Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie Clone

I did it. I finally did it! I have been tiptoeing around this knock-off recipe for Levain Bakery’s famous chocolate chip walnut cookie for way too long. Levain’s signature chocolate chip cookie has been featured on Oprah, who says it’s her favorite chocolate chip cookie, the Food Network’s “Throwdown with Bobby Flay,” and written up in the New York Times to name just a few sources of accolades for this cookie.

A major reason I put off making them was I feared that this would be the one to top every other chocolate chip cookie on the planet. That should be a good thing, right? Well, I guess not in my world! What would I do with all those other chocolate chip recipes I have yet to try which are languishing in my voluminous files? I’ve previously made the Levain’s knock-off for their dark chocolate chocolate chip cookie, and that cookie certainly qualifies for the top 10 list of all-time favorites. So, what was I waiting for?

I sat down and had a good talk with myself—and, no, I don’t have multiple personalities. After my discussion, I decided why should anyone be limited to just one No. 1 favorite chocolate chip cookie in their universe?

Cookies can share the same name and contain for the most part all the same ingredients yet have very different characteristics. Some chocolate chip cookies are thick and chewy; some are flat and crisp; some are thick, chewy and crisp; some have nuts, and on and on. So, chocolate chip cookies can be the same but different at the same time. Well, that little talking to sure took the pressure off—phew!

Bloggers have been trying to recreate the Levain’s chocolate chip walnut cookie for a long while. From what I have read, the bakery appears to use pastry flour (the elusive secret ingredient that makes the texture so wonderful) and a little bit of corn starch. Some bloggers believe that Levain’s freezes their cookie dough balls for a short time and then immediately bakes them. I experimented with freezing the dough balls for 30 minutes (after having been refrigerated overnight and then formed into balls). I found that I had to bake them longer and the tops started to get overly brown while the centers were still underdone. End of experiment with freezing the dough! Simply using refrigerated dough is the way to go. Refrigerate overnight, form 4-oz. dough balls (do not flatten), and bake at 375 for 14 minutes. Perfect! My cookies looked just like the one on the Levain Bakery home page with its craggy top and golden brown peaks.

All it took was one bite of this Levain’s clone to recognize it was seriously one of the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever eaten. It is a substantial cookie—as sold by Levain Bakery, it weighs six ounces! Certainly enough to share—but, trust me, you won’t want to. As you take a bite of this A-MAZ-ING chocolate chip cookie, your teeth at first meet with a tiny crisp resistance. Then, when your teeth actually sink into the beginning of the middle of the cookie (I say “beginning of the middle” because it’s a BIG cookie), you will experience an explosion of chocolate chip cookie deliciousness. The middle is cakey, gooey, and oh so wonderful! You will wonder, as I did, where this cookie has been all your life.

I now have four of the best chocolate chip cookie recipes ever on my site—Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies; Best, Big, Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie; Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie; and now the Levain’s Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie clone. In my opinion, they are all deserving of the No. 1 chocolate chip cookie designation, so it’s a 4-way tie. When I get around to making the much acclaimed New York Times chocolate chip cookie recipe, it may be a 5-way tie. At that point, I may just end my search for the ultimate chocolate chip cookie—it’s been a 50-year odyssey!

Without further ado, here is the recipe. Be prepared for lots of wide eyes when people take their first bite of this cookie!!

One year ago: Almond Tart

Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie Clone

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Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 large cold eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

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2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour (do not substitute)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tbl. corn starch

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I prefer Ghirardelli)
1 cup toasted chopped walnuts

Directions

In a medium-sized bowl, combine flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and corn starch. Whisk for 1 to 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 sugars in a stand mixer 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 vanilla and mix in.

Add flour mixture to sugar/egg mixture in increments until fully incorporated. Remove bowl from stand mixer and mix in chocolate chips and walnuts by hand.

Refrigerate cookie dough overnight.

Preheat oven to 375^o F. Line large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, form cookie dough balls weighing approximately 4 ounces each. A kitchen scale makes weighing dough a breeze. (I can’t do without mine!) If you don’t have a kitchen scale, form 14 cookie dough balls trying to keep them all around the same size so that they will bake uniformly.

Place on prepared cookies sheets. Do not flatten! My large 17×12 cookie sheet fit 6 of these rather large balls of cookie dough perfectly with room for them to spread (although they don’t spread as much as you might expect).

Bake for 14 to 15 minutes. In my oven which is perfectly calibrated, I baked the cookies for exactly 14 minutes on the middle shelf (I prefer not to stagger these). They were perfect. I let them cool on the cookie sheet for approximately 5 minutes before removing them from the pan.

