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Desserts | May 31, 2017

Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies are the most decadent peanut butter and chocolate lover’s treat ever. Almost 1/2 lb of gooey, dark chocolate and peanut butter chips combined in to a cookie makes this one of the most sought after recipes on A Bountiful Kitchen!

Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies


If you have been following A Bountiful Kitchen for the past few months on Instagram, you have seen the flood of photos and comments on my posts and Insta Stories about ABK’s Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (below)!  Everyone loves this recipe. It’s a massive glob of a cookie, stuffed full of chocolate chips and walnuts. The full story about how Levain Bakery got its start in New York City, along with bits of information about the the owners and the what, why and how history of the bakery and their amazing cookies is in my Levain Bakery  Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.  Once I posted the Chocolate Chip Walnut recipe,  I started receiving requests for the other cookie flavors:  oatmeal raisin, chocolate chocolate chip and the Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies. I remembered eating the dark chocolate peanut butter cookie, but in all honesty, we purchased one each of the four flavors, and after sharing parts of each one, I was on sugar overload and didn’t finish any of the cookies except the original chocolate chip walnut. It still is my favorite!

Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

When my readers speak, I listen. So here, by popular demand is the cookie you’ve all been waiting for 🙂  If you want to  read the break down of this recipe, stay with me, and I’ll give you the full story on how I  developed the Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies. If you just want the recipe, and want to skip all of the science behind the recipe development, scroll to the bottom of the post! As with the original chocolate chip walnut recipe, if there are modifications, I will date and add those to the bottom of this post, as well as to the recipe notes!

Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

In the beginning…

A few important factors came into development of the Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies.  Comparison (actually experiencing eating the cookie again for a side by side taste and vision test), testing out different types of chocolate, peanut butter chips (what brand and how many to use), fat (traditional amount or more), logic and my big Aha! moment. Let’s get started…

Comparing apples with apples and very nice friends…

As much as I would like to jump on a plane and go to Levain myself for research purposes (next time I’m going to start a GoFundMe account hahaha) , it wasn’t happening for me this spring. I contemplated ordering some cookies online, but really wanted a fresh cookie. I was scrolling thru Insta Stories and saw my friend Kristen was biking around Central Park, and posting stories of her husband running along side her  (totally something Grant would do). I knew Levain was really close by, so I asked her to bring me a cookie if she happened to stop by the bakery. It was my lucky day, she was headed there and brought me two fresh cookies! The cookies were a little different than I remembered. They were more dense, even so than the chocolate chip walnut Levain cookies. The Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies were filled with pb chips, and after they set up, seemed more similar to a partially baked brownie than a cookie!  The peanut butter chip variety also stayed remarkably fresh for days after Kristen made her delivery to me. When I make the traditional chocolate chip walnut recipe, those also stay fresh for days, which I attribute to the cookies being extremely under baked.

Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Chocolate – powdered vs solid, light vs dark

I decided to use unsweetened  chocolate in a powdered form because I believe this is most likely what Levain Bakery uses. If you go back and read my first post,  I reference a video of the owners making cookies (without divulging their secret recipe).  They repeat a few times, they like to “keep it simple”. My guess is, even thought the cookies resemble brownies I love (that are made with melted solid unsweetened chocolate), I don’t believe Levain Bakery makes this cookie with melted chocolate. I considered, but did not try (yet) melting the butter and then whisking in the unsweetened cocoa powder to the dough. This would absolutely require the dough be refrigerated before baking. I may still try this at a later date…

I tested out 4 different types of unsweetened cocoa powder. Traditional Hershey’s cocoa powder, Callebaut (Belgian) cocoa powder, an organic brand of unsweetened cocoa powder, and Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa. The chocolate that was most similar in color and flavor to the Levain Bakery cookie was Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa, which you can find at most grocery stores. It has more of a dark brown instead of a red color, which produces a cookie most like Levain bakes. I experimented with 1/2, 3/4 and 1/3 cups of cocoa powder, and felt that 1/3 was the perfect amount.

Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Sugar, Sugar

As tradition would have it, most cookies of this type are made with a blend of brown and white sugar. I experimented with all types of combinations. But nothing seemed right. I noticed the bottom of the Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies had a hard surface. Hard, as in, you can take your knuckle and knock on it. Seriously. They are that hard. Not crispy, but hard. Here’s my theory- the  sugar caramelizes on the bottom of the cookie because it’s melted at a high temperature, and combines with the peanut butter chips to create a hard bottom. This only works when the sugar is all granulated sugar. It never quite turns out the same when the sugar is part brown, and part white sugar. For the record, I tried dark and light brown sugar along with white, granulated sugar. This is how the bottom of your cookie should look…

Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Dry spell

Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Unfortunately, when cooking with Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, baked goods dry out faster. I tried making this cookie with the usual amount of butter (1 cup) in a standard chocolate chip cookie recipe, but the cookies never seemed to be moist enough. No matter how long I baked (or under baked in this case) the cookies, they always seemed dry. I tried adding less flour, a third of a cup of peanut butter into the dough thinking this might solve the problem, but the cookies aren’t made with peanut butter in the dough, so that was a failure. At this point I was ready to give up…I ended up using 1 1/4 cups of butter, read the AHA! moment section to find how I came up with this amount. I need emojis to make this post complete. Insert the frustrated and  thinking emoji here.

