Ingredients
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 c. cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 c. (2 sticks) cold butter, cubed
2/3 c. packed brown sugar
2/3 c. granulated sugar
2 c. dark chocolate chips
1 c. very coarsely chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Preparation
Step 1Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.Step 2In a large bowl using a hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), cream cold butter on low speed until cubes lose half their shape, about 30 to 45 seconds. Add sugars and continue to cream briefly, 30 to 60 seconds more. Add chocolate and walnuts and beat until combined.Step 3Gradually add flour mixture and beat to combine; mixture will be a bit crumbly. If any big pieces of butter remain, use hands to cut butter into smaller pieces. Add in eggs and beat until fully combined and smooth, forming a cohesive dough.Step 4Portion large balls of dough, about 6 ounces or ¾ cup each. Place 4 balls of dough on each prepared tray and place in freezer. Let chill for 90 minutes.Step 5When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°. Place one empty baking sheet upside-down in oven and place one tray of frozen dough on top. Bake one sheet of cookies at a time, until edges and spots on top are golden, but insides are still slightly doughy, about 26 minutes.
Why cold butter? The first thing we did when trying to recreate this iconic cookie was look at it. We had to nail the visuals before we could even think about the taste. Levain cookies remind us of scones with all of their smooth toasty bumps and jagged edges and they don’t spread very much. Scones use cold butter to create all of these same effects so we knew we had to go with cold. It gives the cookie its shape and creates a paradoxical fluffy-but-dense texture for the gooey inside. Why cake flour? Cake flour has less protein than all-purpose flour, which translates into a weaker gluten network. What this actually means is that cake flour produces a softer, more tender cookie. Using both flours allowed us to keep the structure of the cookie while still getting that light and airy crumb the original Levain has. Why add the eggs at the end? Adding your eggs last will feel very wrong, but it’s right! This dough is very dense and adding the eggs last lets everything mix together more evenly without the risk of overworking the dough. We even recommend mixing the eggs in with your hands! It’s the easiest (and funnest) way! Just make sure your hands are extra clean, please! Why do I need to double stack my baking pans? This is the best trick of all. Because the cookies are cooked at a higher temp and for so long, the bottoms risk burning before the cookie is finished baking. Using two baking pans keeps the bottoms from burning so your cookie can cook through! Be sure to go with noncoated heavy-gauge baking sheets whenever possible—dark, coated “nonstick” pans that feel light often yield burnt bottoms on your baked goodies. If you’ve made these cookies, let us know how you liked ’em and leave us a comment below!