The original clone recipe states that “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.” To me, my cookies didn’t look especially underdone. I could see some little browned spots on the top of the cookies, yet the centers were gloriously gooey when eaten warm. They do firm up a little bit as they cool but still remain quite soft and moist with a terrific mouth feel. When I compared my cookies to the photos on the Levain Bakery website, they looked identical in size, texture, and appearance.

Levain’s cookies are 6 ounces each, but I thought 4 ounces, a quarter of a pound(!) was quite large enough. I got 14 4-oz. cookies out of the recipe. If you make your cookies smaller, you will obviously have to adjust the baking time.

Source: Adapted from the version on Blue Bonnets and Brownie

Fran’s Notes

You can order Levain Bakery’s cookies online. They charge $22.00 plus shipping for only four cookies!

36 Responses to "Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie Clone"

Christina @ Sweet Pea's Kitchen says:

July 26, 2012 at 8:09 am

Mmmm..slightly underdone cookies are the best! These look amazing! 🙂

Reply
Mel says:

July 26, 2012 at 1:23 pm

That’s funny because I’ve been tiptoeing around this recipe forever, too! I think it’s the cake flour that has me pushing it off from making. I never keep that on hand but judging by the sheer size and beauty of your cookies, I’m going to have to bite the bullet and try them. Plus, I think I need to try the dark chocolate chocolate chip cookies immediately, too!

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April says:

August 28, 2012 at 11:48 am

Mm, chewy and crisp! How do you measure your flour? Do you have the ounce or gram weights for the all-purpose and cake flours?

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Sweet as Sugar Cookies says:

April 10, 2013 at 12:10 am

Mmm, those do look awesome! You’re right when you say I’m going to have to give them a try.

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Laurie@Foodslove says:

September 17, 2013 at 7:22 pm

Just for accuracy sake, They say, they don’t use Vanilla in their recipe. They don’t think it adds anything to the recipe. Does it make a difference in yours? Have you ever left it out?

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1. Fran says:
  
  September 18, 2013 at 6:44 am
  
  Laurie, I’ve always added the teaspoon of vanilla. To be honest, it probably doesn’t add a whole lot–just makes me feel better! With the volume of cookies, Levain’s makes, I imagine it’s a cost savings to the bakery to leave it out. Since people are swooning over the cookies–no harm, no foul! Since mine taste so darned good, I’m reluctant to mess with success.
  
  Reply
Sarah D. says:

December 6, 2013 at 12:46 am

I wanted you to know that I just made these and followed your recipe to a “T”, except I used Guittard giant chocolate chips…. they came out awesome!!! mine are a little underdone, but I feel they will set up, it doesn’t matter since it hasn’t stopped me from eating almost 2!!!!! Will definitely make them over and over!! Very much how I remember Levain!!!!

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1. Fran says:
  
  December 6, 2013 at 11:41 pm
  
  Sarah, thanks for the feedback–I’m happy to hear they came out awesome for you! Whenever I make them, people swoon and gush over them and immediately ask for the recipe. I have several chocolate chip cookie recipes that are really wonderful, but this one cannot be beat.
  
  Reply
cathy p says:

December 17, 2013 at 4:50 pm

Tried this recipe and it is AMAZING. Closest i’ve found to the real thing, bravo! Just curious if you know or can suggest how long the dough will stay good if frozen?

Thank You! 🙂

Reply
1. Fran says:
  
  December 17, 2013 at 6:28 pm
  
  Cathy, if the dough is well wrapped, I see no reason why it can’t be frozen for several weeks and potentially up to 3 months. In order to keep the same wonderful layers of textures, I would thaw the dough enough so that I could form a ball as the recipe instructs. I am delighted to hear your comments! I have not had the opportunity to visit the bakery in NYC, but I have purchased their cookies online. While they were excellent, it was unfair to compare them to the ones I had freshly made (I did a taste test comparison) which were the hands down winner. No question about it, this is a cookie to make you weak in the knees. 🙂
  
  Reply
Jenny Lou says:

January 15, 2014 at 6:58 pm

Just wondering the reason for the butter and eggs being cold…Dough is refrigerated before baking…am I missing something?

Reply
1. Fran says:
  
  January 15, 2014 at 10:19 pm
  
  Jenny, this is just an educated guess, but I believe that this allows very small “pockets” of butter to remain in the dough without being fully incorporated. It’s a fairly common technique similar to what’s done when making puff pastry or croissants. It makes for a little buttery hit when you bite into it.
  
