I've tried my share of Levain-Inspired Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies copycat recipes mimicking the famous New York bakery's iconic cookies and I can assure you with confidence these are the BEST Levain-Inspired Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies you can make at home! Not only will you bake up a decadent tray of cookies, you will learn the essential tips and tricks to how these BIG New York-Style cookies come together. Wait, I see you pressing that Jump To Recipe button already! Alright, please scroll back and read the rest later - I promise you the information is worth it.
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Why People Love Levain Bakery Cookies
One of my main goals was to mimic Levain's unique cookie texture. It's quite astonishing to see a GIANT 6-ounce chunky cookie that has such a soft and chewy buttery center, yet perfectly crisp golden brown edges with an UNAPOLOGETIC amount of gooey chocolate. At the height of their fame, everyone went crazy for this chunky THICK New York-style of cookies. Over the years, many Big Apple bakeries have come up with their own versions and I want to say Levain is not quite "the best" to today's standards. Regardless of how people may rank them now, I LOVE Levain's story. And I love their cookies.
I know - these cookies are BEASTS. If you're looking for unique cookies that's more classic small shaped but just as delicious, try my Brownie Cookies - two desserts in one! How about Homemade Fortune Cookies with your own custom fortunes?
What You'll Need To Make Levain-Inspired Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
- Toasted walnuts: Feel free to add raw walnuts, but toasted nuts are just BETTER. It takes just a few mins on the stovetop or oven.
- Using both all-purpose and cake flour: Adding low-protein cake flour along with all-purpose flour prevents cookies from having a dense texture.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Use both to achieve optimum rise. Baking soda reacts with acidic ingredients to give the initial lift, while baking powder provides a more consistent controlled rise as it bakes. This creates a well-rounded texture and ensures cookies aren't flat but also not puffy.
- Salt: Salt enhances and balances the flavor of other ingredients in the cookie. Baked treats with no salt added will taste flat and bland. If a baking recipe doesn't specify, I recommend always adding kosher coarse salt.
- Cold cubed unsalted butter: How you incorporate butter into your cookie dough drastically affects your cookie texture. Since we are going for a scone-like structure, we need it COLD. I cube the butter sticks, add them to my mixer bowl, and stick the bowl into the freezer for 10 minutes before adding the sugars.
- Using both granulated and brown sugar: Although sugars can be interchangeable, there's many reasons why some cookie recipes use only one type of sugar and others use a mix of both. Brown sugar helps with moisture and flavor from the molasses resulting in a softer chewy texture. White sugar bakes up crispier airy cookies. This is great information to retain for future baking.
- Chocolate chips: Classic semi-sweet chocolate chips is the popular choice, but feel free to change it up by using milk or dark chocolate. I LOVE adding MINI chocolate chips - it adds more chocolate into every bite!
- Large Eggs: If a recipe doesn't specify, it's safe to default to large eggs.
How To Make Levain-Inspired Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
Toasting your walnuts is highly recommended. You can brown them in the oven or stovetop for 7-10 mins until fragrant.
To keep butter cold and ready to go, I cut them into cubes, add them to the mixing bowl, and freeze for 10 mins. Then, attach it to the mixer.
Do not over-cream when aerating butter with the sugars.
Add chocolate chips. Roughly crush walnuts in your hand before adding - chopping them is not necessary.
Pulse in dry ingredients in two batches. Do not overmix - stop when almost all dry flour is no longer visible.
Dough will appear very crumbly. Do not worry - you're on the right track!
Squeeze the dough. If it can bind together fairly well, this is an indication it is the correct consistency.
Beat two eggs and mix in last. Avoid over-mixing.
Create 8 rustic dough balls. Cover and chill in fridge or freezer before baking.
Bake cookie sheet on top another inverted baking tray. This helps bigger cookie bake the centers through.
