Introducing my favourite thick and chewy Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies. These big, buttery chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy and filled to the brim with chocolate. You can also find this recipe in my cookbook, Something Sweet, on page 38.
I am obsessed with these cookies. And rightly so. These thick and chewy Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies are what my sugar-coated dreams are made of. They’re big, buttery and completely irresistible.
If you love cookies with crispy, golden edges and a melty centre filled with chocolate, these cookies have your name on them ❤️
Why you will love this recipe
- Thick and chunky: These cookies are big and fat and won’t spread too much in the oven.
- Chewy texture: You can expect a chewy cookie with crispy edges.
- So many mix-in’s: They’re filled with good things, like loads of chocolate and chopped walnuts.
- No chilling: You don’t need to chill the dough so they could be on your table in less than an hour.
Watch how to make them
I followed the simple recipe (novice baker), and the results were identical to LEVAIN when I was in NY! Delicious and cannot wait to make more. THANK YOU FOR SHARING!
– SarahJump to:
Recipe testing
I just returned home from a holiday in New York two weeks ago. And one of the first recipes I wanted to try to develop when I got back was a copycat Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookie.
I finally had the chance to try their legendary – and ridiculously big – cookies. They are famous, not just for their taste, but for their size – 6 ounce each apparently. They have a rustic, golden brown exterior, and buttery middle that’s filled with chocolate chunks and crunchy walnuts.
And yes they were as delicious as they sound and look.
(Finally trying the Chocolate Chip Cookie from Levain Bakery in New York)
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I love my Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe but I knew to achieve the thickness of a Levain Bakery style cookie, it was going to need some tweaking. But the results ARE IN.
A few adjustments to the ingredients and the method and you have a big, fat Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookie that you can make at home. BOOM.
You don’t need any special equipment to make these cookies. In fact, you only need all the basic ingredients of a regular Chocolate Chip Cookie, but you need to follow the instructions carefully for best results.
A big part of the cookie magic has to do with the temperature of the butter. While most cookie recipes rely on softened butter or melted butter, but this recipe calls for cold butter. It helps the cookies not to spread too much in the oven.
Another key is the amount of fix-in’s. There’s alot of chocolate AND nuts in this recipe, just like Levain Bakery’s cookie. It also helps the cookies stay thick and lumpy.
I know everyone has their favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe, but I stand by this recipe. It is legit one of the best cookies I’ve tasted at home!
Tips for making thick chocolate chip cookies
- This recipe calls for COLD butter – straight from the fridge. Not softened or melted.
- Use brown sugar for this recipe for maximum flavour. Brown sugar will also help the cookies spread less in the oven than white sugar.
- These cookie use a little more flour than regular cookies for extra body. You also need to add 1 tablespoon of cornflour (or corn starch) to help keep the cookies soft. If you don’t have any cornflour, you can add an extra tablespoon of plain flour.
- These cookies call for lots of chocolate. I recommend chopping a block of chocolate by hand, instead of using chocolate chips. You can use milk chocolate or dark chocolate or a mix of both.
- Levain Bakery cookies have walnuts in them. I have included walnuts in this recipe, but have tried these cookies with other nuts, such as pecans and almonds. The nuts also help the cookies not to spread. If you don’t want to add nuts, you will need to add extra chocolate to help the cookies from spreading.
- I recommend using 2 tablespoons of cookie dough per cookie. Because these cookies are very thick, they need a few more minutes in the oven, until they are golden brown.
- Test one cookie to see if the cookies are thick enough. If it spreads too much, you might want to chill the dough for an extra 30 minutes and then try baking them again.
More cookie recipes to try
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Let’s Bake
Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies
Super thick and chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies made from scratch.
Ingredients
- 115 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, COLD (straight from the fridge), roughly chopped
- 190 grams (1 cup) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, cold
- 245 grams (1 and 3/4 cup) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornflour or cornstarch*
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt, optional
- 225 grams (1 and 1/2 cups) dark or milk chocolate, chopped by hand
- 50 grams (1/2 cup) walnuts, roughly chopped*
- Sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Line two baking trays with baking or parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add cold butter and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until combined. Add vanilla and egg. Beat again until combined – but try not to over mix.
- Add flour, cornflour, baking soda and salt, if using, and beat on a low speed until soft cookie dough forms. Add chocolate and walnuts and beat briefly.
- Scoop out cookie dough (roughly 1/4 cup or 80 grams per cookie), and place on prepared oven trays, leaving room for the cookie to spread.
- Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Leave cookies to cool completely. Sprinkle sea salt flakes on top.
