Yeah, that’s a mouthful. But these double chocolate peanut butter chip cookies deserve all of that name and more. They probably are the best cookies I’ve had in my life.
So…this all goes back to December several years ago, when a media sales rep sent us a box of cookies at work from Levain Bakery in New York. These cookies weighed like 5 pounds each and were the size of your fist.
Now honestly I’m rarely that tempted by store-bought or bakery cookies. I’m a homemade girl all the way. But I was stressed and there were these chocolate ones with chocolate and peanut butter chips that were calling my name.
So I broke off a piece of one and took it into a meeting with me…GAME OVER. I became instantly obsessed (and I ate the rest of that cookie, duh). We decided to order more and then found out it was $75 for four cookies, which…NO. So I decided that, hell or high water, I was going to find my perfect Levain copycat cookie recipe.
And I believe I’ve gotten like 99% of the way there. I tried a couple different copycat recipes and this was definitely the closest. I also read through a lot of the comments and suggestions and found a couple that make a big difference, so I’ve incorporated them into my recipe below.
One other thing I’ve found is that I actually like them better the next day, vs. fresh. The texture sets and they become moist and amazing and dense, and a little less rich than fresh out of the oven.
Fair warning, each cookie is like 550-600 calories. But it’s definitely worth it on occasion. Trust me and make these NOW.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until well blended and fluffy (like 2 minute).
Add the eggs and beat until well-incorporated, scraping down the sides, then beat in the cocoa powder.
Mix in the salt, baking powder, and 2 cups of the flour until just combined and then add however much of the remaining flour you need.
The dough should be dense and thicker than normal cookie dough. It’ll be a little dry but should come together.
Gently fold in the chocolate chips and peanut butter chips…you can give it a couple quick turns in the stand mixer, or transfer it to a large bowl and mix by hand to get even distribution.
Divide into 4-ounce or ~114 gram portions (easiest with a kitchen scale, otherwise just make…giant balls of dough), and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
I found an ice cream scoop was really helpful here for portioning (it’s a bit big, but close), plus a digital kitchen scale make this easy.
Freeze the dough balls for around an hour—YES this is important.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for 16-20 minutes depending on how gooey and raw you like the middles, taking care not to over-bake (remember they’ll solidify once you remove them from the oven).
Let cool on a rack and store what you don’t immediately eat in an airtight container. However, as mentioned above, I truly believe these are best the next day.
LOOK AT THIS GOOEY AMAZINGNESS!!!
There is zero way you can have a bad day when these double chocolate peanut butter chip cookies are in your life!
Other indulgent desserts you’ll obsess over:
- Smitten Kitchen’s Chocolate Stout Cake with Chocolate Ganache
- Giovanna’s Family Secret Tiramisu
- Dark Chocolate Puppy Chow with Sea Salt
- Amazing Intensely Dark Chocolate Sable Cookies
- Traditional Sticky Toffee Pudding (Cake)
- “Elvis” Banana, Salted Honey, & Peanut Butter Cream Puffs
- The Best Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes (naturally gluten-free)
Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies (Levain Copycat Cookies)
Note, quality is your friend here…use high-quality chocolate chips, not like the basic Hersheys or store brand
- 2 sticks of cold and cubed unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup of good quality dark cocoa powder (I strongly recommend dutch-process)
- 2 1/4 (up to 2 1/2) cups of all-purpose flour (spoon & level method) with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups of semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (quality is your friend here)
- 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter chips
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until well blended and fluffy (like 2 minute). Add the eggs and beat until well-incorporated, scraping down the sides, then beat in the cocoa powder.
- Mix in the salt, baking powder, and 2 cups of the flour until just combined and then add however much of the remaining flour you need, dough should be dense but not dry; thicker than normal cookie dough (see picture above for what my dough looked like).
- Transfer the dough to a clean work surface or giant bowl and gently fold in the chocolate chips and peanut butter chips by hand, gently mixing with your hands to ensure even distribution. Don’t overwork it, or the cookies will be tough.
- Divide into 4-ounce (~110-120g) portions (easiest with a kitchen scale, otherwise just make…giant balls of dough), and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. I found an ice cream scoop was really helpful here (it’s a bit big, but close).
- Freeze the dough balls for around an hour—YES this is important.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for 16-20 minutes depending on how gooey and raw you like the middles, taking care not to over-bake (remember they’ll solidify once you remove them from the oven).
- Let cool on a rack and store what you don’t immediately eat in an airtight container. These are best the next day (or later), just FYI.
Original recipe from ParsleySageSweet
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Levain Copycat Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
These absolutely INSANELY good and giant double chocolate peanut butter chip cookies are a copycat recipe from the famous Levain Bakery, and maybe the best cookies in the world!
Ingredients
- 2 sticks of cold unsalted butter, cubed (I have mine *just* softened)
- 1 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup of good quality dark cocoa powder (I used dutch-process)
- 2 1/4 (or up to 2 1/2) cups of all-purpose flour (spoon and level method) mixed with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch OR use cake flour instead of all-purpose
- 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups of semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (quality is your friend here)
- 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter chips
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until well blended and fluffy (like 2 minutes).
- Add the eggs and beat until well-incorporated, scraping down the sides, then beat in the cocoa powder.
- Mix in the salt, baking powder, and 2 cups of the flour (with cornstarch, if applicable) until just combined and then add however much of the remaining flour you need. The dough should be thick, dense, and drier than most cookie dough, but not actually dry or really crumbly (see picture in the post for what my dough looked like).
- Transfer the dough to a clean work surface or giant bowl and gently fold in the chocolate chips and peanut butter chips by hand, gently mixing with your hands to ensure even distribution. Don't overwork it, or the cookies will be tough.
- Divide into 4-ounce (~110-120g) portions (easiest with a kitchen scale, otherwise just make...giant balls of dough), and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. I found an ice cream scoop was really helpful here, it's *just* larger than what you need.
- Freeze the dough balls for around an hour---YES this is important.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for 16-20 minutes depending on how gooey and raw you like the middles, taking care not to over-bake (remember they'll solidify once you remove them from the oven).
- Let cool on a rack and store what you don't immediately eat in an airtight container. These are best the next day, just FYI.
Notes
I've incorporated a number of tips in the recipe from different Levain copycat recipes, and this combination of techniques works best for me. The hour of freezing IS super important, don't skip it!
Using either cake flour or a combination of all-purpose plus a little bit of cornstarch is a key part of the cookies' texture, so I've noted both options in the ingredients.
These are even better the next day in my opinion, making them a great make-ahead option!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 cookieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 575
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