Suzy's Tips For Success
- Do not over-cream butter and sugars: Traditionally when creaming sugar into butter, you look for the butter to turn lighter in color and consistency to become fairly fluffy. Since we still want the cookie texture to be scone-like, cream just until the sugars are mixed in and fully incorporated.
- Pulse in dry ingredients slowly: Add dry ingredients in two batches and take your time. Your bowl will be reaching the top and mixing at a higher speed will result in flour spilling everywhere. Stop mixer when almost all the dry flour is no longer visible. Do not over-mix.
- Your cookie dough will appear crumbly before adding in the eggs: Squeeze a small amount of dough in the palm of your hand. If it is able to bind together before breaking apart, then you are on the right track.
- Adding eggs last: This is the most unusual part of this recipe process. I understand your hesitation, and here is the reason: when moisture from the egg whites react with flour, it creates gluten. Unlike bread, we do NOT want gluten to develop in cookies as the effect will be a tough dense texture. This is why many recipes will always warn you to not over-mix after introducing your flour to the dough. By adding eggs in last, we are minimizing the chance for gluten to develop. Believe me, I thought adding eggs last was odd too. But I've made this recipe many times and it truly works. Beat them in a small bowl and slowly pour them in while mixer is running. And once again, do not over-mix.
- Chill your dough before baking: We all hate this step, but it is absolutely essential - do not skip it. The flour gets a chance to hydrate and break down into sugar, which concentrates and develops all the flavors and allows for even baking. It also solidifies the fat, which prevents cookies from spreading too much and you will end up with taller cookies
- Bake with two baking sheets: We are creating a heat buffer so the cookie bottoms do not burn while the cookie center sets. This is the challenge mainly when baking bigger cookies. Place chilled cookie doughs a few inches apart on one cookie sheet and invert the second cookie sheet upside down. Stack the first cookie sheet on top the second sheet and bake.
- It's better to underbake: Always remember, cookies keep baking from the residual heat even after you take them out of the oven. I always make it a habit to check cookies a few minutes before the actual bake time is over. You can always bake them longer if needed.
Best Way To Store/Reheat Cookies
For cookies not enjoyed immediately, you can store in an airtight bag or container in fridge for up to 2 weeks. To reheat, place cookie on a microwave-safe plate covered with a damp paper towel. Heat the cookie in 5-sec increments until warm. You can freeze baked cookies for up to a year, and frozen raw dough for 2-3 months.
FAQ
Although I have not tried this substitution, I would attempt it with a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour that includes stabilizers such as xanthum gum. Perhaps our GF friends here can let us know if the texture comes out similar or have more suggestions to share - please leave comments for us below!
It's quite a science but there's a few factors - ratio of ingredients to each other, the leaveners (baking powder & baking soda), and of course, chilling the dough before baking. This gives a chance for the fat (butter) to solidify in the dough, which helps prevent cookies from spreading flat.
Of course! We were mimicking Levain's signature cookie size, but you can enjoy them smaller. Just be sure to reduce the bake time.
Moisture and flour combined starts the develop of gluten. And gluten in cookies is not a good thing - we are not baking bread. So by introducing the moisture from the egg whites to the flour at the very end, we are minimizing the chance for gluten to develop. Add them in last and be sure not to over-mix the dough.
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Equipment
- parchment paper
- Rubber Spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup walnuts lightly toasted
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cup cake flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter cubed
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
Instructions
- Toast walnuts using on a pan using the stovetop, or in the oven on a small baking sheet at 350℉ (175℃) for 7-10 mins until fragnant. Set aside to cool.1 cup walnuts
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1¼ cup cake flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- In a large stand mixing bowl, beat cold cubed butter on low speed for approx 30-60 secs - just until it loses its shape. Add both sugars and cream for 1 min until combined. Do not over-cream. Pour in the chocolate chips - I like using regular and mini chocolate chips. Roughly crush walnuts in your hand as you add them to the dough, keeping some pieces big and some small.1 cup cold unsalted butter, ⅔ cup granulated sugar , ⅔ cup light brown sugar, 2 cups chocolate chips
- Gradually pulse in the dry ingredients in two batches. Keep mixer speed low, or flour will likely spill over. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of mixer bowl, breaking down if any large butter pieces remain.
