Double chocolate chip cookies

Thick and chubby and double on the chocolate. Better pour a glass of milk!

I first heard of Levain Bakery when my old college roommate sent me their chocolate cookies for my birthday.  It was more than 6 or 7 years ago but to this day I remember they were huge slabs of chocolate goodness. It seems almost misleading to call them merely "cookies" because that makes them sound so normal and there's nothing normal or modest about a Levain cookie.

They were so huge that I literally could not finish a cookie in one sitting. I did manage to consume one in one day but that involved me going back periodically to snitch a bite throughout the day. They were hearty, they were big and there were delicious. I've only had the mail order version but it's on my bucket list to go visit in person the next time I'm back in New York City.

But until then, I was pleased to find this copycat recipe on pinterest. The pictures from Love From the Oven lured me in first because they looked exactly like how I remembered Levain Bakery's cookies looked. Even if they weren't the same cookies, they looked the part and yes, you know, that chubby appearance got me.

I was even more pleased when I made the cookies myself and mine turned out just as thick and chubby. And also delicious. Use the dark, good quality cocoa (I always use Pernigotti) for the rich chocolate flavor. You don't want your butter too soft or your dough will mix up too soft and your cookies will spread more than they should. I did make my cookies a bit smaller than the Levain Bakery size since I didn't want these to be an all-day eating project. Don't overbake. Bake just long enough that the middles don't look raw. Then once the cookies are cool, they'll be fudgy goodness.

Double chocolate chip cookies
From Love from the Oven

1 cup butter
1-1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.

3. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl as needed. Mix in the cocoa powder until blended.

4. Add the flour, salt, and baking powder; mix on low speed just until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

5. Portion dough into golf-ball size dough balls and flatten slightly into thick discs.

6. Evenly space on prepared baking sheet and bake 16-20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes then transfer to wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Related post on The Pastry Chef's Baking: Chocolate chip graham cracker cookies