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Authentic Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

June 15, 2020 by thedomesticrebel | 17 Comments

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author holding a cut open chocolate peanut butter cookie

These Copycat Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies are INSANE!! They taste super authentic to the original Levain Bakery cookies from NYC without the long travel time (or long line!) to get them!

I have major dreams of packing up everything and moving to New York City with my dogs.

After visiting NYC for the first time as an adult fleeing a breakup in 2013, I fell in love with the city and everything about it: the bright lights, the sounds, the food, the style, the attitude, and even the creepy people in counterfeit Elmo costumes in Times Square. I felt like I was a missing puzzle piece for NYC, like I was meant to live there.

The only downside, of course, is NYC is across the country from my family, whom I’m super duper close with. I can’t imagine not being able to drive over to my parents house to bug their dogs or to grab lunch willy nilly with my mom.

So believe me, I have been working on convincing them to all move up caravan-style across the country with me. Who knows, maybe when I make it big, I can buy a NYC penthouse for all of us to live in 🙂 (JK. Been there, done that and I need my own space!)

As I said, one of my fave things about NYC is the FOOD. Anything you want, anytime you want and it is GOOD. When I went the first time, my gracious host took me to Levain Bakery. At first I was skeptical about waiting in a long line for a cookie, but once I bit into the hot, gooey cookie, something transcendent and magical happened. This wasn’t any ordinary cookie: it was a life-changing cookie of epic proportions.

And whether or not you’ve heard of the infamous Levain Bakery cookies, you have GOT to try this recipe for Copycat Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies!!

closeup of gooey chocolate PB cookie on wire rackFirst off, these cookies are MASSIVE. At a whopping 6 ounces (!!!) each, they’re just as big and hefty as the OG. Second, they’re made with cake flour which is authentic to Levain’s recipe. Cake flour gives these cookies an amazing light and beautiful texture. Third, they are JAM-PACKED with peanut butter chips. Doubtful you’ll get a bite without some gooey pocket of peanut butter!

What I love about these cookies is they come together super fast – faster than waiting in the bakery line down the block! They only need a 15-minute chill time which is crazy awesome, but you do need to bake each sheet one at a time for optimal flavor and texture.

split open chocolate PB cookie stacked on gold wire rackLevain Bakery’s cookies are huge, thick, and underdone in the middle which gives it that signature gooey goodness. These cookies are no exception and also have the soft, underbaked centers. As they cool off, they’ll firm up more, but you do want to wait a good 30 minutes after baking before splitting one open as they are very fragile straight out of the oven.

photo of a chocolate PB cookie on a gold wire rack with PB chipsHere are some successful tips to making these cookies!

  1. A few factors keep these cookies nice and thick: cornstarch, which aids in thickness and softness; tons of peanut butter chips, which keep the dough from spreading too much and helps add tons of flavor; and refrigerating the dough briefly to help set the dough and prevent too much spread.
  2. For best results, I recommend forming the cookie dough into loosely shaped balls rather than a tight, compacted cookie dough ball we’re used to. The cookie dough balls should be kinda rougher textured and definitely not as smooth as when you use a cookie dough scoop. For the perfect portion, use a kitchen scale to weigh out exactly 6 ounces of dough.
  3. Because these cookies are HUGE, I recommend baking only 4 at a time on the baking sheet, staggering the dough balls about 3″ apart from one another. The dough obviously spreads some during baking, but this will keep the cookies separate.
  4. Don’t over bake these! Everyone’s oven temperature varies of course, but the optimal time for these cookies is around 8-12 minutes – the large range in baking time varies according to your oven. If you bake them too long, they won’t have that signature gooey, melty center. If you underbake them, they’ll fall apart. My recommendation is to test-bake one or two cookies first to gauge what timing is best for you.
  5. And for best results, bake in the middle of the oven, one sheet at a time!

photo of a chocolate PB cookie dough ball on a baking sheet

Now who is hungry?!

author holding a cut open chocolate PB cookie

*adapted from Kirbie Cravings

author holding chocolate peanut butter cookie
Print Recipe
5 from 4 votes

Authentic Copycat Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

These Authentic "Copycat" Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies are outrageously delicious! Just like the thick, chewy, gooey cookies from the famed NYC bakery without waiting in line or travelling to New York!
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Total Time30 mins
Course: Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine: American, Dessert
Servings: 8 cookies

Equipment

  • Digital kitchen scale, for accuracy

Ingredients

  • 1 cup COLD unsalted butter cubed in small pieces
  • 1½ cups granulated white sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 3¼ cups peanut butter chips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 410° degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the cubed butter pieces and granulated sugar for 30 seconds on low speed. Increase speed to medium and beat for another 30 seconds, then increase speed to high and beat for about 30 seconds or until fluffy and light.
  • Add in the eggs, beating well after each addition, followed by the vanilla. Add in the cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, cake flour, and all-purpose flour and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Stir in the peanut butter chips until combined.
  • Refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes.
  • Using your hands, scoop out 6 ounces of cookie dough (use a digital scale for accuracy). Roughly form the dough into a ball shape - it should not be compacted and smooth like a normal cookie dough ball. Place 3" apart staggered on a baking sheet, only 4 cookie dough balls per baking sheet.
  • Bake one sheet at a time in the middle rack of the oven for 8-10 minutes, up to 12 minutes, checking after the 8 minute mark. Cookies should be dry and dull on top and slightly underdone in the center; they will continue to cook and set up outside of the oven. Once cookies are finished, let sit on the hot baking sheets for at least 30 minutes before moving, storing, or eating for the gooey, melty center. Cookies will be very fragile straight out of the oven.