  Reply
Amy says:

January 31, 2014 at 1:59 pm

I want to make these NOW! A sweet treat is just what I need while studying.

Reply
Theresa says:

February 14, 2014 at 8:15 am

I’ve tried your recipe and must say that they are fabulous! Best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had. My question is with the overnight refrigeration. I’ve done that,and on a second attempt did a quick in the freezer until dough was pretty frozen and then baked, and did not see a discernible difference. I’ve read on your other cookie postings, particularly the NY Times Cookie recipe that a 36 hour refrigeration increased the flavor, do you think that is the purpose of the overnight refrigeration or just so that the dough is good and hard and does not flatten as much? I guess I’m trying to figure out if I let these sit longer in the “fridge” if it would increase the flavor? What are your thoughts, and if so have you done so as well. Thanks for sharing the recipe….love, love, love it!!

Reply
1. Fran says:
  
  February 14, 2014 at 11:28 pm
  
  Theresa, so happy to hear your cookies came out fabulous! Re the refrigeration, I do believe it primarily changes the texture of the cookie rather than the flavor per se. But I also believe that texture and flavor are inextricably intertwined, so by changing the texture the flavor also changes. I’m sure the refrigeration and/or freezing keeps the cookie from flattening which, of course, would change the texture. Re refrigeration vs. freezing–if a quick freeze gives you the same results, then I don’t see any problem with making the cookies that way.
  
  Reply
Paul says:

July 1, 2014 at 7:28 pm

I stop at Levain bakery every summer when I visit my sister in the Hamptons and would love to make these cookies to bring in a few weeks and compare them side by side. Have you tried to make this recipe using 3 cups of cake flour ? or without the vanilla ?

Reply
1. Fran says:
  
  July 7, 2014 at 10:28 pm
  
  Paul, I’ve never made them using all cake flour. I’ve made them many times, and they are so fabulous that I don’t feel the need to tweak them–and that’s saying something because I’m a major tweaker! Re the vanilla, from what I’ve read, Levain’s doesn’t use vanilla in their recipe which I imagine is a cost saving for them. While I always put vanilla in mine (just a teaspoon), I don’t think it would make a major impact on the flavor to leave it out.
  
  Reply
Dana says:

July 13, 2014 at 5:02 pm

Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It has become my family’s favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe (and we have tried quite a few!). Because my children do not like nuts, I just use three types of chocolate – semi-sweet chips, milk chocolate chunks, and bittersweet large chips. It makes for a pretty amazing, gooey cookie.

Thanks again.

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Laurie Ballard says:

September 6, 2014 at 8:15 pm

Thank you for sharing this recipe! These were a huge hit with my daughter and husband! After I made the first ones 4oz, I made the last few 2oz. They were just to big for me! They turned out just the same as the 4oz. I am going to try the Oatmeal Raisin now!

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1. Fran says:
  
  September 9, 2014 at 9:23 pm
  
  Laurie, all of the Levain copycat cookie recipes are the most popular recipes on my site–especially the chocolate chip version followed by the oatmeal raisin. I think they are both the gold standard and most people who try them agree. Let me know how you and your family like the oatmeal. 🙂
  
  Reply
2. Roni says:
  
  January 18, 2017 at 3:43 pm
  
  How long do you bake the 2 oz cookies?
  
  Reply
  1. Fran says:
    
    January 20, 2017 at 12:12 am
    
    Roni, I’ve only ever made the 4-oz. cookie. You’ll have to do a trial & error approach. Rather than bake a whole pan, try baking just one cookie–and I highly recommend baking these on your middle oven shelf rather than staggering the shelves in order to bake two cookie sheets at a time. I’ll make an educated guess and say that 8 minutes for a 2-oz. cookie sounds about right. Again–try just one cookie to avoid ruining a whole batch if the guess is off. I’d say 8 minutes, though, is in the ballpark. Let the cookie cool on the pan for about 5 minutes. Then, I’d sample half the cookie while it’s still warm and I’d sample the other half after it’s cooled off. Depending on how gooey you like your cookie, you may want to adjust the cooking time by a minute one way or the other. Let me know your results!
    
    Reply
Alice H. says:

January 31, 2015 at 10:05 pm

I’m just starting out baking and don’t know much about substitutions. My son is allergic to nuts. If I don’t include walnuts, how much more chocolate chips (if any) should I add to the recipe for it to come out like Levain texture? Thank you!!!