Cake Flour vs All Purpose

Cake flour is essential in this recipe. Cake flour will create a more tender cookie than a cookie made with straight all purpose flour. If you can’t find cake flour at your grocery,  I highly recommend King Arthur Cake Flour, (be a careful to buy KA Cake Flour, not a “Cake Flour Blend”).

You can make your own cake flour at home by using this simple method: Measure out 1 cup of all purpose flour into a medium size mixing bowl. Remove 2 tablespoons of the flour and place back in the flour container.  Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to the flour in mixing bowl. Sift the flour and cornstarch mixture. Sift again about 3-4 more times. You now have cake flour! Place in a bag or container and use as needed. Very helpful to double or triple this and have it on hand, ready to use.

Chill out

I sincerely dislike cookie recipes that ask the baker to refrigerate the dough before baking! Why? I am way too impatient to refrigerate my dough. I want my cookie NOW, not an hour and a half from now. This cookie does not require refrigeration, unless you make the mini version (3.0-3.5 oz size) in this case, please refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking to insure the cookie will hold its shape.

Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Stand tall

One of the most frequent questions/complaints I have received about the Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie is “my cookies are not as big as yours”, or “they fell flat”.  It took me a few back and forth exchanges to find out that the readers with complaints were not adding the walnuts. Big problem! The walnuts took up TWO CUPS of volume in the cookie. If the walnuts are not added (in the other recipe), the cookie needs something else to help stabilize the dough and help the cookies hold their thick shape. Same with this cookie. This cookie requires two packages of peanut butter chips. It won’t work to add 2 additional cups of flour to stabilize the dough(to substitute for one of the packages of pb chips). The cookies will taste very cake-like,  and the flavor of the cookie will be lost in the flour.  My advice? Bite the bullet and use two packages of peanut butter chips. You won’t be sorry! The cookies measure 2.5-3 inches tall when they are stacked on the cookie sheet before baking. The cookie dough will look ridiculously tall and thin (maybe about 2 inches wide) before baking. They will spread a bit while baking and also while cooling.

Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

convect vs regular bake

If you have a convection oven, use it. I like to bake these at 425 regular bake or 400 convection bake. The high temperature insures the cookie will bake quickly on the outside but stay moist on the inside. Creating the hard crust on the bottom of the cookie requires the temperature is set to 400-425. Since the cocoa powder dries the cookies out a bit, the cookie only bakes for 5-6 minutes, or until the top the cookie barely forms a crust. In all of the test batches, I found no more than 6 minutes is best. Turn the oven on before you start making the cookies so it is nice and hot when you place the pan inside of the oven. This is extremely important to forming the caramelized bottom crust.

important step- keep your cool

If you have a cookie craving and you want to immediately dig into your fresh out of the oven cookies, wait a few minutes for best eating results.  Because the Levain Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies are barely baked, they are really difficult to eat until they are allowed to set up for a few minutes, they also taste best when they are allowed to cool a while.  To speed up this process, you may carefully transfer the cookies to a cool baking sheet with a spatula and set the cooled cookie sheet in the fridge. Do the dishes and the cookies will probably be ready to eat. Make sure to completely let the cookies cool before stacking them on a serving plate.

Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

My big AHA! moment

After all weeks of experimenting, I felt like I still did not have the cookie right. And you know how committed I am to getting my copycat recipes right! I obsess over the most ridiculous details. Like the bottom of the cookie. I knew I couldn’t declare this recipe a legitimate copycat recipe unless that bottom was hard. I knew it had something to do with temperature and sugar, but felt like my version still wasn’t right. I was tired of making batches of cookies only to have them turn out beneath my expectations. By this time, my comparison sample had run out. I put the cookie recipe on the shelf for a while until I had the enthusiasm to work on it again…then, this happened. I fired up the oven and decided I’d give it another try. I pulled two more bags of Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips (the only brand I recommend, btw) out of the pantry. There it was plain as day, staring me in the face. The recipe on the back of the bag of chips. Two cups of granulated sugar (the standard is 1 3/4 in most recipes of this type), and not 1, but 1 1/4 cups of butter. This was it. The perfect combination of sugar and butter to make the cookies just like Levain’s cookie. I knew it before I baked it up. And sure enough, when I combined their sugar and butter amounts with my already tested amounts of chocolate, flour combination and other dry ingredients, it was a match made in cookie heaven.

Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies- End of story

So that’s my story. The recipe on the back of the bag was enough to seal the deal for me. I’ve made this recipe several times now with great success. I hope you,  and all of your chocolate and peanut butter obsessed loved ones enjoy!

