5/26/08

Levain Bakery CC Cookie Clone

I've always wanted to make giant chocolate chip cookies, but I didn't want large and flat, I wanted big and thick.
Mainly because I'm so inspired by the world famous chocolate chip cookies sold at Levain Bakery in NYC.
Have you heard of them?  Been there?
The owners of Levain did a Throwdown with Bobby Flay.  I loved that one and I watched it with an eagle eye when they were in their kitchen, trying to spot secret ingredients--no such luck!
One of the best cookies I've ever had.
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How to describe how good they are?
Crisp crust, almost-chewy inside, light in texture but dense (like a light shortbread with a hint of cakeness), very dense in flavor.
No one knows their recipe, it's a best kept secret, but there are some really good clones out there that come very very close to it.
After some research I found a recipe at Cookie Madness.
Someone said, along the way that Levain Bakery does not put the vanilla extract in, I seriously want to try that next time to see what it tastes like, and maybe a hint more salt.
One thing that I noticed, is they (the bakery) have confection ovens, so I know that makes a huge difference in making a really good crisp crust around the cookie.1234f
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levain bakery chocolate chip cookie clone
print recipe

2 sticks unsalted butter, cold (been rumored Levain uses European butter)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 ts pure vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour (13 ½ oz)
3/4 ts salt (I used sea salt)
1 ts baking powder
1/2 ts baking soda
12 ounces (2 cups) good quality semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
1 cup nuts (pecans or walnuts)

In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars just until creamy. Don’t overbeat. Add the egg and vanilla and beat just until incorporated. (I don't have a mixer so I did this by hand).
Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. When thoroughly mixed, add to batter and stir just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
The dough needs to be chilled, so you can divide cookie balls out now and chill or cover bowl and chill. I made the cookie balls, set them on the baking sheet, and put sheet in fridge for about an hour.
Divide dough into 12 big 4 oz lumps. Bake on ungreased cookies sheets (one sheet at a time). (I chilled my dough balls BEFORE baking)

Bake times (I chose the latter):
Put the cookies in a 375 degree oven and set timer for 8 minutes. When timer rings, without opening oven or removing cookies, reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until cookies appear set.
Otherwise, you can bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until done.
(Mine did 24 minutes, but I have a convection oven)
Makes 12 (mine made 14)

37 comments:

  1. I think I saw these on Throwdown with Bobby Flay a few days ago!

    Yours look better. I will have to try thess sometime. :)

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  2. these look amazing!! i'm definitely bookmarking this recipe. yum.

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  3. It looks delicious!

    After we made that one, we did a few more experiments and made one using instant yeast. Here's a link to the newest version.

    http://www.cookiemadness.net/?p=1853

    So far, all of the version have been good. The yeast one was kind of dense and very heavy....in a good way!

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  4. Wow..those are some bilg ol' cookies. They look fab!
    I'll have to put those on my must bake list!

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  5. Those cookies look amazing! I too want to try some out...this recipe looks like a winner!

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  6. Wow - I'm bookmarking these. My husband likes big chunky cookies!

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  7. I have heard so much hype about the Levain cookies yet somehow have not managed to get my butt over there to try one. I am with ya on "big and thick" chocolate chip cookies. Definitely the way to go - these look incredible.

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  8. I LOVE big huge thick chocolate chip cookies!! I will be making this recipe this week I think! We love cookies at our house and have not had them in ages!! Thanks for sharing!

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  9. Those are big-time indeed ... right up my alley!

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  10. You are hurting me! I am on a business trip in Boston, MA and stuck with the hotel room service food. I can't wait to get home this weekend and try these out!

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  11. I halved your recipe and made 7 cookies. I used about 10 oz of chopped chocolate and added 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the batter.

    These jumbo cookies were absolutely delicious and perfectly cooked after I followed your baking instructions. Thanks!

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  12. Yum! I actually made these last night using your recipe. They turned out pretty well. I ended up with 16 when I used my ice cream scoop. :-P

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  13. I tried two different batches of these using various temps and times and neither one rised. The first, using your times, came out flat and burnt. The second were flat and mushy. Could be bad baking powder, I suppose.

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  14. Hi!!! I want eat one now!!!

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  15. I just tried your recipe exactly as posted--first made the dough without the vanilla, but didn't like the taste, so added it--along with 2 other highly rated recipes from allrecipes, and yours was the best. It had a distinctively deeper butter flavor, and the texture was just right. I did bake them at 325 in my convection until the edges were golden, but did all 3 recipes exactly as posted and yours came out on top! Thanks so much!

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  16. I made these and they turned out WONDERFUL, first I baked 6 Large ones 4 oz each, then I divided the other 6 balls of dough and made 12 cookies out of it, they were still Monster Size Cookies, only thing is my hubby doesnt like sweets so much and thought there were too many choc. chips in them, so next time I will just use 1/2 bag of semi sweet chips, and will have more of the cookie taste to them. I will definitely make these again. They are the best cookies EVER... Thanks for the recipe.

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  17. Dawn, I just love you cookies especially with huge chunky choc in it. I am so baking this :)

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  18. I'm sure you mean 2 sticks of butter, but that is actually 16 oz - not 8 like the recipe shows. Thanks for sharing the recipe - they look amazing - making them right now =)

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  19. oh my goodness!!! i was so excited while i was watching these bake in the oven i followed your 375/325 instructions and they came out just AMAZING!!!

    these are the best cookies i have ever made! every other recipe i have tried came out more like chips than cookies. but these were thick and beatiful just like the levain cookies! AMAZING!

    THANK YOU!

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  20. Actually, that cookie recipe was created by a girl named Lisa and she posted it and talked about it in the comment section at Su Good Sweets back in February. You can see the whole process of how she came up with it at http://www.sugoodsweets.com/blog/2006/04/levain/

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  21. these are amazing! i think i made them too big, but they still turned out soooo good. these are for sure the only cookies i'll be making from now on.

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  22. These truly are the best cookies I have ever made. Thank you for the recipe. Can't wait to some of your others!

    Thanks,
    Carla
    http://oneofthecupcakes.blogspot.com

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