Notes

This recipe makes eight 6-ounce cookies, with enough dough for a smaller 2-3 oz cookie. 
For best results, bake one sheet at a time in the middle rack of the oven. Since oven temperatures vary, I recommend test baking one cookie to see what time your cookies are finished at between the 8-12 minute mark.
I used Reese's peanut butter chips and they worked great!

author holding a split open chocolate pb cookieThick, chewy, gooey and melty deliciousness! You guys are going to LOVE these outrageous cookies!

Copycat Levain Bakery Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies collage

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

Disclaimer: this post contains an Amazon affiliate link. If a purchase is made using my link, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for keeping my blog running!

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Comments

  1. Julie Flemming says

    June 15, 2020 at 3:52 pm

    5 stars
    Can I use just all purpose flour for these or do they have to have cake flour too?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      June 15, 2020 at 6:58 pm

      Hi Julie, the cake flour is authentic to the Levain Bakery recipe, so I would use it for a lighter and more tender crumb. You can use all AP flour if you must, but the cake flour is what helps give it that signature texture.

      Reply
  2. Lily says

    June 16, 2020 at 2:48 am

    5 stars
    This is an amazing and it looks sooo yummy & too delicious Hayley….i can’t wait to try it….Thanks for a beautiful recipe……!

    Reply
  3. Sallie Doeg says

    June 16, 2020 at 5:49 am

    Perfect post for Father’s day. My husband will go nuts of these.
    May try them with bread flour…..I have this thing about under baked/raw dough.

    Reply
  4. Wendi says

    June 17, 2020 at 11:51 am

    Is there any way to make this recipe Gluten Free?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      June 17, 2020 at 1:25 pm

      Hi Wendi, I have not experimented using GF flour but it should work using a cup-for-cup flour. However, I don’t know if they make a GF cake flour.

      Reply
  5. Cameron Wall says

    January 26, 2021 at 5:33 pm

    Would you use actual peanut butter

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      January 27, 2021 at 9:02 am

      Hi Cameron, I’m afraid actual peanut butter would affect the integrity of the cookie as it would add too much moisture. Peanut butter chips really are the best for this particular cookie.

      Reply
  6. Rosario Apacionado says

    July 7, 2021 at 7:59 am

    I would like to add pecans or walnuts. How much should i use with this recipe

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      July 10, 2021 at 2:43 pm

      Hi Rosario, you can absolutely add pecans or walnuts but I would reduce the amount of peanut butter chips. You could add say 1 cup of nuts and subtract 1 cup of chips. However, the mix-in amount (chips + nuts) needs to stay the same total as written.

      Reply
  7. Thanatos says

    February 1, 2022 at 5:35 pm

    5 stars
    I halved this whole recipe, but I was able to get 6 big cookies from just half the ingredients hah — and they were gooey and amazing! xoxo

    Reply
  8. Betty says

    March 12, 2022 at 5:06 pm

    5 stars
    These cookies are amazing and ginormous just like the real thing! Easy and authentic recipe, if you have a craving for a Levain cookie but can’t get there these will certainly do the trick! I can’t wait to try the chocolate chip walnut next. Thanks for the great recipe. Oh and I didn’t have cake flour on hand so I did the trick with cornstarch and all purpose flour and I feel it worked out great. For every cup of all purpose remove two tablespoons of flour and put in two tablespoons of cornstarch.

    Reply
  9. Jenna says

    November 27, 2022 at 4:28 pm

    Do you use Dutch processed or regular cocoa powder?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      November 28, 2022 at 7:26 pm

      You can use Dutch process or regular unsweetened cocoa powder.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Levain says:
    September 20, 2020 at 5:26 pm

    […] not foresee any NYC trips in the near future so I knew I had to try these when I saw them over at The Domestic Rebel. These are huge cookies so they they definitely can count as a […]

    Reply
  2. Best Levain Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Bake Off - The Pancake Princess says:
    January 30, 2021 at 3:00 am

    […] Domestic Rebel: a gooey-centered, flatter, sweeter version of Modern Honey that tastes fairly similar to the original Levain […]

    Reply
  3. Levain Bakery-Style Red Velvet Cookies | The Domestic Rebel says:
    March 2, 2021 at 10:44 am

    […] have a full catalog of Levain Bakery cookies, including their four flavors: Chocolate Chip Walnut, Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip, Chocolate Chocolate Chip, and Oatmeal Raisin. I also created a Funfetti Cake Batter version, and […]

    Reply

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About me

Welcome to The Domestic Rebel! My name is Hayley and I am the 31-year old writer, photographer, recipe developer, taste-tester and creator of this blog. I’m so glad you’ve stopped by my little slice of sprinkly, butter-laden heaven on the interwebs. If it wasn’t apparent, I like to bake… a lot. Read More…

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