NOT OUR FIRST RODEO

If you don’t live near NYC, no worries, you can bake a copycat that will leave you wondering which cookie is better? All of the copycat versions of the Levain Bakery cookies are here on ABK. I’ve made multiple copycat versions of Levain cookies: the original Levain Chocolate Chip Cookie, the Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip, and the Oatmeal Raisin.  They were all tested, tested again,  and retested until I felt the recipe was as close as possible to the real deal. Take a look at the Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe for the most in-depth explanation of all the who, what, why and how on everything in my Levain Bakery copycat cookie journey. A little over the top, but seriously some of the most fun I’ve had in the recipe development game.

4.82 from 44 votes
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Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 8 -10 cookies
Author Si Foster, A Bountiful Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter microwave for 10 seconds or set on counter for 30 minutes
  • 2 cups granulated white sugar
  • 2 eggs cold
  • 1/3 cup Hershey’s Special Dark Unsweetened Cocoa powder
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 2- 10 oz bags Reese’s peanut Butter Chips

Instructions

  1. Place rack in center of oven with no other rack on the shelf directly above the center rack. Preheat oven to 400 convection bake or 425 regular bake.
  2. Cut the butter into tablespoons size pieces.
  3. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat butter, and sugar for about 1 minute until butter is broken up and starts to blend with the sugar.
  4. Add eggs, one at a time until mixed well. Keep the mixer speed on medium. Turn mixer off and add cocoa, mix until cocoa is blended well.
  5. Turn mixer off. Add all purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to bowl all at once. Pulse the mixer until the wet and dry ingredients are combined using low speed.
  6. Fold in the peanut butter chips.
  7. Scoop the cookies with hands onto a kitchen scale, the cookies should weigh 6 oz each. There will be approximately 9-10 pieces of dough. If you are making minis, measure out to 3 – 3.5 ox size and refrigerate before baking.
  8. The large 6 oz cookies do not require refrigeration before baking. Bake the cookie sheets one at a time, 4-5 cookies per sheet at least 3 inches apart.
  9. Bake when oven is hot for 5-6 minutes on convection or regular bake. The cookies are done when a top crust is formed and the cookies no longer look wet. Do not over bake!
  10. Let the cookies cool for 30 minutes before eating.

122 thoughts on “Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

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  1. First to comment, nice! Thanks for sharing this recipe, I was one of those who asked for it, I’ll definitely try it this weekend; however, big question, by any chance are you going to post a copycat recipe for the levain dark chocholate chocolate chip recipe? Or should I use this recipe and just replaced the chocolate chips for the pb chips?
    Thanks.

    1. Hi Jose,
      I would just replace the pb chips with chocolate chips. I am not sure if the chocolate chocolate chip are the same base as the dark chocolate pb chip? I will have to do some research!
      Thanks for reading ABK!
      xo
      Si

      1. Hello there,

        I just cooked the chocolate chip version this weekend and they turn out just great; so if anybody was wondering if this recipe will work just by replacing the pb chips for chocolate chips, well, it does work.
        By the other hand, if by any chance you need to refrigerate the dough, you can doi it, but my suggestion will be that once refrigerated, before baking let the dough sit for a couple of hours outside the fridge, and then bake.

        1. Jose,
          Thanks for the info on substituting chocolate chips for the peanut butter chips!
          Si

  2. I live a half mile from Levains, and was anxious to try these! Thanks for the smaller size instructions. I just made them using my ice cream scoop, 3oz each, and they turned out great! When I pulled them out of the oven, I let them sit in the pan a few mins and tried to transfer one to a cooling rack…not a good idea. Mine were a little too delicate. Seems like they’re best to stay on the pan or something else flat. I didn’t do a side by side test but I think they taste just like the real deal!!

  3. I made these today. 3.5oz in size. Refrigerated the dough since I was making them smaller. Baked them at 425. At 6 minutes they still did not look done. I let them back for another minute and then pulled them for fear of over baking them. However, I let them cool for 30min and I can’t even get them off the cookie sheet without them falling apart. I am so sad to see a whole batch get wasted, but if I make them again, I will cook them longer. Just thought I would leave a comment in case someone else tries.

    1. Hi Megan,
      The cookies will have a slight crust, and no longer be shiny on top when they are done. After cooling for 30 minutes, they should be able to be removed from a cookie sheet without falling apart. Every oven is different, and I usually bake on a convection setting, which will bake faster than a traditional oven setting. if you are baking regular bake, and your oven cooks slow, it may take a bit longer. Remember you are looking for the top of the cookie to form a crust and no longer look wet. This may take longer in your oven! Also, did you use a combination of cake and all purpose flour?

    2. I had the same issue! I used cake flour and have a conventional oven. They need more than 6 minutes – probably at least 8 or 9. A convection oven will bake them much faster, so the baking time is off. Some of my cookies were just too soft to eat and the ingredients were wasted 🙁

      1. 5 stars
        I also made the mini ones, refrigerated them, cooked at 400 convection, and after 6 minutes they still seemed way too raw inside and really didn’t flatten at all. I cooked another batch at almost 10 minutes and they seemed perfect! So Delicious! Thanks for the recipe

        1. Andrea,
          Thanks for your comment, everyone’s oven will vary a little, and adjustments need to be made. Glad you loved this recipe!
          xo
          Si

  4. thank you soo much for the recipe!!! we love these cookies! i do have a favor to ask you… can you do a smart cookie, sugar cookie copycat? i have tried but cant seem to get it right. and a bens cookies chocolate chip and white chocolate chip cookie copycat those are amazing!

