Levain Bakery New York Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes per tray
Makes: 8 giant 6oz/180g cookies
- 225g/2 sticks/8ozs browned butter, cold and cut into small cubes (you can also use regular butter)
- 140g/4.9ozs brown sugar
- 70g/2.5ozs caster or superfine sugar
- 1 tablespoon cold milk (omit if using regular butter and not browned butter)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 2 eggs, cold from the fridge
- 360g/12.7ozs cake flour*
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 340g/12ozs chocolate chips (I like mixing milk and dark but it's up to you)
- 220g/7.7ozs walnuts, pecans or macadamias (roasted)
Cake flour can be bought at the supermarket. You can also make it at home. To make 1 cup/150g/5.2ozs of cake flour replace 2 tablespoons of plain all purpose flour with cornflour/fine cornstarch and whisk well. I usually mix up a big batch of this and keep it in a container ready for baking cakes as it produces a softer texture.
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 160C/320F fan forced and line 4 baking trays with parchment. Place the browned butter, brown sugar, sugar, milk and vanilla in a large mixer bowl fitted with a beater attachment (I put on the plastic collar on my Kitchenaid to stop it spitting). Beat for 4 minutes on high speed. It will look as though it won't come together but will halfway. Add the eggs, one at a time mixing well between each addition.
Step 2 - In a jug whisk the cake flour, baking powder and salt together until well combined. Add to the mixer on low speed until just combined. Spoon in the chocolate chips and walnuts with a spatula. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions (they will be around 6ozs/180g each) and with slightly dampened hands shape into balls. Place 2 dough balls on each tray and bake for 20 minutes turning halfway. Leave cookies on the tray for 20 minutes to firm up.
Thermomix Directions Step 1 - Preheat oven to 160C/320F fan forced and line 4 baking trays with parchment (they spread a lot!). Place the browned butter, brown sugar, sugar, milk and vanilla in the TM bowl and set to 2 minutes, speed #4. Remove the MC and set to 30 seconds, speed #4 and add the eggs , one at a time mixing well between each addition.
Thermomix Directions Step 2 - In a jug whisk the cake flour, baking powder and salt together until well combined. Add to the TM bowl and set to 30 seconds on knead/dough setting. Scoop out the mixture into a large bowl and mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts with a spatula. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions (they will be around 6ozs/180g each) and with slightly dampened hands shape into balls. Place 2 dough balls on each tray and bake for 20 minutes turning halfway. Leave cookies on the tray for 20 minutes to firm up.