the directions, it’s already too warm – no? Would love to bake these – just need clarification on the butter part. Thank you!
Hi Lisa! I got the recipe from somebody else and – trust me – it works!! The butter is cut up and it does cream. Hope you love them as much as we do!
I used super cold butter cut into a million pieces and I could NOT get the butter to cream and it made quite the mess. By the time I was able to work the butter I think it was too warm. Just finished baking my first round and they are completely flat. I froze the rest of the dough so I’ll try again tomorrow with colder dough and let you know how it works.
You don’t really need to cream the butter. The idea is that your making a chocolate chip biscuit. Keep butter very cold and just cream until it blended with the sugar. It will probably still be crumbly. Remeber that you are still going to be mixing it further when you add it to the dry ingredients. I actually take the butter out of the fridge at the last second and shred it with a cheese grater into the sugar bowl. Works great!
I am wondering the same thing. To properly cream butter to where it’s light and fluffy you need it to be soft. Even if your butter is COLD, mixing for 4 min will make it warm. Should the texture resemble sand with little bit of butter…almost like a streusel topping?
I like what someone said about grating the butter…I do this with pie crusts. Another idea is to freeze your butter.
I will make these some day; I have had your recipe pinned for some time but just read your post today as I’m figuring out who to bake for for Christmas. I have long fingers too! This boy in middle school used to tease me and call me Spiderman. But hey, I can reach a 9-note octave on the piano!
AMAAAAAZING COOKIES!!!
I didn’t have cake flour so I added 2 tbsp of corn starch for each cup of flour that I subbed for the cake flour.
I also added walnuts and only baked them for 8 minutes.
These cookies are to die for.
THANK YOU for posting this recipe!
These are amazing cookies. I do think 4 minutes is too long for creaming the butter. When I did it by the clock, my first batch was flat. Second batch I mixed minimally and they were perfect. I took my butter straight from fridge to bowl.
Help! I have made this recipe 3 times & I’m determined to master it. No matter how quickly I work or carefully I measure ingredients my cookies never seem to stay big like the picture, they always seem to spread in the oven. If they do stay remotely fluffy the bottoms burn. Help help help!
I LOVE THIS RECIPE!! FINALLY A COOKIE THAT HAS IT ALL!!! I also made the chocolate with white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts! Amaze!! And today I used the dough recipe but substituted the vanilla with almond and used white chocolate chips and cranberries! Another hit!
Love your site! Thanks for sharing
Thank you. I will definitely try this.
These were fantastic! How do I freeze them to make later? Thanks!
This cookies are hands down the best cookies I’ve ever had. And that’s a bold statement coming from me. I found it incredible hard to mix hard butter, so I did it with room temp butter and then put them in the fridge to harden the butter to gget the perfect cookie. I allowed a couple hours in the fridge. I even froze half the batch to use at a later time. Thank you for this recipe, you’ve changed my liiiiiife <3
These cookies turned out AMAZING. I’m 38 weeks pregnant and super restless waiting for the little one, thick chocolate chip cookies sounded wonderful and dad was happy too. I added toffee bits to the cookies and they turned out delicious. Can’t wait to make these again
Can you put the dough balls in the fridge before baking to ensure they’re cold or would that ruin the cookie? I’m just thinking if I wasn’t able to work fast enough! LOL Thanks!
Yes that would be fine!
this is my second time making these and for some reason the inside of the cookie simply will not cook thoroughly while the outside begins to get extremely dark. I am not sure what I am doing wrong.
Cookies look gorgeous. My recipe made 2 dozen exactly. My only suggestion is to add salt. I am really missing the salt in the recipe as it balances out everything.
can you make these with gluten-free cake flour and gluten-free all-purpose flour??????????????????? let me know. they look really delicious…………………. 🙂
These are incredible, really the best chocolate chip cookie recipe! I added a tiny bit of salt in with the dry ingredients since traditional recipes usually include that. I’m guessing that’s why it said to use salted butter, but it still needed a little extra. Trying to cream cold butter was messy with my hand mixer (it didn’t cream until around the 4 min mark when it warmed up anyway), so I chilled the dough in the refrigerator for about an hour after it was all mixed up and they turned out like the picture! I got 20 big cookies out of a single batch