These Levain-style chocolate chip and walnut cookies are a copycat version of the huge cookies developed by the famous bakery in New York city.
These cookies are huge and loaded with chocolate chips and walnuts. The are crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. There's just barely enough dough to hold everything together.
The original cookie was developed in a bread bakery in New York City in 1995. The story behind this cookie is that the bakery owners needed something high in calories to help them run a marathon. Once the New York Times wrote an article about these cookies, they became a sensation and the bakery had lines out the door.
Levain has recently opened bakeries beyond New York, the lastest being in Newport Beach, CA. I haven't visited it yet, but I've seen videos of the line of people winding around the shopping center. You can also order gift packages of these cookies online.
The chocolate chip walnut cookie was their first flavor combination. According to their website, they now have ten flavor combinations. I've also attempted the dark chocolate chocolate chip version.
Ingredients in These Cookies:
From the Pantry: Dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and a full tablespoon of vanilla.
From the Fridge: Unsalted Butter and eggs.
Walnuts: Toasted. A lot of them. You might notice a pecan or two in these cookies because I ran out of walnuts. If you prefer pecans, you can substitute them instead.
Chocolate Chips: Use the standard semi-sweet chocolate chips because their size in just right for filling the cookies. Larger chips might interfere with the dough to chip ratio.
This version of the recipe was adapted from American's Test Kitchen. They went through a lot of meticulous testing to create these cookies. The goal was to create a huge cookie that was crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside, and, most importantly, holds its shape and does not spread in the oven.
They even have a podcast episode that describes all of the testing they went through.
Be sure to check out their new cookie cookbook: The New Cookie: Creative Takes on Cookies You Love.
The Keys to Success:
Compared to standard chocolate chip cookies, these extra large cookies call for less sugar and butter in relation to the flour because those can cause the cookies to spread too much.
These cookies also have a higher ratio of chips and walnuts, along with an extra bit of salt for more flavor.
The other key to making sure that these cookies do not spread in the oven is to chill them in the refigerator for at least eight hours. These are not spur of the moment cookies.
Finally, instead of creaming the butter and sugar, you melt and brown the butter and then whisk it into the sugar.
Make Ahead and Storing:
These cookies are best served the day they are made or the next day so you can enjoy the soft and barely set interior. Store them in an airtight container.
I took these cookies to a picnic with a few friends and these were a huge hit.
If they're too big to finish in one sitting, you can always cut one in half and save the rest for later! Or eat the whole thing. I won't tell!
"W" is for Wings, Whiskey, Walnuts, Watermelon, White Beans, and More!
As part of the 2026 Alphabet Challenge, we are sharing recipes that begin with "W" or include ingredients or methods that that begin with "W”:
- Blogghetti: Grilled Buffalo Wings
- Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Italian Sausage & Whiskey Butternut Squash Stew
- Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Levain-Style Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
- Mayuri’s Jikoni: Pahadi Mooli Ki Kadhi
- A Messy Kitchen: Vintage Avocado-Orange Fruit Dip
- Sizzling Tastebuds: Watermelon Quinoa Salad with Lime & Chilli Vinaigrette
- Jolene’s Recipe Journal: White Bean Chicken Chili
- A Day in the Life on the Farm: White Bean Salad
- Sneha’s Recipe: White Christmas Cake
- Food Lust People Love: Windfall Apple Tart
- Culinary Cam: Wurst-Mania: All About German Sausages
Last year (2025) for the letter "W," I made Chocolate Mint Whoopie Pies. If you've never made whoopie pies, you definitely must. For 2024 I made Homemade Wonton Soup. It's perfect for soup season.
Levain-Style Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
These Levain-style chocolate chip and walnut cookies are a copycat version of the huge cookies developed by the famous bakery in New York city.
Ingredients
- 132 grams (2/3 cup packed) dark brown sugar
- 99 grams (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 319 grams (2 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 2 cups walnut halves, toasted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 340 grams (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sugars.
- In a 10-inch stainless steel skillet (light colored), heat the butter on medium heat until melted. Keep cooking, stirring constantly, until the butter begins to turn brown, one to two minutes more. Immediately pour the butter over the sugars and whisk everything together. Set aside and let cool.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Chop the walnuts into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces.
- Add the eggs and vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture and whisk. Stir in the flour mixture and then stir in the walnuts and chips.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and form each into balls. Place them on the parchment lined baking sheet and place the sheet into the fridge, uncovered, for eight hours at least.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the dough balls on the baking sheets, four per sheet. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 22 minutes. Cool on the pan for one hour.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
829Fat (grams)
50 gSat. Fat (grams)
20 gCarbs (grams)
86 gFiber (grams)
6 gNet carbs
79 gSugar (grams)
45 gProtein (grams)
13 gCholesterol (grams)
83 mg
