Copycat Levain Bakery Two-Chip Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 20 minutes (plus a 15-minute chill) Cook time: 11 minutes Servings: 8 enormous cookies
Levain Bakery has four cookies. The most famous is the chocolate chip walnut — but the two-chip chocolate chip is the one for anyone who wants pure, uninterrupted chocolate in every bite. No nuts. Two types of chips. The same gooey-centered, craggy-ridged, six-ounce result.
The “two chip” name is literal: semi-sweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips in the same dough. Semi-sweet gives depth and a slight bitterness; milk chocolate melts more completely and creates sweeter pockets throughout the center. The combination is more complex than using a single type, and the higher total chip volume means the center is almost entirely molten chocolate when you break one open warm.
Why Cold Butter Is the Whole Recipe
The technique is the same as the walnut version: cream cold, cubed butter (not softened, not melted, cold from the fridge) with sugar until fluffy. This traps air and keeps the dough stiff, so when the cookies hit a 410°F oven they set fast on the outside while the center barely heats through. The result: a crisp, craggy shell and a gooey, half-baked interior — the exact texture that made Levain’s cookies a New York institution.
The only recipe adjustment from the walnut version: 2 extra tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Without walnuts absorbing moisture and adding structural mass, the dough needs a small correction to maintain the same tall profile. Leave it out and the nut-free cookies spread more than they should.
How to Store and Reheat
Leftover cookies keep at room temperature, loosely wrapped, for 3 days. To reheat, place on a baking sheet in a 300°F oven for 5–6 minutes until the center softens again. Do not microwave — the chips will burn before the cookie warms through. Frozen shaped mounds bake directly from frozen at 410°F for 12–14 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes this a “two-chip” cookie? Two types of chocolate chips in the same dough: semi-sweet and milk chocolate. Each melts differently and contributes different sweetness and chocolate intensity. The combination is more layered than using a single chip type alone.
How does this differ from Levain’s chocolate chip walnut? The walnut version uses semi-sweet chips plus 1½ cups of toasted walnuts. This version uses two chip types and no walnuts, with 2 tablespoons of extra flour to compensate for the walnut mass. The result is softer, more molten, and entirely chocolate-focused.
Why does the center look underdone when I pull it from the oven? Because it is supposed to. The center finishes cooking from the pan’s residual heat during the 15-minute rest. Pull when the edges and ridges are golden; the center comes together as it cools. Wait until it looks set in the oven and the cookie will be dry.
