Giant Levain-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies are big, thick, and loaded with dark chocolate and toasted walnuts. The edges set up crisp while the centers stay soft and almost molten, just like the famous bakery version.
They come together with a few tricks (cold butter, cornstarch, and a good chill) that keep them from spreading flat. The result is a cookie that feels special enough for a weekend bake but straightforward enough to pull off on a weeknight.
What Makes These Cookies So Good
The texture hits every note: a shaggy, crunchy outside that gives way to a gooey, dense middle. The chopped walnuts stay nutty and just a little toothsome, while the dark chocolate pockets turn silky in the heat.
Cold butter and eggs keep the dough firm, so the cookies bake up tall instead of puddling. Cornstarch helps with that too, lending a tender crumb without making them cakey. These are the kind of cookie you eat still warm, with a glass of cold milk.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, cold: cut into ½-inch cubes and kept chilled until use
- 1 cup (213g) packed light brown sugar: dark brown works if you want a deeper molasses note
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups (330g) all-purpose flour: weigh it if you can, the ratio matters
- ¼ cup (32g) cornstarch: keeps the centers tender
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups (340g) semi-sweet chocolate chips: a mix of chips and chopped bar chocolate works well
- 1 cup (120g) walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped: toast them in a dry pan until fragrant
Variations / Substitutions
- Darker flavor: Swap the light brown sugar for dark brown and add ½ teaspoon espresso powder to the dry mix.
- Nut-free: Omit the walnuts or replace them with an extra ½ cup (85g) chocolate chips.
- Dairy-free: Use plant-based butter sticks and dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- No cornstarch: You can substitute an equal amount (32g) of cake flour, though the centers will be a touch less tender.
Slice-and-Bake Chocolate Shortbread Cookies are next on our list if these cookies are your kind of dessert.
How To Make Giant Levain-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step 1: Cream the Cold Butter and Sugars, Then Add the Eggs
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the cold butter cubes, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium speed. After about 2 minutes the mixture will look like damp, coarse sand, with small butter bits still visible. That’s exactly what you want.
Scrape down the bowl and add the cold eggs one at a time, beating on low just until each disappears into the butter. Pour in the vanilla with the second egg. Stop as soon as the batter looks smooth and glossy, about 30 seconds. Overmixing here can warm the butter too much.
Step 2: Whisk the Dry Ingredients and Blend Into the Wet
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt until everything is evenly distributed. With the mixer on low, add the dry mixture to the butter mixture in two additions, letting the first addition mostly absorb before adding the second.
Mix only until you stop seeing white streaks of flour, about 20 seconds. The dough will be stiff and might look a little crumbly. It will come together when you fold in the add-ins.
Step 3: Fold In the Chocolate and Walnuts
Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape any dry bits off the paddle. Tip in the chocolate chips and the chopped toasted walnuts. Use a stiff spatula to fold them through the dough until they’re evenly distributed. The dough will feel heavy and dense, with plenty of mix-ins in every scoop.
Step 4: Shape and Chill the Dough
Line a small sheet pan or plate with parchment. Using a kitchen scale, portion the dough into 6-ounce balls (about the size of a tennis ball). Don’t roll them tight; keep the surface craggy. You should get 8 balls from the batch.
Pop the pan into the fridge and chill the dough balls for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours. This firms up the butter and lets the flour hydrate, which gives you those thick, barely spread cookies.
Step 5: Bake the Cookies
While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment. Place 4 chilled dough balls on the sheet, leaving plenty of room between them. Bake on the middle rack for 12 to 14 minutes. The edges will be deep golden and set, but the centers will still look soft and slightly underdone. That’s the window you want.
Resist the urge to press them down. They will settle a bit as they cool.
Step 6: Cool and Serve the Cookies
Slide the baking sheet onto a wire rack and let the cookies cool right on the sheet for 10 minutes. They’ll finish baking from the carry-over heat and firm up enough to move. Use a spatula to transfer them to the rack for a few more minutes of cooling, then serve while the centers are still warm and gooey.
A Few Notes Before You Start
- Weigh your flour for the best texture; even a little extra can make the cookies dry and cakey instead of gooey.
- For even baking, use one sheet pan at a time on the center rack. If you need to bake multiple trays, make sure each one gets the full oven heat on its own.
- If your kitchen runs warm, keep the dough balls in the fridge right up until the oven is fully preheated. Pull them out just before they go in.
- A cookie spatula with a thin metal edge helps lift these big cookies without breaking them, especially while they’re still soft.
Bake times for different-size cookies:
| Dough Weight | Approx. Bake Time at 400°F |
|---|---|
| 2 oz | 10 to 12 minutes |
| 4 oz | 12 to 14 minutes |
| 6 oz (giant) | 12 to 14 minutes |
Keeping Cookies Fresh
- Room Temperature: Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Toss a piece of plain bread in the container to keep them soft longer.
- Freezer: Wrap cooled cookies individually in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Reheat in a 300°F oven for about 5 minutes to bring back the gooey center.
- Freeze the Dough: You can also freeze the shaped dough balls on a tray until solid, then bag them. Bake straight from frozen, adding 2 to 3 minutes to the bake time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet?
Yes, they’ll just be noticeably sweeter. A 50/50 split between milk and semi-sweet is a nice middle ground.
Why did my cookies spread too much and turn out flat?
Warm dough or butter that got too soft is usually the culprit. Make sure the butter was fridge-cold when you started and that you chilled the shaped balls for the full 2 hours.
Can I make these without a stand mixer?
Absolutely. A hand mixer with sturdy beaters works fine. The dough gets quite stiff, so you might need to finish bringing it together with a spatula.
My dough seems too dry and crumbly to form balls. What’s wrong?
It might need a little more mixing. With cold butter, the dough often looks crumbly right after adding flour. Keep folding with your spatula and it will press together. If it’s still too dry after a minute of working it, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of milk to bring it together.
Giant Levain-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Beat the cold butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium until the mixture looks like coarse sand, about 2 minutes. Add the cold eggs one at a time with the vanilla, mixing just until combined.
- Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture in two additions, mixing on low just until no dry streaks remain.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts with a spatula until evenly distributed.
- Shape the dough into 6-ounce balls (8 total), keep the surfaces craggy, and place on a parchment-lined pan. Chill for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Place up to 4 dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until edges are golden and centers look soft.
- Cool on the sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm.
Notes
