This chocolate chip cookies recipe is similar to a copycat of the gargantuan, thick but still perfectly soft and gooey Levain cookies. Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies are all the rage!
I remember my first time to Levain’s. I was skeptical. Stand in line for forever for a cookie? Really? It’s in this teeny tiny basement bakery space that barely fits like 4 people in at a time. When it was our turn to enter, we walked in and all I saw was bakers grabbing handfuls of cookie dough from giant piles of dough, forming them into giant cookie dough balls and taking them to the oven. And the smell…come to momma!
My issue? I don’t want the nuts in my cookies. And I don’t live in NYC. But then we discovered Goodly Cookies here in Utah which only brought on more of a hankering. We are cookie lovers, so this was heaven for us! I immediately knew I had to figure out a way to make these at home. Get ready for the chocolate chip cookie that you need two hands to eat.
Testing Cookie Dough
Ok, testing thick chocolate chip cookies is no joke. Here’s how I worked on these.
- Everyone claims that cake flour is the secret to thick chocolate chip cookies. Therefore in all my testing I had to do two batches of everything I tried, one with All-Purpose flour and another with part cake flour.
- Fat. Fat is essential in baking and butter is the common choice. However, butter has a higher water content than other fats which evaporates a bit in baking. So, cream cheese can actually help to keep the fat high without losing texture. Ok so all of my testing now needed batches that included all butter and part cream cheese in others.
- Leavening Agents. Ok let’s get into this one:
Baking Soda– Baking soda is a BASE. That means that like the science experiment you did in school with Bsoda and vinegar that caused an eruption baking soda in a recipe will need an acid such as, vinegar, buttermilk, lemon juice, brown sugar, cream of tartar, etc. Think quick breads that often use a yogurt or buttermilk ingredient. You need ACID to react with the baking soda, which in turn creates carbon dioxide bubbling and voila, your cookies rise.
RULE OF THUMB- 1/4 Teaspoon per 1 cup of flour.
Baking Powder – Baking powder actually has baking soda in it! Bet you didn’t know that! It is a mixture of baking soda, cream of tartar and at times cornstarch as well. Baking powder can be used in any recipe but is especially helpful in recipes without acid.
RULE OF THUMB- 1 Teaspoon per 1 Cup of Flour
In these cookies I chose to use both leaveners because I needed a good rise but given that these are extra thick cookies there just wasn’t enough power from the soda and that’s where baking powder comes in. If you’re lifting weights you can do only so much on your own before you need a spotter to step in and help you lift those heavier weights the rest of the way up. Heavier cookies= strong spotter for extra lift.
Weighing Cookie Dough for Perfect Cookies
I resisted weighing cookies for years, but when it came down to it I had no choice but to get out my trusty scale. (FYI- I use my scale all the time. Weighing in baking goes fast, less dishes as you just dump in the bowl and it is essential for perfect pizza in our teach kids to cook cookbook!)
Weighed cookie dough means they all cook the exact same in the oven and look uniform which is essential for food photography but also for a home cook who is tired of under or over baked cookies.
6 OUNCE Dough Balls! That’s a huge ball of dough but trust me, it is the only ounce that turned out perfect!!
Is Cake Flour Necessary for Thick Cookies?
UGH! NO!
Everything I read about thick cookies pushed and pushed for cake flour. But here’s the thing, I don’t make a lot of cake so cake flour is only in my house about 30% of the time. I don’t want another errand, but I’m totally willing to buy whatever I need to in order for a recipe to turn out perfect. In this case I tested until my brains fell out of my head and it’s just not true.
Cake flour gives a lighter texture but it’s different. DIFFERENT you guys! I want cookies, not cake-like cookies.
Try experimenting for yourselves though. We liked both versions but felt the all purpose flour was easier to whip up without more grocery trips AND was more like a traditional cookie.
How to Use Cake Flour in Cookies- Substitute 1/4 of the flour for cake flour. You can even move up to 1/3, but I wouldn’t go more than that. Let us know in the comments which version you prefer.
