Copycat Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies

Why You’ll Love These Cookies

• Thick and gooey. The high baking temperature creates golden edges while keeping the centers soft, rich, and gooey.
• Loaded with chocolate and walnuts. Two cups each of semisweet chocolate chips and walnut halves and pieces give these cookies their signature chunky texture.
• Oversized bakery-style cookies. Each full-size cookie weighs approximately 6 ounces, but I also include baking instructions for smaller 3-ounce cookies.
• No chilling required. The dough can be portioned and baked immediately, making this recipe faster than many bakery-style cookie recipes.
• Easy to shape. No cookie scoop is necessary. Simply weigh the dough, form it into tall rustic mounds, and place the portions on the baking sheet.
• Less expensive than the bakery. Making a full batch at home costs far less than purchasing the same number of oversized cookies from Levain Bakery.

What Others Are Saying

I made some original size and some smaller. Both turned out so good and gooey!---Chanel on FB

I couldn't bring myself to leave the vanilla out, so I added some anyway. Great cookies.---Linda on FB

Tips and Tricks

• Use cold butter. The butter should be slightly softened but still cool. I let it sit at room temperature for about 15–20 minutes. Cold butter helps the cookies maintain their tall, thick shape.
• Do not add vanilla if you want to follow the bakery-inspired method. The Levain Bakery video does not show vanilla being added. The cookies still have plenty of flavor from the butter, brown sugar, chocolate, and walnuts.
• Bake at a high temperature. Baking at 400 degrees allows the exterior to set quickly while trapping moisture inside the thick cookie.
• Shape tall, rustic mounds. Do not flatten or tightly roll the dough. Loosely shape it into tall portions with uneven surfaces to create the bakery-style appearance.
• Trust the cooling process. The centers will look very soft when the cookies come out of the oven. Leave them on the baking sheet for 30–45 minutes so they can finish setting.
• Use light-colored baking sheets. Dark baking sheets absorb more heat and may cause the bottoms to brown too quickly. All of my baking times are tested with light-colored metal baking sheets.
• Store and reheat properly. Store the cookies in an airtight container or wrap them individually. Reheat a cookie in the microwave for approximately 10 seconds to soften the center.

What I Learned From the Levain Bakery Video

I used those techniques to adapt my classic chocolate chip cookie recipe into this homemade version. It is not Levain Bakery’s proprietary recipe, but it recreates the oversized shape, golden exterior, chunky texture, and gooey center that made the original cookie famous.

The video features Levain founders Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald making their signature cookies. Their method is refreshingly simple: cold butter, basic ingredients, plenty of chocolate and walnuts, rustic portions, and no chilling.

Ingredients

• Butter: Use cold salted butter that has softened on the counter for about 15–20 minutes. It should be easy to mix but still cool to the touch. Unsalted butter will also work.
• Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds moisture, chewiness, and caramel-like flavor. Using more brown sugar than granulated sugar also helps the cookies remain soft.
• Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar balances the brown sugar and helps the cookies develop golden edges.
• Eggs: Eggs add richness, moisture, and structure to the thick cookie dough.
• Baking Soda, Baking Powder, and Salt: Baking soda and baking powder provide lift and help the cookies brown, while salt balances the sweetness and enhances the chocolate flavor.
• All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour gives the dough enough structure to support the large amount of chocolate and walnuts. You do not need cake flour to make thick, gooey cookies.
• Walnuts: Use walnut halves and pieces rather than finely chopped walnuts. Larger pieces give the cookies their signature chunky texture and nutty flavor.
• Semisweet Chocolate Chips: Semisweet chocolate chips balance the sweetness of the dough and create rich pockets of melted chocolate. Milk chocolate chips may also be used for a sweeter cookie.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Copycat Levain Cookies

Step 1: Cream the butter and sugars. Add the cold, slightly softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat at medium speed until blended.

Step 2: Add the eggs. Add the eggs and continue mixing until the mixture is creamy and smooth.

Step 3: Add the dry ingredients. Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour. Mix at low speed just until a thick dough forms.

Step 4: Add the chocolate and walnuts. Add the chocolate chips and walnut halves and pieces. The dough will be very chunky. Remove the bowl from the mixer and finish incorporating the mix-ins by hand, if necessary.

Step 5: Weigh the dough. Portion the dough into 6-ounce pieces using a kitchen scale.

Step 6: Shape the cookies. Gently form each portion into a tall, rustic mound. Do not flatten or tightly roll the dough.

Step 7: Arrange on the baking sheet. Place the dough portions on parchment-lined, light-colored baking sheets, leaving plenty of space between them.

Step 8: Bake. Bake at 400 degrees for 11–13 minutes. The tops and edges should be golden, but the centers will still look very soft. *If you'd like to make smaller (but still large) 3-ounce cookies, bake for 6-8 minutes.

Step 9: Cool completely. Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 30–45 minutes. They will continue to bake and set from the residual heat. Your patience will pay off!

How Do You Know When Levain-Style Cookies Are Done?

Levain-style cookies should look golden and set around the edges but noticeably soft in the center. Because the cookies are so thick, the insides may appear underbaked when they first come out of the oven.

Do not move them immediately. Let them remain on the baking sheet for 30–45 minutes. The residual heat finishes setting the dough while preserving the soft, gooey center.

Copycat Leavain Cookies FAQs

If you enjoyed this recipe, don't miss my growing collection of Copycat Recipes! From famous restaurant dishes and luxury hotel cookies to bakery favorites and nostalgic grocery store treats, there's something for everyone.

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