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1. Fran says:
  
  February 1, 2015 at 11:37 am
  
  Alice, you can easily leave out the nuts without it changing the basic texture of the cookie. You really don’t need to add any extra chocolate chips to compensate for leaving out the nuts unless you want to.
  
  Reply
  1. Alice H. says:
    
    February 1, 2015 at 5:39 pm
    
    Thank you Fran! We love Levain cookies and I was afraid if I left out the nuts, the cookies wouldn’t be as “full”. I can’t wait to try this out!
    
    Reply
    1. Alice H. says:
      
      February 3, 2015 at 11:44 am
      
      Sorry I forgot to ask… If I don’t include nuts, do I still divide batch into 14 balls but reduce cooking time (since it weighs less), or do I still measure out 4 oz. with same baking time (but yield less cookies)?
      
      Reply
      1. Fran says:
        
        February 3, 2015 at 1:56 pm
        
        Alice, either approach will work. Personally, I would choose measuring out the 4 oz. for each cookie because that ensures a cookie large enough to provide the contrast in textures as you eat your way through it–a hallmark of Levain cookies. You may still get that if you divide the dough into 14 cookies, but I’m not 100% sure. You can always bake up a test cookie, trying each of the two methods to see how much difference there is (if any) and decide which approach gives you a cookie you prefer. I’d love to hear your results. Good luck!
lisa g. says:

February 1, 2015 at 12:02 am

I’ve never eaten Levain’s cookies since I live in the midwest. I read alot of copycat recipes online and would like to try your recipe. I want to make them smaller or more normal size if that makes sense, so would I have to cut the baking time in half? Thank you!

Reply
1. Fran says:
  
  February 1, 2015 at 11:42 am
  
  I would do a test batch with ONE cookie weighing approx. 2 oz. Set your timer for half the normal baking time and look for browning on the craggy “peaks” of the cookie. If that cookie is either overdone or underdone, adjust your baking time by either increasing or decreasing baking time by a minute. Testing by baking one cookie obviously avoids ruining a whole batch.
  
  Reply
Laura says:

July 25, 2015 at 9:04 pm

Thank you for posting this recipe, and also for making me feel less crazy; I, too, argue with myself over whether there can or should be one “best” cookie recipe (and about whether I actually want to find it). I usually prefer a fudgy, chewy cookie, and would never dream of adding nuts. Or baking powder. Or cake flour. Until now. These nutty, soft, light-but-somehow-dense-at-the-same-time cookies have converted me! I have no idea whether they’re anything like Levain’s, but if not, then I guess I don’t want Levain’s cookies because these are pretty perfect. The only change I will make next time is to make smaller cookies, strictly for portion control.

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Tandra says:

December 28, 2015 at 1:40 pm

When measuring flour, do you scoop it out with measuring cup (believe it packs more in there) or do you use a spoon and fill your measuring cup that way? I bake but wouldn’t consider myself a good baker. Just didn’t know what the appropriate technique was for the measuring of one’s flour.

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Kate says:

February 25, 2016 at 8:34 pm

Just finished making these ! Awesome cookie ! Made exactly as written except made 12 cookies and baked for 18 minutes. I will be making all the other flavers as well. Thank you!

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Jeana says:

March 19, 2016 at 11:52 pm

I just made your recipe and I got 15 delicious cookies- they are fabulous! I didn’t change anything in your recipe – I had to buy a few ingredients, like bread flour, premium chocolate chips, & walnuts but it was well worth it. My 12 year old grandson already had 2 and would like another but I’m making him wait until tomorrow since they each weigh a quarter of a pound! Thank you!

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Leesa says:

January 6, 2018 at 12:39 pm

If I use homemade cake flour, should I omit the extra tbsp. of cornstarch in the recipe?

Reply
1. Fran says:
  
  January 28, 2018 at 4:58 pm
  
  Leesa, I apologize but I don’t know the answer to that.
  
  Reply
Kimberly says:

August 31, 2021 at 12:48 pm

These are delicious cookies! I had a very difficult time scooping the dough into balls after leaving the dough in the refrigerator overnight. They did not flatten out much at all after baking and remained more rounded than the ones pictured that you made. I used cold grass-fed butter and sifted the flour before measuring and noted the dough was quite stiff when mixing in chips and nuts, so I don’t know if that made a difference or not in the hardness of the dough after refrigeration. Since I’ve never had a Levain Bakery chocolate chip cookie, I couldn’t authentically compare them, but they looked and tasted great all the same! Thank you for sharing!

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Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie Clone

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