Cream Cheese in Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Ok, this one is more tricky. I explained this above so I’ll spare you, but if you want to use a little cream cheese it’s a barely different texture and flavor and I do love it but I can’t eat as much of the cookie.
How to Substitute Butter with Cream Cheese in Cookies: Remove 2-3 tablespoons of the butter and use softened cream cheese. We prefer to also use an extra 2 tablespoons of flour in this process.
Tips for Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Use softened but not warm butter. I like mine to leave my finger print but still feel a bit cool to the touch. The softer the butter the softer and flatter the dough, however cold butter won’t beat in smoothly so it’s a balance.
- Beat the butter and sugars for 2-5 minutes depending on how thick you want your cookies. I prefer 2-3 minutes.
- Add-ins- Chocolate Chips and nuts (if you’re into that) take up space and add to the volume of the cookie dough. The less space for the dough to stick together the higher the cookie. Think of it like a bag of rocks. The more rocks the higher the bag sits up once filled.
How Many Chocolate Chips in Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Great question! It depends on you.
I do not love when a cookie is all chocolate chip. I love balance and want to taste both the cookie base and the additions. 1 1/4- 1 1/2 Cups of semi sweet to balance the sweetness versus milk chocolate chips are perfect while Cade prefers 2 cups of chocolate chips.
Ingredients Needed for Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies
The ingredients really aren’t too different from your typical cc cookies, except for maybe the cake flour. Here is your grocery list:
- Flour
- Cake Flour
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Unsalted Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla
- Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card down below.
How to Make Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies
You make these cookies just like any other, but at the end, I use a food scale to weigh the dough into giant balls. Here are the basic steps:
- Whisk all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Beat the butter and sugars in a stand mixer at medium speed until fluffy.
- Add the egg and then the vanilla. Beat until smooth.
- Turn off the mixer and scrape the sides. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until you can turn it up to medium without exploding flour all over the place.
- Add the chocolate chips and mix them in.
- Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven.
- Use a food scale to measure out 6 ounces of dough. Roll it into a ball and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes. Place on a cooling rack and eat them as soon as you can! I recommend letting them sit for at least 10 minutes if you can. So hard!
Tips for Making Levain Copycat Cookies
I have 2 tips that I’ve found make these cookies the best…
- Cold Butter – taking your butter straight from the fridge and cubing it before adding it to the mixing bowl helps the cookies stay thick and not spread while baking.
- Cornstarch – the cornstarch added to the dough helps the cookies be thick but not dry.
Try not to skip these steps and tips for the best results.
How Long Will Chocolate Chip Cookies Keep?
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for 2-3 weeks. You can keep them in the refrigerator for even longer or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How Do You Store Chocolate Chip Cookies?
To store the cookies, let them cool completely and then store them in an airtight container.
Can You Freeze Cookies?
To freeze cookies, cool completely, then place in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze for 2 hours.
Transfer cookies to a freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
They are the chocolate chip cookies that dreams are made of! Slightly crunchy on the outside, gooey on the inside, thick and chewy, and just what a chocolate chip cookies recipe should be! Until I make it back to NYC again, I’ll be making these Levain copycat cookies to hold me over!
More Copycat Dessert Recipes:
- Chili’s Molten Lava Cakes
- Swig Sugar Cookies
- Cosmic Brownies
- Costco Crumb Pumpkin Muffins
- Waffle Love Liege Waffles
- Red Mango Frozen Yogurt
- Lofthouse Sugar Cookie
- BYU Mint Brownie
- Pinkberry Milk Chocolate Crunch Sauce
Levain Bakery Style Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Flour, see notes
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter , cool, not softened, but not cold either.
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar plus 1 Tablespoon
- 1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla
- 1 1/2 Cups Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Add the egg and the vanilla, beat until smooth.
- Turn off the mixer and scrape down all sides. Add the flour mixture and mix until smooth, starting on low speed and moving up to medium.
- Add chocolate chips and mix to incorporate.
