All good cookies start out the same: as good cookie dough.
My husband prefers his cookies as “pre-cookies” – cold and uncooked lumps of dough straight from the mixer bowl while dodging my dough scoop. And growing up? So did my siblings and I. There was no fighting over who would get to lick the beaters in our house. No, sir! Two beaters, one rubber spatula, and a mixing bowl. 4 batter-covered items, 4 kids. Something tells me my mom knew exactly the kind of mess she was avoiding when she baked.
Dawn from Vanilla Sugar whipped up a batch of Levain Bakery-like chocolate chip cookies, that upon seeing in my Google Reader, I decided that I had to make them. Like now. You shape the dough into 4 ounce balls? Quarter-pounder cookies? 5 inches across and over an inch thick? Now that’s a cookie. (Disclaimer: I’ve never had real-deal Levain Bakery cookies.)
I immediately dumped the Foodie Baby in my husband’s lap and ran for the kitchen. And when she’s old enough to have one of these cookies, she’ll understand. And if she’s really my kid, she’ll approve 🙂 These cookies are puffy and gigantic, over an inch thick – closer to two! And I can’t tell you how long they keep their tender, puffy goodness… they don’t last very long around here. They are definitely replacing the old house favorite.
Levain Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
Big, fat chocolate chip cookies.
Ingredients
- 8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter (very cold, shredded with your food processor)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour (13 1/2 oz)
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 12oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. Beat the cold butter and both sugars until just combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat just until incorporated.
- Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the mixer bowl and mix just until blended. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts and mix until distributed. (The dough will be VERY stiff at this point.)
- Divide the dough into 12 balls, approx 4 oz each (think a little larger than a golf ball; a slightly rounded 2.5-inch scoop will do the trick perfectly) and place on an ungreased baking pan.
- Chill the dough for 20 minutes. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until browned on the edges and set in the center.
- Let cool completely on the pans before transferring to airtight storage.
Notes
Yields: 1 dozen cookies
Estimated time: 45 minutes