Somehow we went from June to September! Summer break flashed by all too quickly despite our best efforts to slow it down.
It was a busy summer! We savored the break, took a couple of trips, and got a lot of things done in between. The big guy started high school!! I spent the summer trying to come to terms with this huge milestone and all that goes with it. Now, my nerves are settling down and we're adjusting to fall routines and life with a busy high schooler. I'm thinking about warm comfort foods - like big, warm, melty chocolate chip cookies!
If you live around New York City or ask New Yorkers about places for great chocolate chip cookies, you're likely to hear about Levain Bakery. Known for their big cookies (and I do mean, big, as they weigh in at 6 ounces a piece), typically served up still warm from the oven, they have a serious cult following. To me, the Levain cookies are all about texture. The huge cookies are crisp on the outside and so soft, gooey, and melty in the center. This divine texture - served up in a big way - is what makes me crave them. And as big as they are, these cookies go down easy and are quite easily habit-forming.
Levain only makes 4 kinds of cookies (shown above): chocolate chip walnut, dark chocolate chocolate chip, dark chocolate peanut butter chip, and oatmeal raisin.
I had my first Levain cookies in 2017 (photos of their chocolate chip walnut cookie from that day below) when we stopped by one of their NYC locations (miraculously, no line at the time) and bought the chocolate chip walnut and chocolate chocolate chip cookies. Recently, we received a box of each as a gift and got to try them all.
I have to say that my favorite is the chocolate chip walnut and it's my favorite one to mimic at home! I've also made the chocolate peanut butter chip because I couldn't get it out of my head after someone mentioned it was their favorite of the lineup; I made a version before I even had the chance to try the real thing!
So I'd like to share the two copycat versions of these cookies I make at home. They are great for when you're in the mood for some seriously hearty, delicious cookies to warm up your fall and winter days ahead. You can find different renditions of these cookies but I'm happy with the following two recipes I landed on, which are now firmly in my cookie-baking repertoire.
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| Copycat Levain Bakery style cookies I make at home |
If you live around New York City or ask New Yorkers about places for great chocolate chip cookies, you're likely to hear about Levain Bakery. Known for their big cookies (and I do mean, big, as they weigh in at 6 ounces a piece), typically served up still warm from the oven, they have a serious cult following. To me, the Levain cookies are all about texture. The huge cookies are crisp on the outside and so soft, gooey, and melty in the center. This divine texture - served up in a big way - is what makes me crave them. And as big as they are, these cookies go down easy and are quite easily habit-forming.
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| Actual Levain Bakery cookies. A box of these were recently gifted to us (what a treat!) so we finally had the chance to taste all four varieties made by the bakery. |
I had my first Levain cookies in 2017 (photos of their chocolate chip walnut cookie from that day below) when we stopped by one of their NYC locations (miraculously, no line at the time) and bought the chocolate chip walnut and chocolate chocolate chip cookies. Recently, we received a box of each as a gift and got to try them all.
So I'd like to share the two copycat versions of these cookies I make at home. They are great for when you're in the mood for some seriously hearty, delicious cookies to warm up your fall and winter days ahead. You can find different renditions of these cookies but I'm happy with the following two recipes I landed on, which are now firmly in my cookie-baking repertoire.