- Allow to sit in the fridge for 20 minutes up to overnight for the best results or proceed with the recipe as follows.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Scoop out large, heaping 6 ounce size cookies, roll into a ball and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes, less time if there was no refrigeration (I press mine down a little). Remove to a cooling rack as soon as you are able and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Recommended Products
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Stacie
I’m just gonna say, these cookies are THE BEST recipe I have found! I am not sure why so many people are complaining about the batter being crumbly. It was perfect! I used some cream cheese in the batter and it was phenomenal! Made these the first time last weekend and baked for 15-minutes. I am now making another batch this weekend and doubling the recipe and will split the dough in half to also try it as a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie! So good!
Sweet Basil
Yay Stacie!! Thank you so much! Now I need to try it with white chocolate and macadamia nuts! Sounds like heaven!
dots
i replaced cornstarch and a spoon of flour with cocoa for a dark version of this cookie. it worked very well.
also, i used small scoop to make small cookies, personal preference.
the proportions of ingredients are good, great recipe, thanks.
Sweet Basil
Yay! Thank you so much for the feedback!
Andra Bitter
Really surprised that some of these reviews are saying the dough is dry because I’ve made this recipe a dozen times and the dough is always a little wetter than my normal ccc recipe. Different elevations maybe? I’m at a higher elevation, so maybe people at a lower elevation should consider adjusting the amount flour they add. These cookies have turned out amazing for me every time. People are always asking me for the recipe! I sub some butter for cream cheese like she suggests in the notes and I don’t add quite as much vanilla and wow they are delicious!
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much for feedback Andra!!
Kelley
So yummy!! I doubled the recipe so I could keep some and give some away 😉 worked wonderfully! Thank you!
Sweet Basil
Brilliant plan! Thanks Kelley!
Dan
Had to add another 1/2 cup butter and another egg to make this work. I had the same crumbly mixture problem others discussed. After making it a full 1 cup of butter and 2 eggs the cookies were incredible. I cut the dough ball size to 4 oz and got 10 cookies out of it— huge cookies. Also formed the balls, flattened slightly, then chilled. They came out sooo good, I saved the recipe! Family told me this is the only way I’m allowed to make cookies from now on.
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much for the feedback Dan! I’ll have to take another look at the ingredients and see why some people are getting crumbly dough.
Lauren
I made these and they were delicious; exactly what I hoped they’d be! I formed cookie balls before I chilled them, which I think made things a lot easier as the dough was still pliable. I weighed out 6 oz amounts of dough and only got 5 cookies out of this recipe, not the listed 7. Still great!
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much for the feedback Lauren! Aren’t they so yummy?!
Tatum
Love these cookies! Very thick but goo-y in the center! Came out great first try. Only suggestion is to use a bit less salt. Mine were a little salty.
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much Tatum! You can definitely reduce the salt if you want!
Harper
This recipe was awful. Dry/crumbly. Added some milk as one of the comments said to do. Refrigerated overnight. Then cooked for 14 min – raw.
Vicki
I’ve made these a ton of times, never have I ever gotten 7 cookies though. I weigh the dough using a kitchen scale and exactly 5, 6oz cookies each time. However they are DELICIOUS!! I’ve never had the crumbly dough issues some other reviews say!
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much for the feedback Vicki!!
Diana
I made these for my two girls quarantined at home and they were perfect on my first try! Mine too seemed dry but once I scooped and rolled into a ball they became smooth. I did press down a bit before placing them into the oven because they don’t really expand. So delish!! ***Suggest warming before eating
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much for the feedback Diana! So glad you enjoyed them! I hope your girls are doing ok!
Alva Jensen
I doubled this recipe & followed directions exactly. But my dough turned our drier & crumbly for raw cookie dough. It’s still in the fridge, I’m hoping that will help….should I squeeze the dough firmly prior to baking….I’m not sure how I can help the crumbly dough at this point !!!
Alva
I doubled this recipe & followed directions exactly. But my dough turned our drier & crumbly for raw cookie dough. It’s still in the fridge, I’m hoping that will help….should I squeeze the dough firmly prior to baking….I’m not sure how I can help the crumbly dough at this point !!!