    1. Hi Trisha,
      I don’t have a recipe for that cookie, not sure Ive ever eaten one? Where are smart cookies sold? I haven’t ever tried the Ben’s cookies in those flavors!

      1. the smart cookie company in americn fork and one in sandy(i think) carries the yummy frosted sugar cookies. seriously you will love them mmmmm

  5. 4 stars
    I was so excited to try these! I’ve tried about 4 Levain copycat recipes and I haven’t quite found the right one. This is by far the closest to the real thing that I have tasted since NYC! Delicious! Thanks so much for your hard work! I substituted dark chocolate chips because the double chocolate chip cookie is my absolute favorite and it worked great.

    My only issue is the outer rim of the cookies flattened, making them a bit less beautiful and rounded than I’d like them to be. I did the 6 oz. Any tips for how I can prevent this?

    1. Hi Mal,
      So glad you loved this copycat recipe! As far as the flat edges, When the cookies come out of the oven, Immediately use a small spatula and push the edges of the cookies in if they have spread. This will allow you to shape the cookie to your liking and give you a nice round edge! I do this with almost every batch of cookies I make. Thanks for reading ABK!
      xo
      Si

  6. I make the original chocolate chip recipe on repeat since I discovered it a couple months ago. They are the best! They’re a hit every time. That’s why I was SO excited when this recipe posted. It’s just as good!! I’m a big chocolate and peanut butter fan, so these are pretty much a dream come true. I’ve already made them twice in the past week.

    1. Chelsea,
      Thanks so much! So glad you loved this recipe. If you get a chance, take a photo and send it to me. I’d love to post it on our instagram account.
      xo,
      Si

  7. 5 stars
    Great recipe! great cookie! these were a hit all weekend. I did make the mistake of slightly over cooking the first batch but the second turned out perfect. 5-6 mins doesn’t seem like the right time but it is.

  8. I made these and they are absolutely spot on!!! I was just at Levain bakery at the end of May and had one of these there, so the comparison is fresh in my mind.

    One question, I made the recipe and baked a few immediately with no issue. I froze the rest of the dough already portioned. I’m having trouble getting them to bake properly from the freezer. I’ve tried thawing them a little, tried lowering the temp and baking longer. But they seem to cook outside to the point they’re just about to burn and the middle is no where near done enough. Have you (or anyone??) tried and had any success with frozen dough?

    1. Hi Emily,
      I don’t believe I have baked the cookies from a frozen state…I have frozen several after baking with success. I have heard rumor that Levain bakes their cookies after freezing and the cookies are baked straight from the rock solid frozen state. One thing to consider- they are baking with a professional oven, higher heat, convection, which will make a difference. Their cookies, as you know are barely baked in the middle, just enough to melt the chocolate. I don’t believe they should be thawed at all before baking. I will experiment with this as well and comment on the recipe if I come up with a solution.
      Thanks so much!
      xo
      Si

  9. Hi. I love the taste of the cookies but just to make sure I’m doing it right…do you put them on an I greased cookie sheet? Or do you use a silpat or something similar? Thank you for your help!

    1. Hi Wendi,
      I put the cookies directly on a cookie sheet, and usually do not grease the cookie sheet. You may use a silat or parchment paper if you like!
      Si

  10. I made these cookies a couple of weeks ago for my son’s birthday.

    I set my convection oven at 400 and put the cookies in for 5-6 minutes.
    They came out completely burnt! So next tray I tried using my regular oven at 425, same thing.

    Am I doing something wrong or is the temperature in recipe wrong?

    Thanks

    Janice

    1. Hi Janice,
      The temperature is correct, 400 convection bake, or 425 regular bake. I’m so sorry you are having trouble with this recipe. I’ve made it lots of times and took months before I posted the recipe to make sure it was right on. I’ve also literally dozens of people send me messages on Instagram with a photo of their cookies successfully made and baked according to directions. Not sure why your cookies are not baking up as you’d like. A couple of suggestions- Make sure the rack in your oven is in the center of oven and you set the timer. It is almost impossible to have cookies come out completely burned after 5-6 minutes. I would invest (under $10) in an oven thermometer to check the internal temp of your oven. Hope this helps!
      Si

  11. Hi,

    I’ve donde this recipe several times and is just amazing. However, an issue has been brought to my attention; I’ve been told that sometimes, when they are eating the cookie they can feel the sugar, as if they were just chewing pure sugar (they feel the grains). Am I doing something wrong? Any suggestions?

