Levain Bakery’s Chocolate Walnut Cookies

By sonia March 25, 2012 Cookies

It’s just a cookie right?

Wrong. So wrong…

This baked bundle is something else. It can make one go crazy. It can make someone fall in love. It can make you antsy, jealous, greedy, and even unsatisfied until you get your hands on one. It can make some jump for joy, squeal, and do a double-take. The memory stays in your mind for days, maybe even weeks. Trust me when I say that these cookies will bring about an incredible sense of life to any dull moment.

Levain Bakery – this wonderous little place on the Upper West Side that makes these gastronomically killer cookies.

As I mentioned on my Yelp review, when I open my bakery, I want it to be something like this place. Cozy. Quaint. Overpowered by the incredible aroma of chocolate, and butter, and flour. Line out the door. Happy faces. Special. (You can read my yelp review here.)

The first time I came here was when my mom was visiting. It was freezing cold, we had just eaten lunch, planned to just stop by, pick up what looked good, take it home, and eat it later.

This never happened.

Once we entered the bakery, excitedly ordered the cookies of our choice and some tea, held the warm Levain bakery bag, we had to stop.drop.eatcookies.

The cookies had JUST come out of the oven. Crisp on the outside and so so gooey on the inside. I think that on top of the chocolate chips in the batter, they grated some chocolate into the mix, to make each bite so lusciously chocolate-filled.

This recipe is a re-creation of the 6 oz, Chocolate Walnut Cookies they sell at the bakery (of course nothing beats the real deal, but these come pretty darn close).

Warning: These finished in ONE DAY. So I would hide some for yourself somewhere if you have guests.

Recipe: Levain Bakery’s Chocolate Walnut Cookies

Summary: Adapted from Love from the Oven’s recipe.

Ingredients

2 sticks butter (cold and cut into pieces)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cups light brown sugar
3/4 cups dark brown sugar
2 eggs
3 cups flour – more or less
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cornstarch
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 block of semi-sweet or dark chocolate (about 1/2 cup grated)
1 cup of walnuts or pecans

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine cold butter and sugars until fully incorporated and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, sea salt, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda.
Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients – batter should be thick and rather dry. If it is sticky, add more flour. And don’t be afraid to use your hands!
Add in the chocolate chips, grated chocolate bar, and nuts.
Stick batter in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop and roll balls of dough so that they are 1-2 inches in diameter. (Of course, you can make them bigger or smaller, your preference).
Place them evenly on the baking sheet. Flatten them gently. Note: these cookies do not spread out, so if you don’t flatten them, they will bake in a round ball shape, which is also cute.
Bake for 8-10 minutes – do not overbake these! The key is to take them out of the oven while they are still mushy. They will finish baking as they cool.
Get some milk, soymilk, drink of your choice.
Enjoy.