Sweet Basil
Hi Alva! I’m so sorry it is crumbly. There are a few pictures of what the dough should look like in the post. My guess is that there was some sort of error in measurement when the recipe was doubled. You could try adding a little milk to soften the dough up a little.
Rana
Hi dear,
Thank you for the recipe I can’t wait to bake my refrigerated cookies!!
But I’m a bit confused
The Recipe calls for 2 cups of flour = 240g if converted to grams
But the metric version calls for 375, which should I follow? I prefer using the scale so I followed the metric version but I ended up thinking that it’s a bit dry for a cookie dough, not too dry but just a bit
Sweet Basil
Hi Rana! I’m so sorry for the confusion! I’m not sure how that 375g got in there. It has been corrected. Enjoy! You’re going to love these!
Rose
Hi! Thank you for the recipe. I am making it now. And unless I am skipping something , or missing something, I thought in the description of ingredients it calls for 1 egg and a yolk. But in the recipe, I don’t see the yolk. I am at a standstill… ugh. Than you🤗
Sweet Basil
Hi Rose! I am so sorry for the confusion! I had two versions of this recipe going trying to get repeat perfect results and that discrepancy slipped through the cracks. It should only be 1 egg. I’ve updated the post to match what the recipe card says. Again, I’m so sorry! Enjoy!
Jess
Am I missing something? Not seeing an oven temp…. I have cookies in now and just went with 350 but after 12 mins, they arent done, wondering if it should’ve been higher?
Sweet Basil
Hey Jess! Step 7 of the recipe card says to preheat the oven to 350. They may need a few more minutes to bake as all ovens bake a little differently. I hope you enjoyed them!
Molly
I love these cookies! They’re always a favorite when people try them for the first time!
The last time I made them though, the dough was very dry and crumbly. I have no idea what I could have done wrong! Was my butter too cold? Egg not quite big enough? I can’t figure it out!
Sweet Basil
Well dang it!! My first guess would be either too much flour or overbaking. I doubt it was the butter or the egg unless the butter was under measured. I hope this helps some! Thank you so much for taking time to leave a comment Molly!
Kelsey
Okay the kids and I made these this morning, because how am I supposed to wait on baking these…. These are SOOO good!!! I am a cookie connoisseur, always looking for the perfect cookie recipe (especially chocolate chip cookies). I have to admit, I didn’t really believe these would turn out thick like yours. I’ve tried many “thick” cookie recipes that deflate after coming out of the oven. These did not deflate!! This is one of the first times that my cookie turned out looking exactly like the recipe picture. I actually had to triple the recipe so there would be enough dough for my Bosch to mix up (my Kitchenaid was in use already), and I was a little nervous tripling a batch of cookies when I hadn’t yet made sure I liked the recipe. So I was super relieved when they turned out perfect. One more confession – I didn’t make these 6oz. I formed the first 6oz ball and thought holy cow there’s no way I can eat a cookie this big, so I made them 3oz, which is still a big cookie!! I did make a couple 6oz balls just so I can see how they turn out (haven’t baked those yet), but the rest I made 3oz. They turned out just perfect, just slightly crisp on the outside, gooey on the inside, thick but not cake-like (because who the heck wants a cakey cookie). But really, I take cookies seriously – I’m not the biggest dessert fan, but cookies? I love cookies. So, thank you, thank you for a fantastic cookie recipe to add to my collection!! This is going to be a favorite!
Sweet Basil
Kelsey!! You are my favorite person! Thank you so much for taking time to leave your feedback and a comment. It seriously makes my whole week that you loved them and that they turned out exactly how they should. I am totally a cookie person too! I can’t resist them.
Kelsey
You’re MY favorite person for posting my new favorite cookie recipe!! 🙌
Sweet Basil
Xoxo!
Ramya
will be making this soon can i use flax eggs and vegan butter as am a vegan i love chocolate and cookies sooooooooooooooooo much perfect for my office snacks and home snacks while i work on the computer and phone will dm you guys if i make this and let you guys know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Sweet Basil
Can’t wait to hear how it goes Ramya!