Why This Recipe Works

The Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie from Levain Bakery is huge and chunky, with an exterior that’s crisp/crunchy and an interior that’s soft, moist, and crammed with walnut nuggets and molten chocolate chips. The cookie’s large mass means it takes longer for the oven’s heat to penetrate to the center, so you can thoroughly bake the exterior while the interior remains soft and tender.

The stout shape is important in achieving the dual textures too. A cookie that spreads has more surface area, so the heat penetrates more quickly to fully bake the interior. For our version of this viral sensation, we dramatically decrease the amount of fat and sugar in our usual cookie formula to decrease the spread, knowing that the generous amounts of chips and nuts easily compensate for any lost sweetness or richness. Browning the butter makes its flavor more pronounced and removes its water so that we can add more butter overall without increasing spread. It also means that we can mix our dough by hand since we don’t need to cream softened butter and sugar.

Chilling the dough portions until they’re uniformly solid and then baking them straight from the fridge further limits the spread and produces a thick cookie with a crunchy, well-browned shell encasing a soft, moist, tender interior with gooey chocolate chips.

Want more? Read the whole story

Before You Begin

This recipe requires refrigerating the portioned cookie dough for at least 8 hours before baking. Conventional-size semisweet chocolate chips such as Nestle Toll House Morsels provide the best distribution of chocolate without making the interior too gooey; Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips are too large for this application. Nuts are important for the cookies’ texture, so do not omit them, but you can substitute pecans if preferred. To enjoy the moist, molten interior texture that characterizes a Levain-style cookie, eat these within a few hours of baking.

Instructions

Combine ⅔ cup packed (4⅔ ounces) dark brown sugar and ½ cup (3½ ounces) granulated sugar in large bowl. Heat 9 tablespoons unsalted butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling skillet and stirring constantly with silicone spatula, until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes longer. Pour over sugar mixture and whisk until combined. Set aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

While butter mixture is cooling, whisk 2¼ cups (11¼ ounces) all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon table salt in medium bowl until combined. Pile 2 cups toasted walnut halves on cutting board and crush with heel of your hand to create pieces from ¼ to ½ inch. Set aside. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Add 2 large eggs and 1 tablespoon vanilla to butter mixture and whisk until smooth. Using silicone spatula, stir in flour mixture until fully combined. Stir in 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips and walnuts until evenly distributed.

Divide dough into 8 equal portions (about ¾ cup/ 5¾ ounces) and form into rough spheres. Arrange on prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between portions. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 8 hours. (Portions can be refrigerated for up to 6 days; after 12 hours, transfer to zipper top bag. Alternatively, freeze dough balls for up to 1 month; defrost in refrigerator overnight before baking.)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line second rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange 4 cookies on each sheet, leaving about 3 inches between portions.

Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until cookies are deep golden brown and edges are set, about 22 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer sheet to wire rack; cool cookies on sheet for 1 hour before serving.