  12. I noticed in your other cookie recipes you suggest course sea salt, but in this one you just add “1/2 tsp salt” without mentioning if it is anything other than regular table salt. Do you suggest course sea salt for this recipe as well? And I always use REAL salt (the pinkish salt they sell here in Utah). Would that yield the same results as regular or sea salt? I’m also curious to hear the answer from Jose’s question about “chewing pure sugar” and if there is anything that is causing that before I go for my first try. Anxious to try these! Thanks Is!

    1. Jennifer,
      An oversight on my part! I always use Sea Salt in my recipes. I buy the coarse Sea Salt at Costco. I haven’t tried the pink salt in my baked goods! Im making my way to the other comment you referenced…
      xo
      Si

      1. Awesome, I will go to Costco and get some sea salt before making these tomorrow! Thanks so much for your reply! Loving all your recipes! 🙂

  13. Ok, Great! I’ll run and get some at Costco before starting these tomorrow. Thanks so much for your reply! Loving all your recipes! 🙂

  14. 5 stars
    Ever since I saw a picture of these on Pinterest but without a recipe I’ve been hoping someone would attempt them so thank you!
    Just made these south of Seattle. Was concerned the flour amount would be off since elevation is higher in Utah but they out delicious!
    Took 12 minutes to bake in my newer GE convection oven.
    Also, didn’t see the comment about sea salt so I used regular. Not sure how much it affects the taste.

    1. Kayleigh,
      Good to know they also worked well in Seattle! Also,interesting that they took longer to bake, I usually don’t bake these over 8 minutes. Thanks for adding notes and for reading ABK!
      xo
      Si

  15. I am going to try my hat at these tonight replacing the peanut butter chips with semi sweet chocolate chips! Love the reviews and looking forward to seeing how they turn out!

    1. That sounds like a great combo, and just like the dark chocolate/chocolate chip cookies at Levain! I’d love to hear your feedback. Thanks!
      Si

  16. 5 stars
    While I love the Levain chocolate chip recipe of yours, are my favorite – the texture is just fantastic. I do the 3 oz size. I love your recipes because they are so easy to follow and I trust your stuff to be yummy. My only advice to others would be to echo what your notes say and follow the recipe exactly. Yes, use cake flour. Yes, use the special dark cocoa powder. And yes, use both bags of peanut butter chips. The cookies will not turn out like Si’s if you don’t. Baking is not like cooking…you have to be a exact and you can’t just throw in random amounts or ingredients and expect things to turn out delicious or pretty or to even bake evenly. Thank you for figuring these recipes for those of us who don’t get to NYC!

    1. Jeanelle,
      Thanks so much! And I totally agree with you, then best way to achieve poise results when baking or any type of cooking for that matter is to use a trusted source for a recipe and follow the instructions precisely! Glad you are loving this recipe.
      Happy baking,
      xo
      Si

  17. I baked a version of these cookies using another recipe and chanced upon your site. I’m one of those people who appreciate the lengthy, scientific explanations. Will try your recipe soon. Thanks for all the hard work.

  18. Si, you are a baking wizard! We were just in NYC and after going to Lebanon my husband was wondering if there was a way to make their cookies at home. I remembered your post and baked these today as a surprise for him. He was delighted! They were so delicious, and tasted just like Levain’s! Thanks for all your work to reverse engineer the recipe!

  19. I haven’t had the chance to make these yet but was considering making them for neighbor gifts subbing the peanut butter chips for mint chips to make them a bit more festive. Do you think the flavors would work together? Any specific brand of chips you would recommend?

    1. Megan,
      Great idea for neighbor gifts! I usually use Guittard chips. I know they make a mint flavored chip, and I think the flavors sound wonderful and festive.
      Let me know how you like them!
      xo,
      Si

  20. Arg! I just made these, mini size and refrigerated. They came out flat, crispy and greasy! I’m so sad bc when I have made the walnut chocolate chip ones they are absolutely perfect.

    1. Nicole,
      I’m sorry these didn’t work for you. Often, if cookies become flat, the problem is the oven is too hot.
      Oven temperatures can vary. Hope this helps for next time!
      xo,
      Si

    1. Hi Luisa,
      I am so sorry I don’t bake in grams. I know there are some great conversion tools available online!
      xo
      Si

      1. Ah, thank you! But I have to measure the butter after microwave it? Cause I know that if I use more/less butter, my recipe probably will not look like yours!

  21. 5 stars
    si,

    these were amazing! i made them exactly as described above, using reese’s peanut butter chips but with equal exchange cocoa powder, baked @ 425 for 5.5 minutes and let them cool for 30+ minutes on their baking sheets, and that was perfect! the result was ooey gooey cookies which brought me back to the time i tried my first levain cookie almost 10 years ago. 🙂

    this is SO MUCH better than huffing it to the UWS and waiting in long lines for their version.

    thank you so much for hacking this recipe and sharing with this community! i’ve also made your traditional chocolate chip walnut levain recipe three times to rave reviews to everyone who tries them. no one can believe they’re homemade.

    xoxo,
    aimee

  22. Hi, before I make this, I want to make sure that your recipe calls for a total of 20 ounces of Reese’s peanut Butter Chips? (you mentioned 2- 10 oz). Cos this seems like an awful lot :). Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Baker,
      Yes, you are reading correctly:2 – 10 oz packages of chips. I know that’s a lot of chips, but we’re talking Levain cookies! You won’t be disappointed! Try them and let me know how you like this recipe.
      Thanks for reading ABK!
      xo,
      Si

  23. 5 stars
    Finally made these tonight! They are so delicious. I made the 3 oz. minis and baked them for 7 minutes on convection which was perfect.

