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Inspired by Levain Bakery 🇺🇸 New York City, United States Kid-friendly

Giant Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies Inspired by Levain Bakery

Six-ounce cookies with crisp golden shells and thick, gooey centers

Prep
20 min
Cook
18 min
Total
1 hr 38 min
Yield
9 giant cookies
Level
Easy
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The legend behind it

Levain Bakery began in 1995 in a tiny basement shop on West 74th Street on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Founders Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald were training for triathlons and created a cookie big enough to fuel their workouts. That cookie, a craggy, six-ounce mound of dough packed with chocolate chips and walnuts, became one of the most famous cookies in New York.

Word spread fast. Levain famously won a televised cookie throwdown against chef Bobby Flay, and the line down the stairs to the original shop became a city fixture. What makes a Levain cookie special is its shape: rather than spreading thin, it bakes up tall, with a golden, crisp shell and a center that stays soft and almost underbaked.

This is our home version inspired by Levain Bakery, not their official recipe. Cold butter, a mix of cake and all-purpose flour, chilled dough balls and a hot oven are the keys to that thick, gooey middle. One cookie easily feeds two, if you are willing to share.

This is our own home recipe inspired by the dessert served at Levain Bakery. It is not the official recipe and we are not affiliated with Levain Bakery.

Tips for success

  • Keep everything cold, including butter and eggs, so the cookies hold their height.
  • A kitchen scale makes portioning easy and keeps baking even.
  • Do not flatten the dough; tall, craggy mounds give you the signature thick center.
  • Freeze shaped dough mounds and bake from frozen, adding 2 to 3 minutes.

Giant Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies Inspired by Levain Bakery

Bake giant chocolate chip walnut cookies inspired by Levain Bakery in NYC: thick, crisp outside, gooey inside and loaded with chocolate and walnuts. A Levain cookie copycat.

Prep
20 min
Cook
18 min
Total
1 hr 38 min
Yield
9 giant cookies
Calories
~750/serving

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Beat the cold butter with both sugars on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, just until combined and creamy but not fluffy.
  2. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, mixing just until blended.
  3. Whisk the cake flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Add to the butter mixture and mix on low just until a few streaks of flour remain.
  4. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts and mix on low, or fold by hand, until evenly distributed.
  5. Divide the dough into 9 equal portions of about 165 g (just under 6 oz) each. Shape into tall, rough mounds rather than smooth balls, and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
  6. Heat your oven to 410°F (210°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment. Place 4 or 5 dough mounds per sheet, spaced well apart.
  7. Bake for 16 to 19 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the edges set; the centers should still look soft.
  8. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for at least 15 minutes to finish setting before moving them.

Tools we use

Recipe from Miss Confection · https://missconfection.com/recipe/giant-chocolate-chip-walnut-cookies-inspired-by-levain-bakery

Questions, answered

Why are Levain cookies so thick?

Cold butter that is not overcreamed, a high flour ratio, large chilled portions and a hot oven help the cookies set before they can spread.

How big are Levain cookies?

Levain's cookies weigh about 6 ounces each, roughly four times the size of a typical cookie.

Can you make Levain-style cookies without walnuts?

Yes. Replace the walnuts with more chocolate chips or chopped chocolate.

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