- In a separate small bowl, light beat two eggs and pour slowly into the dough. Continue on low speed and stop mixing when eggs have been incorporated. Do not over-mix.2 large eggs
- Divide cookie dough into 8, approx 6oz each (170g). Loosely roll dough together, keep them rustic. Place them all onto a tray, cover, and chill them for 3 hours in fridge or freeze for 1½ hours min - preferably overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375℉(190℃).
- Place chilled cookie dough on first baking tray 2 inches apart. Invert the other empty baking tray upside and place first tray on top, and transfer both into the oven. This method is especially helpful baking larger cookies in higher heat. It prevents the edges of the cookies from baking too quickly as the center continues to set.
- Bake for 23-26 minutes or until edges and tops are golden brown, checking at the 21-min mark. Cool for 10 mins on wire rack, then enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Tasha says
Hi, my name is Tasha and I’m wondering can you freeze these and if so should you thaw them before baking since they are so big?
Suzy says
Yes, you can definitely freeze them! I bake them straight from the freezer, just keep an eye to see if you need a few extra mins in the oven. Check to see if the cookie edges are golden, and they are done!
Gigi says
Hi. would it affect the cookies if I made this recipe with brown butter instead of cold butter? I can never get cookie recipes right with cold butter even if I follow the exact recipe, so just wondering if I would ruin these cookies if I tried brown/melted butter instead because they always turn out great.
Suzy says
Hello Gigi. Yes, the cookies will be very different in appearance made with browned butter. However, they would be very delicious still made that way if you prefer! So the form of butter greatly determines the structure of the cookies. When recipes call for cold, softened, or melted butter, there's usually a reason for it other than taste. These bakery-style cookies are tall, chunky, and doesn't spread thin. Any form of melted butter (aka brown butter) would create a flatter (but still delicious) cookie. Whereas cold butter would keep its structure after baking. You would also have to melt more butter than stated in the recipe. When you brown the butter, you are evaporating water from it. So for example, even if you melt 1/2 stick of butter or 113g, you will not be left with the same amount after browning. I hope this helps!
Gigi says
This is very helpful, thank you. I am making this recipe today (with cold butter) and curious to see how they will turn out. Fingers crossed I won't ruin them.
Lizel peña says
Hi suzy 🙂 what if i want to make a double dark chocolate cookie, how many grams of cocoa powder should i put in?
Suzy says
Hello Lizel. Double dark chocolate cookie sounds delicious! I haven't developed a recipe for one, so I'm not sure I can answer how much cocoa powder to use just yet without testing it myself. If you google a similar recipe, I'm sure it can give you an idea!
Lizel Peña says
Hi suzy 🙂 how can i make it a double chocolate cookie?
Suzy says
Hello, Lizel. I haven't posted a double chocolate cookie version of these bakery-style cookies, so I would suggest you Google search "double chocolate bakery-style cookie recipe." I'm sure there will be a few selections!
Salim says
how do we make this eggless?
Suzy says
Hello Salim. I haven't tried this yet, but the best egg substitutes I've heard recently is applesauce, banana, aquafaba, or making flax egg. Google can explain further, also keep in mind that finished taste and texture will differ.
Anth says
Thank you for the recipe.
If we made the cookies 125 grams (approximately 4 ounces), how would the baking configurations change? Namely temperature and duration.
Thanks in advance.
Suzy says
Hello! I have actually never rolled them into 4oz cookie balls, but I think the only change would be baking duration. I'm more comfortable giving you visual cues to look for. You want the cookie edges to start turning golden and the center looking slightly underbaked. Feel free to take them out of the oven and lift a cookie with a thin spatula. If it looks like it would crumble, then bake more. The bottom should be lightly golden, but not brown. Hope that helps!