Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
You might be looking at that photo and thinking to yourself, "Amber, that's just another chocolate chip walnut cookie. Yum, but, come on! It's been done!". Well, my friend, you'd be right, except that that right there is a Levain Bakery chocolate chip walnut cookie, that I made at home.
The Levain Bakery is famous in this area, and honestly, beyond. It's been the subject of New York Times articles, Food Network Shows, and many a food blogger discussion.
These cookies, they're special. They've got weight. They've got this outer.. shell, for lack of a better word. When you bite into the cookie, the outer layer has a crunch to it, a bite. But it's ever so slight, and gives way immediately to a texture somewhere between cake and chewy that I thought I'd never be able to duplicate.
Then, I was doing some research on flour for a friend (and myself), and came across the existence of Pastry flour. I'd never before heard of it. Apparently, because it's really only available commercially. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in my noggin. Of course! No one's been able to recreate the Levain cookies because we're not using the right kind of flour. More importantly, we're not using the right kind of flour mixture. Luckily, I found a pretty easy formula to recreate pastry flour, and was on my way.
I'm excited to say that both The Brit and I agree these are spot on to the Levain Bakery Chocolate Walnut Cookies. It's got that crisp exterior and toothy interior. The walnuts and chocolate sing together. James loved the cookies so much he invented a new word: Deluscious. Hah!
Have you been to Levain Bakery or ordered their cookies before? I'm excited to hear if you think this recipe is as close as I do.
For the next few days I'll be in California learning all about Walnuts, so I thought it would be appropriate to share some of my favorite walnut recipes with you. I hope you enjoy these perfectly chocolatey and walnut-y Levain Bakery knock-offs.
Levain Chocolate Walnut Cookies
adapted from Lisa Michele's copycat recipe
2 sticks or 1 cup chilled Butter (I used Kerry Gold Irish Butter)
½ cup White Granulated Sugar
1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
2 large cold Eggs
2 c. All Purpose Flour
1 c. Cake Flour
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 tsp. Baking Powder
¼ tsp. Baking Soda
1 tbsp. Corn Starch
1 c. 60% Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
1 c. Milk Chocolate Chips
1 c. toasted chopped Walnuts
In a medium sized bowl combine flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and corn starch. Whisk for a solid 1-2 minutes until all dry ingredients are well mixed and there are no lumps in the flour mixture.
Cube 1 cup (2 sticks) of chilled butter into 1" pieces. Put white and brown sugar in a stand mixer bowl or large mixing bowl and mix until well combined and almost all lumps have disappeared. Add cold cubed butter and continue to mix at medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, continuing mixing until well incorporated.
Add flour mixture to sugar/egg mixture in increments until fully incorporated. Remove from stand mixer and mix in chocolate chips and walnuts by hand.
Refridgerate cookie dough overnight.
Preheat oven to 375F.
Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, distribute dough onto baking trays lined with parchment paper. For trays with 6 dough balls, bake about 14-15 minutes, 12 minutes for trays with less dough balls. As is the Levain style, the cookies should be removed from the oven when they look slightly underdone. They will continue to cook as they cool.
Makes approximately 20 cookies.
[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies - - - [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]
Oh yes. These are insanely good. About a quarter of the batter ended up in my stomach before making it to the oven. Like Jennifer, I made them with all-purpose flour - will have to try it with cake flour next time.
Whoa...these look perfect. I could go for a couple of dozen of these.
Interesting! I've made these with the Kerrygold butter but not with the cake flour. They were outrageous just with the good butter! Must try again with the flour - oh, such a hardship. 😉
p.s. - try them sometime with pecans - maybe not same as Levain, but so good!
Not sure if it's a good thing that you have me wanting to eat or make cookies at six in the morning after my first ride on my new eliptical, LOL, but now, since I have this beast, I will be able to do it sans guilt! They look and sound delish...or should I say delush!!!
I have not had one of these Levain cookies, but I've heard so much about them. That said, yeah, I'm gonna have to try your knock-off!
You have no idea how happy you've just made me! I have a deep love for Levain cookies but have never been able to recreate them at home, I'm so excited that you've cracked the code. They really do have such a special mix of crunchy outside and moist interior that no other chocolate chip cookie has ever been able to beat.
Amber, I'm so glad you liked them, and they look perfect! As one who used to enjoy several Levain;s a week, I can honestly say that mine are still not quite Levain's, but some like them even better, which shocked me lol Lighter is what they call them. Levain's are super duper rich and more tender, the latter of which is something I'm going to work on for a third attempt 🙂
Oh, girl...these look amazing. I have tried to recreate these cookies several times, but they were always lacking that "shell" that you speak of. I'll have to try these next!
How yummy!
If you're in Cali to learn about walnuts, you're probably going to be in my town, actually...we'll chat about this 😉
Amber - these look spectacular. I can only imagine how wonderful they might taste. Beautiful photos, BTW.
YOu are so good girl! I would not even know where to being in breaking down and building back up a recipe.! 🙂
i want to jump into my screen and grab one...lol. they look so fluffy and chocolatey!
I can't wait to try these! My favorite were the oatmeal raisin ones, so this will hopefully give me the right method to use trying to recreate those.
How awesome!! I am totally excited to try these. I'll definitely have to have a Levain cookie ( or two) to compare it to while I'm in NYC!! 🙂
The only thing I thought when I saw these cookies was OMG I must have one!