Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

The BEST big, chunky, oversized cookies thick with chocolate chips and chopped nuts, inspired by Levain Bakery’s famous giant cookies.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. JUMP TO THE RECIPE
2. TEN FAQ YOU'LL WANT TO READ

These cookies are THICK without being doughy, SOFT without being cakey, CHEWY without being sticky and so full of flavor it makes me dizzy! There’s about an even ratio of dough to chocolate chips and nuts which means tons of FLAVOR without being too sweet. And don’t even get me started on the absolutely perfect texture!

When I first came across a copycat recipe for these cookies, I’d never heard of Levain Bakery but I knew I wanted to make the cookies!

These cookies are my absolute favorite EVER. I have asked for these on my birthday instead of a cake two years in a row (since I first discovered them).

I did a deep dive into the most popular copycat recipes online and immediately settled on Stella Parks’ version. Stella is the genius baker known as BraveTart, for her cookbook by the same name and creations on my favorite recipe site, Serious Eats.   

I’ve made a few tiny tweaks but really only in volume measurements. I weigh most dry ingredients when baking something as special as these cookies. When I measured the amounts by volume, I came up with slightly different amounts than the original recipe.

I notated the amounts for the purpose of writing this recipe for you since I know many of you don’t have (or want to use) a kitchen scale. I weighed and measured twice and confirmed the amounts (using the “spoon and sweep” method with the flour).

10 FAQ ON BAKERY-STYLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1. CAN THE DOUGH BE FROZEN?  Yes! Store wrapped dough portions in a zip-top freezer bag up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature one hour or until between 36-42 degrees (don’t let them come all the way to room temperature).

2. CAN I BAKE THEM WITHOUT REFRIGERATING FIRST?  Unfortunately, no. Because the dough is so dense, the flour needs to hydrate overnight. And also because… science! Specifically, the Maillard reaction. By giving the protein in the flour and eggs ample time to mingle with the sugar, the flavor and aroma are mega-amplified, the cookies retain moisture when baking AND the outside of the cookie takes on a verrry slight shell-like texture (almost like biting into a baked meringue or macaron) which is divine paired with the tender, soft dough inside.

3. WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO EAT THESE?  Alone, in a quiet place where no one can disturb the 5 minutes of bliss you deserve, damn it. Also, room temperature is good but heated in the microwave for 15 seconds is sublime. There’s no wrong way other than right out of the oven. Let them cool at least 10 minutes before diving in.

4. CAN I MAKE THE COOKIES A DIFFERENT SIZE?  You can make them bigger for sure (I’ve done it plenty) but not smaller. Divide the dough into 8 6-oz portions for super special gunga-sized cookies (bake 22-24 minutes). These cookies are meant to be thick and dense so making them smaller than the 4-oz size will yield cookies that are both dry and hard.

5. CAN I USE OTHER CHOCOLATE CHIPS?  Yes! You can use all semi-sweet (or dark chocolate chips) or all milk chocolate chips. My preferred combo is about half and half of each. Because there is less sugar in the dough than traditional chocolate chip cookies, I like the added sweetness from the milk chocolate chips. That being said, my opinion is that using all milk chocolate is a little flat. I think the chocolate chip cookies at Crumbl miss the bar for the same reason – there isn’t enough contrast.

6. CAN I MAKE THESE WITHOUT A STAND MIXER?  Only if Thor is your neighbor. And he's in the habit of helping you bake. My Kitchenaid mixer groans when I add the nuts and chocolate chips so I can’t image what sort of noises my elbow would make if I tried to mix these by hand. A hand-held mixer definitely won’t work but I imagine, if you’re patient about it, you could work the nuts and chips in with a VERY sturdy wooden spoon.

7. CAN THE COOKIES BE MADE WITHOUT NUTS?  I don’t think so. I’ve never made them without nuts so I can’t say for certain BUT there is way less flour in this recipe than most chocolate chip cookie recipes, so the nuts both structure the dough and balance the sweetness.

8. WHAT DOES "ROUGH-CHOPPED" NUTS MEAN?  Ordinarily I would use my nut grinder but for this recipe, we need CHUNKY PIECES of nuts similar in size to chocolate chips (most nut grinders yield small bits of chopped nuts, not chunky pieces) so I chop the nuts with a large chef’s knife. 

9. WHAT KIND OF NUTS ARE BEST?  Levain’s cookies are made with walnuts but I prefer pecans.

10. DO THE NUTS HAVE TO BE TOASTED?  I’ve never toasted walnuts so I can’t make any declarations about them but I know for sure pecans are better when toasted. Yes, it’s an extra step, but this is no ordinary cookie recipe. Why go through all the effort of making something so special then not take the time to toast the pecans, right? I toast the pecan halves whole in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant then chop them with my chef’s knife.

Recipe for Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 12 Cookies

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 20 MinInactive time: 12 HourTotal time: 12 H & 40 M

The BEST big, chunky, oversized cookies, thick with chocolate chips and chopped nuts, inspired by Levain Bakery’s famous giant cookies.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (10-oz)
• 1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 2 cups rough-chopped nuts (8.5-oz)

Instructions

1. Read notes before starting recipe. Dough requires a 12-hour minimum rest period before baking.
2. Combine butter and sugars in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment then mix on low until combined. 1/2 c. each butter, brown sugar, sugar
3. Add salt, baking powder and baking soda then mix on medium speed 5 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. 1 tsp salt, 1.75 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda
4. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Scrape down sides. 1 Tbsp vanilla, 2 eggs
5. Reduce mixer to low then add flour. Mix until flour is well incorporated, scraping down sides as needed. 2 c. flour
6. Add chocolate chips and pecans. 1.25 c. semi-sweet chips. 1 c. milk chocolate chips, 2 c. nuts
7. Roll dough into 12 4-oz balls. Wrap portions in plastic wrap then refrigerate at least 12 hours (up to 5 days) before baking.
8. To Bake: place oven rack in middle position then preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper then arrange 6 portions of refrigerated dough evenly onto pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until cookies very lightly browned. Cool cookies in pan 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

• Use light or dark brown sugar. I prefer dark and it was used in the batch of cookies pictured here.
• Toasting the pecans is 100% worth it in this recipe. Be sure to plan ahead so they are completely cool before adding to the dough. Walnuts can be substituted if desired.
• I use real, salted butter in this recipe (and all my recipes).
• Any other questions are very likely answered in the FAQ section above the recipe.

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