Levain Bakery Copycat Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Jun 5, 2016

Yeah, that’s a mouthful.  But these cookies deserve all of that name and more.  They probably are the best cookies I’ve had in my life.

So, this all goes back to December, when some sales rep sent us a box of cookies from Levain Bakery in New York.  These cookies weighed like 5 pounds each and were the size of your fist.  Now honestly I’m rarely that tempted by store-bought or bakery cookies.  I’m a homemade girl all the way.  But I was stressed and there were these chocolate ones with peanut butter chips that were calling my name.

So I broke off a piece of one and took it into a meeting with me…

Game over.  I became instantly obsessed (and I ate the rest of that cookie, duh).  We decided to order more and then found out it was $75 for four cookies, which…NO.  So I decided that, hell or high water, I was going to perfectly replicate these cookies.

And I believe I’ve gotten like 99% of the way there.  I tried a couple different copycat recipes and this was definitely the closest.  I also read through a lot of the comments and suggestions and found a couple that make a big difference, so I’ve incorporated them into my recipe below.  One other thing I’ve found is that I actually like them better the next day, vs. fresh.  The texture sets and they become moist and amazing and dense, and a little less rich than fresh out of the oven.

Fair warning, each cookie is like 550-600 calories.  But it’s definitely worth it on occasion.  Trust me and make these NOW.  

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until well blended and fluffy (like 2 minute).

Add the eggs and beat until well-incorporated, scraping down the sides, then beat in the cocoa powder.

Mix in the salt, baking powder, and 2 cups of the flour until just combined and then add however much of the remaining flour you need.

The dough should be dense but not dry, thicker than normal cookie dough.

Transfer the dough to a clean work surface or giant bowl and gently fold in the chocolate chips and peanut butter chips by hand, gently mixing with your hands to ensure even distribution.

Divide into 4-ounce portions (easiest with a kitchen scale, otherwise just make…giant balls of dough), and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Freeze the dough balls for around an hour–YES this is important.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 16-20 minutes depending on how gooey and raw you like the middles, taking care not to over-bake (remember they’ll solidify once you remove them from the oven).

Let cool on a rack and store what you don’t immediately eat in an airtight container. However, as mentioned above, I truly believe these are best the next day.

Levain Bakery Copycat Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Note, quality is your friend here…use high-quality chocolate chips, not like the basic Hersheys or store brand

• 2 sticks of cold and cubed unsalted butter
• 1¼ cup of granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup of good quality dark cocoa powder (I used dutch-process)
• 2¼ to ½ cups of all-purpose flour (spoon and sweep method) with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch OR use cake flour instead of all-purpose
• ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips (quality is your friend here)
• 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter chips

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until well blended and fluffy (like 2 minute). Add the eggs and beat until well-incorporated, scraping down the sides, then beat in the cocoa powder.
2. Mix in the salt, baking powder, and 2 cups of the flour until just combined and then add however much of the remaining flour you need, dough should be dense but not dry; thicker than normal cookie dough (see picture above for what my dough looked like).
3. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface or giant bowl and gently fold in the chocolate chips and peanut butter chips by hand, gently mixing with your hands to ensure even distribution.  Don’t overwork it, or the cookies will be tough.
4. Divide into 4-ounce portions (easiest with a kitchen scale, otherwise just make…giant balls of dough), and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
5. Freeze the dough balls for around an hour–YES this is important.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Bake for 16-20 minutes depending on how gooey and raw you like the middles, taking care not to over-bake (remember they’ll solidify once you remove them from the oven).
8. Let cool on a rack and store what you don’t immediately eat in an airtight container.  These are best the next day, just FYI.

Original recipe from ParsleySageSweet