  24. 5 stars
    If chocolate and PB had a perfect baby this would be it. Such a decadent cookie. I was a little nervous to try your recipe but I’m so glad I did they turned out amazing!

    1. Hi Jenny, I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe. It’s definitely a PB and chocolate lover’s dream. Thanks for sharing and for reading ABK!
      xo
      Si

  25. 5 stars
    I made a half batch of these yesterday then went to the store for more peanut butter chips so I could make a full batch today! They are so good. I followed directions exactly and they came out as pictured. I’m just wondering how you store/transport these..

    1. Hi Noelle, these cookies are such a treat. I’m glad you enjoyed them. I usually freeze them if I plan to store them, and I transport them in a large tupperware. You can place wax paper in between the cookie stacks so they don’t stick together. Hope this helps and thanks for reading ABK!
      xo
      Si

  26. 5 stars
    this recipe is AMAZING!! I think the cookie needs to cool more than 30 min, more like 2 hours. its delicious for days and tastes just like the real thing. Thanks for sharing, your recipes never disappoint!

  27. 5 stars
    Is the baking time the same for the small ones and how many per sheet? I’ve read every review and can’t find it in the recipe either. Thanks and also thanks for putting me on to favoreats!

    1. Hi Julie, it might be a few minutes less of baking time, and for the smaller ones, there should be about 12 per sheet. Hope this helps and thanks for asking!
      xo
      Si

  28. 5 stars
    Just made these but adapted them so they’d taste just like the collaboration ABK did with Chip Cookies. They were sooooo good and the tips in the recipe were beyond helpful. I used regular Hershey cocoa (not dark chocolate) and did Reese’s pieces instead of peanut butter chips. Definitely make sure you let the cookies fully cool after you bake them! These were amazing and I will make them over and over!

    1. I love that adaptation, Sylvie. I’m sure they turned out delicious. The Levain Bakery cookies are hard to beat when it comes to a “good” cookie. Thanks for sharing and for reading ABK!
      xo
      Si

  29. 5 stars
    Not sure what I did wrong, but these completely flattened and I was left with blobby dough encircled by a cripsy flat cookie. I halved the recipe and while I made big ones, I did refrigerate beforehand. I used a regular oven rather than convection too.

    The dough was absolutely fantastic and I repurposed it in cupcake tins. The crispy cookie part was also fantastic. I’m just curious if you have any idea what might have gone wrong for me? If you have any ideas. Let me know!

    1. Hi Lauren, baking times can vary depending on the oven you have. When baking, you want the top of the cookie to form a crust and no longer look wet. When the cookies come out of the oven, immediately use a small spatula and push the edges of the cookies in if they have spread. This will allow you to shape the cookie to your liking and give you a nice round edge! I do this with almost every batch of cookies I make. Hope this helps and thanks for asking,
      xo
      Si

  30. 5 stars
    A peanut butter and chocolate duo that keeps you coming back for more. I made the mini version and gave my son one and after taking one bite he requested three!

  31. 5 stars
    Just made these and WOW! They are delicious. Used regular cocoa powder because that is what I had on hand, but next time will use the Special Dark kind.

    Glad to read that the baking times may vary depending on your oven. My 4.5 oz cookies took about 9-10 minutes on my convection oven.

    Thank you for the recipe.

  32. I am looking forward to making these. I saw that you recommended King Arthur cake flour, which is unbleached. It looks like many cake flours, such as Swans Down, are bleached. Does the unbleached version impact the texture and/or taste? I read elsewhere that some bleached cake flours have a distinct taste that impacts the final product.

    1. Hi Kim, unbleached flour has a denser texture than bleached flour, which helps give more structure to baked goods. If you have a sensitive palate, you will probably notice a difference in taste between the two flours. Hope this helps and thanks for asking!
      xo
      Si

  33. 5 stars
    These cookies are fantastic! I made them for a few trainers at my gym and was told they did not make them home; devoured at the gym.

    I did have to bake them for a total of 9 minutes as 6 minutes was still underbaked. 9 minutes was perfect.

    Great flavor and the peanut butter chips are ooey gooey… delicious!

  34. 5 stars
    I made these for my sons baby blessing. They turned out perfect and I only baked 5 minutes. I did do the 3.5 oz cookies so I refrigerated for 30 minutes before baking. My oven does not have convection. So yummy!!!

