![Levain Cookies on a baking sheet](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 2048 1365"></svg>)
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure for details.
Hi Bold Bakers!
WHAT YOU GET IN THIS DESSERT: A giant, flavor-packed chocolate chip and walnut treat that is New York City’s favorite cookie — all without having to deal with travel or lines.
Constance McDonald and Pamela Weekes first opened their iconic bakery to sell artisanal bread, but they earned their place in NYC history when they started selling their 6-ounce chocolate chip walnut cookies. Surprisingly, this massive cookie was developed for a healthy reason! The co-owners were training for an Ironman Triathlon, and since they were training so hard, they needed carbs and calories for fuel. (I knew cookies were healthy!)
Constance and Pamela call their chocolate chip walnut cookie the one that “started it all.” I wanted to stick to their recipe as closely as I could, and I think I cracked it: just like Levain’s famous cookies, this recipe yields a giant, hearty cookie, chock full of walnuts and chocolate. These giant cookies are perfect for sharing!
![A hand holding a giant levain bakery cookie.](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1365 2048"></svg> "Levain Bakery Cookies are simple to make at home.")
What Makes This Levain Bakery-Style Cookie Different
These chocolate chip walnut cookies are thick — much thicker than my Best-Ever Chocolate Chip, but I did borrow a few tricks from that recipe. That includes the ratio of white sugar to brown sugar, giving these cookies a perfectly crispy exterior but a soft middle throughout.
Always Toast Your Walnuts
Do yourself a favor and go the extra step in toasting your walnuts. The heat brings out so much flavor! Toasting any nut helps to remove any raw, astringent flavors and helps release their nutty flavors — and that is especially true when it comes to walnuts. If you eat a raw walnut and then a toasted walnut, you’ll notice how much more bitter the raw nut is as opposed to the more flavorful, nutty toasted walnut.
Toasting walnuts also gives them a little more chew, which works so much better in desserts when you want them to have a soft, moist texture!
To toast the walnuts, bake them in a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven for roughly 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.
What Chocolate Is Best For Chocolate Chip Cookies?
This recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate chips, but if you prefer, feel free to go with a darker, bitter-sweet chip. I recommend you try to find the best quality chocolate you can, which in most grocery stores would likely be Ghirardelli’s baking chips.
Age Your Dough
For this recipe, you’ll need to rest the dough in the refrigerator until it is firm, which can take at least 2 hours — but you can keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Allowing your dough to age helps develop the flavor. When the dough is chilling, it dries out slightly, concentrating the flavors of the ingredients. Aging your dough also changes the texture, and you’ll get a gooey-er texture that keeps the dough from spreading while baking — which is great for this recipe as we want a very thick cookie.
The Creaming Method For Cookies
Why do you need to cream your butter and sugar together for cookies? It’s actually very important — and here’s our in-depth article as to why!
Tools You Need To Make Levain Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Stand mixer or electric handheld mixer
- 2 baking sheets
- Parchment paper
Making Giant Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
Perfecting this recipe comes down to the quality of your ingredients and how you treat them — not any fancy skill.
- Use good quality chocolate chips.
- Be sure your good quality butter is softened and your eggs are at room temperature.
- Toast your walnuts.
- Age your dough.
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Levain Bakery-Style Giant Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
- Make sure that you beat the butter and sugar for the full five minutes to get the proper aeration of the dough.
- My recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate chips, but feel free to use bittersweet or milk chocolate chips (or a combination) if you prefer.
- Do not skip toasting those walnuts! Bake them in a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven for roughly 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.
- These cookies are best eaten the day they are made. It’s best to store the dough in the freezer and bake as needed.
- You can make these cookies half-sized if you prefer but watch carefully as the baking times will be shorter.
- You can replace the walnuts with pecans or hazelnuts for a nice variation.
Don’t Miss More Cookie Recipes
And don’t forget to buy my Bigger Bolder Baking Cookbook!
Learn new skills and level up your baking in the Bold Baking Academy — now open for subscription, featuring the Bold Baking Concierge for direct access to Gemma & her team for all your baking help.