Notes
Cornflour: If you don’t have any cornflour (or cornstarch), add an extra tablespoon of flour.
Nuts: You can use any nut you like (e.g. pecans or macadamias). If you want to leave out the nuts, add extra chocolate. The generous amount of fix-in’s help the cookies stay thick.
Shaping the dough: Instead of rolling the cookie dough smooth with your hands, leave it rough and pieced together for a more rustic look as pictured below.
Thickness: Try baking one cookie initially. If it’s not thick enough, place the cookie dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and try again.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1 cookie Calories: 340 Sugar: 25.3 g Sodium: 127.7 mg Fat: 16.7 g Carbohydrates: 43.4 g Protein: 4.8 g Cholesterol: 40.4 mg
Hi, I’m Jess, the creator of Sweetest Menu and the author of Something Sweet. A self-taught baker and published recipe writer who can’t stop making easy and delicious baking recipes.
Caroline Wang says
It was AMAZING! They were my favourite cookies I ever tasted! Very easy too! I’m 11 and I didn’t need any help and it tasted like pro’s baked it! I highly recommend this recipe. Enjoy! And thanks Jess!
Jessica Holmes says
Ohh I love that so much! Well done Caroline! Sounds like you baked it perfectly 👌🏻
Janda says
Great cookies! So glad to get to use cold butter. Tastes wonderful! Having said that – my cookie dough became a bit dry after the first tray went into the oven. Should I have covered the bowl with a wet paper towel? Had to mold with my hand to get it to stay together. Suggestions?
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad you like them Janda! Can I ask if you used a kitchen scale to measure the flour? I haven’t had this issue myself with the dough being particularly dry. Could you perhaps have added a touch too much flour?
Susan says
Hi Jess,
Your Levain Bakery Chocolate
Chip Cookies are incredibly easy to make and absolutely delicious,
Thank you for being so kind and sharing your recipes x
Jessica Holmes says
That’s so lovely to hear Susan! I love that you love these!
Saori Kino says
Can yoy freeze the cookie?
When I froze mine and baked it turned out cake-like? Do you think that might be the reason?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Saori, you can definitely freeze the cookie dough. A cake-like texture might mean you added too much flour or overmixed the dough. The dough only needs to be mixed very briefly.
Wajiha says
Hi! Do you recommend chilling the dough
Jessica Holmes says
You absolutely can!
Jessica says
This recipe didn’t work for me to get a Levain-style cookie. They spread too much in the oven and came out like pancake cookies. They tasted great though, I just wouldn’t call it a Levain copycat. Lots of positive reviews so it’s probably just me 🤷🏻♀️
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Jessica, sorry to hear that! I’m surprised to hear they spread so much. Did you use cold butter? Perhaps you over-mixed the butter and sugar?
Cindy Crane says
Fabulous as a base cookie recipe, too. Made salted caramel and chocolate chunk cookies with this recipe. My fave so far. Thank you!
Jessica Holmes says
Ohh that sounds amazing Cindy!
Charlotte Levett says
Im so silly!! I just made a batch to freeze and realised when cleaning up I forgot the baking soda! What do I do!? They are rolled into balls in the freezer now.
Jessica Holmes says
Eeek! That’s hard to fix Charlotte. You could try mixing it again and adding it in. But do it on slow so you don’t over-mix it!
Shilpi -jain says
What can be the substitute of egg
Jessica Holmes says
I’m sorry I haven’t tried this recipe without eggs so I’m not sure.
Kim Wilcox says
Isn’t there a way around the cornstarch. I find my cookies with the cornstarch become hard and stale quickly
Jessica Holmes says
Absolutely! Leave it out! I forget to add it all the time and theyre still perfection 👌🏻
Danielle Houri says
Isn’t the purpose of the cornstarch to keep it soft for longer?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, it can help create a softer, chewier texture. To be honest, I often skip it these days and I don’t notice a huge difference.
PattiLynne says
Your techniques, ie. using cold butter and pinching dough and not rolling are techniques I have used for 15 years making my CowBoy Cookies. I also keep my flour in the freezer so I have chilled dough whe I bake them. My customers always ask how I get my cookies so fat! It’s nice to see other bakers who have discovered these techniques! Nice work!
Jessica Holmes says
Ohh that’s a great tip! Thank you for sharing!
Bonnie Trott says
Best cookies I’ve ever had!!! I will always make these. I have Celiac disease so I sub in GF plain flour, and it is a brilliant cookie.
Jessica Holmes says
Oh that’s wonderful to hear Bonnie!