If you live in New York or have visited the city recently, you should be familiar with Levain Bakery’s famous cookies. And even if you’ve never been here before, you’ve probably heard of them through NYC bakery roundups (like mine!) and the recent onslaught of copycat recipes online. I’ve never considered myself a true fan of doughy chocolate chip cookies, but one bite into a Levain cookie and everyone, including myself, is an instant convert. They’re just so, so good. A few weekends ago I baked a few things for an NYC-themed dinner party and I wanted to try to recreate the Levain-doughy goodness at home so I tried Broma Bakery’s recipe that I’ve seen floating around. And although these were amazing, over-the-top, HUGE chocolate chip cookies, I don’t think they’re quite the same as Levain’s, so I didn’t feel right adding their namesake to this post’s title. So instead I chose a more accurate, and just as ridiculous, title – quarter pounder chocolate chip cookies!
Levain actually uses 6 ounces of dough to make their famous cookies, but I reduced mine to 4 ounces so I could get an even 12 cookies out of the batch. They were still ginormous and I don’t think anyone could have eaten another two ounces anyway! You don’t want to reduce the mass of these too much though, or else you’ll lose their quintessential barely-baked interiors. That’s what makes them so gooey and special! These cookies also have a great crisp exterior with plenty of chocolate and salt to give them a lot of flavor. Levain includes walnuts in their chocolate chip variety, but I opted to keep my plain since I’m usually on team no-nuts when it comes to cookies. But if you want to try to be more accurate with your giant cookie recreation, definitely add in about 1 cup of chopped walnuts to give that some nutty flavor and texture.
I don’t think I’ve ever ordered a quarter pounder burger in my life, but I would definitely order one of these quarter pounders if it were on the menu! Bust out your fat pants and come hungry, because these cookies are pretty unbelievable. And really easy to put together too!! Definitely a dangerous combination. Although I can’t quite call these Levain’s, I have seen a number of other recipes out there that have done extensive research to try to make the best recreation and this one is on my list to try next. Either way, if you can’t make it to the Upper West Side anytime soon, rest assured that you can create your very own doughy, gooey, GIANT cookies right in your own home. Just do it!!
Quarter Pounder Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe adapted from Broma Bakery
Ingredients:
3 cups + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2-1/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
3/4 cup + 4 tsp light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups dark/semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper of Silpat mats and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter for about one minute, until it forms one large lump. Add the sugars and continue to beat on medium high speed for about 2-3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until mixed, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. The batter might look lumpy, but don't worry!
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and use a rubber spatula to incorporate evenly by hand. Divide the dough into 12 even pieces (if you're using a kitchen scale, each one should be 4 oz) and shape them roughly into balls of dough. Place them on the prepared cookie sheets and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake cookies for 18-22 minutes, until the edges just start to turn golden brown. Make sure not to overbake, you want these cookies to be soft in the middle! Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. You can store them in an airtight container for a few days, but make sure to reheat them in the microwave or a low heat oven before serving so they're extra melty :)
