Levain-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 280 g unsalted butter (Melted and cooled slightly)
• 450 g dark chocolate (60–70% cacao; roughly chopped into a mixture of large, small, and tiny pieces)
• 230 g cake flour (Use cake flour rather than substituting all-purpose flour)
• 275 g all-purpose flour
• 5 g kosher salt
• 8 g cornstarch
• 6 g baking soda
• 285 g light brown sugar
• 115 g granulated sugar (White granulated sugar)
• 2 large eggs (Add one at a time)
• 3 egg yolks (Add after the whole eggs, incorporating each before adding the next)
• 165 g walnuts (Roughly chopped; toasting is recommended)

Steps

1. 1

   Melt the unsalted butter, then set it aside to cool slightly.

2. 2

   Roughly chop the dark chocolate into varied pieces, including some large, medium, and very small pieces. Set it aside.

3. 3

   In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, kosher salt, cornstarch, and baking soda.

4. 4

   In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the light brown sugar and granulated sugar.

5. 5

   Whisk the sugars on medium speed while slowly streaming in the melted butter. Continue whisking until the mixture looks creamy.

6. 6

   Add the two whole eggs one at a time, incorporating each egg before adding the next. Add the three egg yolks one at a time, incorporating each between additions. Continue until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous.

7. 7

   Replace the whisk attachment with the paddle attachment. Mix in the flour mixture until the dough is smooth and combined.

8. 8

   Fold in the roughly chopped walnuts and dark chocolate. The source recommends toasting the walnuts first and advises folding these additions in by hand rather than stressing the mixer.

9. 9

   Wrap the cookie dough and refrigerate it for at least 45 minutes. Longer chilling produces taller cookies.

10. 10

    Divide the chilled dough into portions averaging 6 ounces each and shape them into tall balls. A 4-ounce stainless-steel disher can be used to pack and shape the portions, but weigh the portions if possible.

11. 11

    Arrange the dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving generous space between them. The source used six per sheet but recommends four per sheet for extra room.

12. 12

    For especially tall cookies, refrigerate the shaped dough balls for an additional 25 minutes before baking.

13. 13

    Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).

14. 14

    Bake the cookies for 10–13 minutes, until lightly browned on the outside while the centers remain slightly underdone.

Notes

The source states that the cookies average about 6 ounces each and that additional chilling helps them remain taller. It specifically recommends 60–70% cacao dark chocolate and cake flour, with no all-purpose-flour substitution. The exact number of cookies depends on portion size; the stated serving estimate assumes approximately twelve 6-ounce cookies. Storage and reheating instructions were not provided.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• cookie
• American
• baked
• chocolate
• thick-cookie
• vegetarian
• contains-dairy