Levain Bakery-Style Cookies…With My Own Kitchen Chaos Thrown In

I’ll never forget the first time I tried hacking a Levain Bakery-style cookie in my kitchen. I was channeling the whole New York mood but, honestly, my kitchen looked less Fifth Avenue and more like a toddler’s art studio by the end. Cookies as big as a hockey puck, gooey middles, and enough chocolate chips to bribe my kids into cleaning up (almost worked!). If you haven’t attempted these monsters at home—fair warning—prepare for both awe and a tiny identity crisis as you realize just how many chocolate chips you can theoretically fit into one cookie. Anyway, put on some good music (mine was ‘90s pop but no judgment), and let’s get into cookie madness.

Why I Keep Coming Back to This Recipe

I bake these giant, gooey cookies when I want to feel like a baking superhero (or when I’ve had a day and just need to stress eat dough right form the mixer—you get it). My family loses their minds every time—my partner swears they’d trade all birthday cakes for a batch of these fresh out of the oven. I’ve tried fancier desserts, sure, but nothing shuts down an argument about screen time quite like big bakery-style cookies. (Although—full disclosure—the dough is sticky and I curse a little every time, but it’s always worth it. I actually blame the spoon, but it is what it is.)

What Goes Into These Chunky Cookies?

1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes (I’ve also used salted when that’s all I had—just skipped the extra salt and lived to tell the tale.)
1 cup brown sugar, packed (dark is my jam, but use whatever you find hiding in your cupboard)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 large eggs (Room temp, but honestly, sometimes I forget and use them straight from the fridge. No one’s thrown them out yet!)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (Once tried bread flour by accident and it made things even chewier. Blessing in disguise?)
1 cup cake flour (Or just use all AP if that’s what you’ve got—the world won’t end)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt (My grandma was adamant about kosher salt, but, eh, use what you like)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (Sometimes I mix in dark chocolate chunks too because why not? I read on Sally’s Baking Addiction that mix-ins are key for texture!)
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped (pecans in a pinch, or just skip if you have nut-averse eaters)

How I Actually Make These (And Sometimes Mess It Up)

First off, set your oven to 410°F (yep, weird number, but trust me). Line two big trays with parchment.
Cube up that cold butter. Beat it with both sugars until you’ve got a heap of crumbles—not fluffy, just shaggy (this is when I help myself to a taste—hey, quality control).
Crack in eggs, mixing gently. Don’t overdo it—just until everything’s moistened. If it looks weird and separated, yeah, that’s normal at this point.
Toss in your flours (both kinds), baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Use a big spoon or low-speed mixer if you’ve got one. The dough’s thick, but don’t panic if your arm gets a workout.
Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. At this stage, it’s borderline impossible to stir—don’t be shy, get in there.
Scoop dough into giant balls—like, 6-8 cm across, basically the size of a cricket ball. I use an ice cream scoop, but hands work just fine (bonus: dough all over your fingers, which *must* be eaten, obviously).
Stick dough balls in the fridge for half an hour. Or don’t, if you’re in a hurry. They just spread more but still taste epic.
Bake for 9-12 minutes until the outsides look golden but the centers still seem a bit raw—they’ll keep cooking out of the oven. (Seriously, pull them early; I always want to overbake.)
Cool on the pan for ten minutes (I mean, yeah, I usually burn my tongue sneaking one early, but that’s my cross to bear).
Celebrate your questionable life choices with a glass of milk or—my current favorite—espresso.

Stuff I’ve Learned (The Hard Way)

The dough is supposed to look impossibly thick. Trust me, it works.
Don’t skip the chill if you want big thick cookies—unless, like me, you’re out of patience. They just end up flatter but still delicious.
I used to think the cookie balls needed to be perfect spheres; actually, jagged edges bake up even better.
If you toss in warm butter, the cookies just ooze into cookie puddles. Learned that the hard way.

Variations I’ve Tried (For Better or Worse)

Dried cherries and dark chocolate—amazing. Feels almost grown-up.
Swapped walnuts for pistachios once—color pop! (But the taste didn’t blow my socks off. Maybe pick classic nuts.)
Used peanut butter chips instead of regular chocolate—now my daughter asks for “peanut swirl” versions every other week.
Attempted with whole wheat flour…ehh, they got a bit dense. Wouldn’t recommend unless you’re very into fiber.

Do You Actually Need Fancy Tools?

If you have a stand mixer, by all means—use it. But, I’ve been there with just a bowl and a wooden spoon (makes you feel like a rustic legend, honestly). No ice cream scoop? Hands work (messier, but way more fun). Read more about hand-mixing dough at The Kitchn if you’re curious.

How I Store Them (When I Manage Not to Eat Them All)

Truthfully, these cookies disappear within 24 hours in my house. But—if you do have leftovers—they keep in a sealed container for three days, or in the freezer for up to a month. I find the texture actually gets better the next day, but maybe that’s just me.

My Favorite Way to Serve These Giants

Right out of the oven with a heap of vanilla ice cream melting over the top because…it’s a party, right? Oh, and at birthdays, my nephew insists on sticking candles in them instead of cake. Go figure.

‘Oh No’ Moments and Pro Tips

I once tried to skip the oven preheat thinking, “how much could it matter?” — Answer: a lot. Won’t make that mistake again.
Don’t stack hot cookies or they’ll squish into each other. Ask me how I know.
If you check them and they look half-baked, that’s exactly when to pull them. Trust your gut.

Wait, These Questions Pop Up All the Time

Can I halve the recipe? Absolutely. I do it when I shouldn’t be trusted with a full batch in my house.
What if I like crisp cookies? Bake a few extra minutes. They’ll be more golden and less gooey (but why?)
Is chilling the dough really necessary? Well, it helps, but I’ve gone rogue more than once and didn’t regret it too much.
Do they taste like the real Levain Bakery? Honest answer? Pretty darn close, but the NYC air probably adds something mine don’t. Still, they hit the spot every time.
What’s the best milk for dunking? Is this a trick question? My uncle swears by oat milk. I go with classic whole milk.

And before I forget, there’s this one time I almost burned a whole batch because I got distracted by a squirrel on the windowsill—don’t let random wildlife ruin your cookie dreams.

Levain Bakery-Style Cookies: Big, Chunky Cookie Bliss