    1. I’m so glad to hear that, McKenzie. The smaller size is perfect for a shower/party! Thank you for sharing,
      xo
      Si

  35. 5 stars
    Ok, I just got back from NYC a few weeks ago and had my first Choc PB Levain cookie. It was amazing! I remembered I could find a copycat here, so I got the ingredients. The comments made me nervous about undercooking them so I left them in an extra minute – 7 minutes (for the 3.5 oz size). I’m in California near sea level so no altitude issues. I did 400 convection. And they’re SO good (VERY similar to Levain) but I do think 6 minutes or even 5 would have been even better. So just wanted to report back that you should stick to the original directions! Thanks, Si!!

  36. My cookies spread SO MUCH!! Not sure what I did wrong? Help?? I mean they’re still delicious, and the cookie to pb chip ratio is A+++ but they are…not pretty 😅😅😅

    1. Hi Carly,
      I’m sorry you had this issue! The dough will vary due to many factors. I try to address these issues in the recipe, but occasionally, readers have issues! I would advise adding 2 tablespoons of All Purpose flour to the dough after the initial mix. Just sprinkle on and fold in. Then shape the cookies and place in the refrigerator or freezer for at least one hour before baking. This should help the cookies hold the shape. Also make sure to pile the cookie high while forming and do not pack the cookie dough together while shaping. Hope this helps!
      xo
      Si

  37. These are perfection. Also— if you want to freeze the dough—to cook the frozen dough balls (6 oz), heat the oven to 410 and cook for 15 minutes. Let sit for 30 minutes like the original recipe says. They came out AMAZING.

  38. 5 stars
    These were delicious! Made the 6 oz. cookies and baked them for about 6 1/2 minutes. I usually follow recipes exactly but on this one we used 1 bag peanut butter chips & 1 bag of semi sweet, and also used regular cocoa powder instead of dark. They were so good!!! I was a little afraid they wouldn’t be done, but I followed everyone’s advice and took them out on time and had them sit the full cool time. Perfect. Seriously so good!!

  39. 5 stars
    I followed your recipe precisely and they turned out incredible! I used the makeshift cake flour which was very helpful thank you for that insight. My husband called them the best cookies i’ve ever made. Thank you for that 🙂

  40. Hi! Big fan of your recipes (the regular Levain CCC and Liege waffle in particular). When I made the regular cookie, it turned out perfectly. Was excited to try the peanut butter dark chocolate. For all the ingredients (including cake flour and Hershey’s Special Dark). Followed the recipe in the right order. It was well mixed. I even made the cookie dough in towers like the video for the CCC rather than baseballs. The dough portion sizes were almost perfect so I didn’t miss any ingredients. But something happened with the first batch after 5 minutes at 400 – they flattened out like melted ice cream. I thought it could be a humidity thing so I put the other half of the dough in refrigerator. Tried again later with cold dough. And it happened again. I don’t know. Could be because it’s humid here? I didn’t have problems with the CCC recipe. Any ideas?

    1. Hi John, sorry for the late reply, I would make sure the butter isn’t too soft and if you’re in a more humid area, you could try adding a little more flour next time, that may help, the texture of the dough should be pretty thick. Also, if you haven’t already, try using convection bake instead of regular bake. I hope this helps and let me know how they turn out next time!
      Si

  41. 5 stars
    Absolutely love this recipe (and the chocolate chip walnut Levain cookies too!!!). Question for you: are the peanut butter chips meant to harden up after the cookie cools, or are they supposed to stay somewhat melty? I loved the texture of the pb chips when the cookie was still a little warm, wondering if there’s a way to keep that melty goodness!

    1. Hi Heather, I’ve had that same issue with the PB chips, especially if I don’t cook the cookies on convection. If you haven’t already, I would cook them on convection oven next time. Hope this helps and thank you for asking!
      xo
      Si

  42. 3 stars
    These were good but ended up not being quite to my taste. I didn’t really feel safe eating them after baking for only 5-6 mins. These would need to reach an internal temp of 160 F to kill any salmonella in the raw egg or flour, and when I baked mine for 10 mins the internal temp was only 140 F.

  43. 5 stars
    I like this recipe, But I’d like to at least halve the sugar quantity. If I do that what other changes must I make to the recipe?

  44. After reading through the comments I think there is one thing that will help. It looks like the cookies should cool ON THE SHEET for 30 min. When recipes say to cool for 30 min, it is standard that means off the sheet. I’m wondering if this is why people had a hard time removing them and say it’s not enough cooking time. By allowing them to cool on the cookie sheet, they actually continue to cook.

  45. I have a convection oven question. When i set mine at 400 convection bake, it automatically adjusts it down 25 degrees so it days 375. Should i set It at 425 to get 400? My oven also has a convection roast option, that does not auto adjust so if i set It at 400 that’s where it stays.

