Satisfy cookie cravings with Levain Bakery chocolate chip cookies! A copycat recipe made just like the ones in NYC with a thick, chewy giant cookie that has a gooey center.

Holding a Levain bakery chocolate chip cookie split in half.

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Copycat Levain Cookies

Cookie lovers – this one’s for you! Get ready to try these amazing copycat Levain Bakery chocolate chip cookies just like the famous ones found in New York City.

If you’ve visited the Big Apple and experienced the magic of these gooey, chocolate-packed wonders, you know how life-changing the best chocolate chip cookie can be! New York black and white cookies are another iconic favorite easy to recreate in your own kitchen.

Ingredient Notes

Levain Cookie Ingredients on the counter.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

  • Butter: Use high-quality, unsalted butter for that rich, creamy base. The butter should be barely softened. Too soft and your cookies will spread too much.
  • Sugars: A mix of brown and white sugar gives the perfect sweetness and contributes to the Levain Bakery cookie texture. Brown sugar adds moisture and a hint of caramel, while white sugar helps in achieving a crispy exterior.
  • Baking staples: All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, eggs, vanilla extract and salt. Cake flour can be used instead of all-purpose flour, the added cornstarch helps make the cookies even softer.
  • Chocolate chips: I mixed Guittard semi-sweet and extra dark chocolate chips. Milk chocolate chips can be used if you like things a bit sweeter.
  • Walnuts: The walnuts give the Levain copycat cookies a great crunch. You can use chopped almonds or pecans.

How to Make Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream together the butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.

Whisk dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then gradually add to the wet ingredients. Avoid over mixing – we want tender cookies! Gently fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.

Creaming cookie dough in a bowl.
Levain bakery chocolate chip walnut cookie dough in a bowl.

Measure out 5-ounce portions of dough for each cookie or eyeball into 8 equal parts. Remember, Levain cookies are known for their rustic, chunky look, so no need to smooth them out too much, although using an ice cream scoop can be helpful.

Weighing a Levain bakery cookie.

Place the cookie dough balls on your prepared parchment paper lined baking sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden but the center is still soft. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Close up of the Levain bakery cookie dough ball.

Tips and Variations

  • Butter temperature: Make sure your butter is barely softened, not cold, but not melted either. Cold butter ensures right texture.
  • Don’t overmix: Once you add the flour, mix just until combined to keep the cookies tender.
  • Chop chocolate: Replace some of the chips with chopped chocolate bar for even more gooey chocolate texture in the cookies.
  • Size matters: Bigger is better for that authentic Levain experience. For the perfect Levain cookie, it’s a 5-ounce dough ball. If you want mini try these mini chocolate chip cookies instead!
  • If cookies are spreading: Chill the dough if the cookies start to spread too much while baking. You want that iconic Levain balance, crispy with soft and gooey centers.
Levain cookie on a cooling rack.

Storage

  • Storing: To keep these Levain bakery chocolate chip cookies tasting as fresh as possible, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll stay delicious for up to 3 days – if they last that long!
  • Freeze: Scoop into balls, then flash freeze on a baking sheet until hard (about 30 minutes). Then add to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, rest dough balls on baking sheet while oven preheats then bake adding a few minutes to baking time.
Levain cookie broken in half.

Chocolate chip cookie recipes are some of my favorites! Try oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, cowboy cookies or chocolate chip pudding cookies, too.

More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes

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Levain chocolate chip cookies on a plate.

Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies

5 from 11 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
Servings: 8
Satisfy cookie cravings with Levain Bakery chocolate chip cookies! A copycat recipe made just like the ones in NYC with a thick, chewy giant cookie that has a gooey center.
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Video

Ingredients 

  • ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter , barely softened
  • ¾ cup (175 g) light brown sugar , packed
  • ⅓ cup (65 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs , cold
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour , spooned and leveled
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt , or 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 cups chocolate chips , I mixed Guittard's semi-sweet and extra dark
  • 1 ¾ cups walnuts , roughly chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, using a mixer, cream together 1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar for 3 minutes. Add 1 egg and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides and add the other egg and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat just until combined.
  • Add 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt and mix on low. I like to slowly mix in 2 cups chocolate chips and 1 3/4 cups walnuts once there is small streak of flour. Be careful not to over mix. If the dough is too sticky add an extra Tablespoon or two of flour.
  • Scoop the cookie dough onto a scale and measure out 5 ounce dough balls. If you don't have a scale just divide the dough evenly into 8. The dough balls should not be smooth, I like to dimple them by pressing into it.
  • Place 4 balls on the baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
  • Remove from oven and allow cookies to set on pan for 5 minutes. Remove cookies to a cooling rack. Serve while warm if desired.

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Nuts: If you don’t want to add walnuts, add an extra 1/3 cup (50 grams) of flour.
Smaller cookies: I also love to bake these a little smaller. I usually make them 3 ounces and get 12 cookies.  
To store: These will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezing dough: Scoop into balls, then flash freeze on a baking sheet until hard (about 30 minutes). Then add to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Baking from frozen: Let the frozen cookie dough sit on the baking sheet as the oven preheats. Then bake as directed, adding 2-3 minutes to the original baking time.

Nutrition

Calories: 910kcal, Carbohydrates: 123g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 41g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 79mg, Sodium: 412mg, Potassium: 318mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 61g, Vitamin A: 536IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 149mg, Iron: 5mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.