  46. 5 stars
    Would love to make a peanut butter version of the Levain cookie for a friend who is not a fan of chocolate… At first I thought I can just add peanut butter chips to the chocolate chip version, but not sure how that would work out I feel like 4 cups of PB chips would be overload and not sure if a plain dough would compliment a peanut butter chip versus say a chocolate dough or a peanut butter dough… I have peanut butter powder which is basically powdered peanuts I think… do you think I could replace the cocoa powder with peanut powder to flavor the dough…? Or any other recommendations?
    Thank you so much!

  47. 5 stars
    I Try to cut the Sugar because it’s too sweet for me but end up with the cookies too delicate,crumble and falling apart when i pick it up. Any Ideas for less sugar and not to sweet..Between in the middle i think for the sweetness

  48. 5 stars
    I am OBSESSED with this recipe! They came out even better than expected and my friend said they’re the best cookies she’s ever tasted! The detailed recipe notes are super helpful too, as I didn’t have cake flour I was able to easily recreate it thanks to the blog. Can’t recommend enough!

  49. 5 stars
    I have been making these cookies for years from your site. My son requests them for his birthday. I had never even heard of a Levain Bakery. But this spring I stumbled upon the Levain Bakery in Washington DC and so we had to try the real thing. I have to say our whole family agreed that the ones I have been making are just as good! If not better. Thanks for a great recipe with all the tricks.

    1. Hi Joy!
      Thank you for your positive comments! I love a warm Levain cookie straight from the oven. I have posted four Levain copycat recipes. It’s hard to choose a favorite! Thank you for reading ABK.
      xo,
      Si

  50. 2 stars
    I was really hyped to try this recipe, but going to skip it because of the lack of metric measurements. You just can’t get consistent results measuring flour and salt by volume. At a minimum, you should say which online conversion chart has the best chance of matching your measurements.

    1. Hi Rene,
      I get it. You and many bakers are used to weighing their ingredients. I DO know that this recipe has been made hundreds of times with success. Hope you give it a try! Can you recommend a conversion chart you have found useful? I’m sure our readers would be interested. Thanks for reading ABK and thank you for your suggestion.
      xo,
      Si

  51. 5 stars
    Delicious! Fudgy in the middle and crispy on the outside. Made exactly as written, except substituted butterscotch chips for the peanut butter chips due to an allergy. Everyone loved them. Thank you Si for another wonderful recipe.

  52. 4 stars
    What am I doing wrong? Taste was delicious, besides, my final dough was really sticky, I feezed it for about 40 minutes, made balls of 6oz (quickly cuz the dough stared to get sticky again) and freezed again until next day, I followed the bake steps in a Maytag Oven and lately I’m a small convection oven at home, (My time was 20 to 25 minutes in the oven ) and the cookies get “spread” in both batches.
    Not the “bad spread cookie” with the raw center and the edges almost burned, I mean spreads in the diameter, center was cooked (and delicious) edges where crispy and nutty, but they looked more like “subway” cookies (even larger than a subway cookie). That chunky fatty cookie look, just not worked. What am I doing wrong?

  53. Hi! Can I substitute the cocoa with different powder? Like matcha? Or red velvet? 🙂

    Hoping to use 1 base then have different cookie flavors!

    If yes, what should be the measurements? 🙂

    1. Hi Sam! I haven’t ever tried that substitution. Let me know how it turns out if you give it a try!
      Happy baking
      Si

  54. 5 stars
    This recipe brought me right back to NYC. So big, so fluffy and so delicious! So glad I was able to find this perfect copy cat recipe.

  55. 5 stars
    I have made several versions of these cookies but this recipe is definitely my favorite. Dare I say even better than the original?! So so good!

  56. 5 stars
    This is a true copy cat recipe! Tastes exactly like Levain’s version in my opinion! Perfection!

  57. 5 stars
    Great recipe!! These cookies were massive but so tasty. I had my husband take the extras to work and they were a hit with his coworkers!

  58. 5 stars
    Bought the ingredients to make these yet again. I just see the picture and crave these. The deep chocolate flavor with the peanut butter chips, make it such a great combo.

  59. 5 stars
    These are my very favorite Levain cookie and this recipe is sooo delicious! Thank you for helping to satisfy the craving at home!

    The Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa is the way to go! In a pinch I’ve tried using regular cocoa, and it’s just not the same.

  60. 5 stars
    These cookies have made me some what of a cookie-making celebrity. Every time I make them the rave reviews never stop and I get lots of requests for them. They are soooo good!

  61. 5 stars
    I loooooove this recipe!!! It’s so so good every time! I like to add a tiny bit of dark choc chips. I just love how the flavor is perfection. I need to make them again!

  62. 4 stars
    It’s the Oz spring, still cool 🙂 I made this a few times and played with the type of flour, chock chips and buttons (better) and nuts and then added some craisins and made a tri-colour dough. They look awesome and taste delicious each time. Never mind small differences in texture or even taste (less sugary, brown sugar), these are nice cookies, made for sharing hmm, shall get creative for Halloween 😉 Thank you!

    1. Daría, I love that you’ve been playing with the recipe and that it turns out great each time. Let us know what you end up doing to make them more Halloween festive! Thanks for reading Abk!
      XO
      SI