Ultimate Chocolate Peanut Butter Levain Cookies
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This recipe for our Ultimate Chocolate Peanut Butter Levain Cookies is just what you need when you are craving a rich, indulgent cookie with a perfect blend of chocolate and peanut butter! No cake flour needed!
More peanut butter & chocolate? You’ll love this Decadent Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie (Costco Copycat), these Sheet Pan Peanut Butter Chocolate Dream Bars, and these Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies.
Why You’ll Love These Ultimate Chocolate Peanut Butter Levain Cookies
- In a world of endless cookie options, nothing beats the decadent and addictive combination of chocolate and peanut butter.
- Whether you have a sweet tooth or not, these Ultimate Chocolate Peanut Butter Levain Cookies will surely satisfy your cravings and leave you wanting more.
- Easy to make cookies! The hardest part is waiting for these cookies to chill before baking and after they’re baked, waiting for them to continue baking on the baking sheet, so they have that gooey texture on the inside!
- Perfect cookies for giving to friends and family when you want to impress your baking skills!
What are Levain Cookies?
This famous bakery in New York City is known for its giant, melt-in-your-mouth cookies that are crispy on the edges and gooey in the middle. And you know what their secret is? The Levain-style baking method! Baking the cookies one sheet at a time and not leaving them in the oven for too long.
This baking technique, popularized by the iconic Levain Bakery in New York City, has taken the cookie world by storm. It involves using cold dough to create an indulgent treat that is unlike any other.
This cookie has a perfect crispy outside and a really gooey center. It’s baked at a high heat and piled up high, so the outside gets crispy while the inside stays gooey and creates pools of chocolate (or in this case, peanut butter chips) in the dough. It’s the ultimate indulgent experience, and it’s all thanks to the Levain-style baking method. But don’t worry, you don’t have to travel to New York City to taste this heavenly creation. With just a few extra steps, you can make your own Ultimate Chocolate Peanut Butter Levain Cookies right in your own kitchen.
So what are you waiting for? Put on your apron and get ready to embark on a baking adventure. With our easy-to-follow Levain recipe, you can recreate the iconic Levain-style cookies and impress your friends and family. And trust us, they won’t be able to stop at just one. But be warned – these peanut butter chocolate Levain cookies are addictive. Once you try this levain recipe, you won’t be able to resist going back for more.
Gather Your Ingredients
Levain Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe<span style=”font-weight: 400;”> (no cake flour needed!)
- 1 cup COLD unsalted butter, cut into slices or cubes
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder, we used Hershey’s Special Dark
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups peanut butter chips
Instructions How to Make Ultimate Chocolate Peanut Butter Levain Cookies
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners; set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together the dark cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, salt together, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer, cream together cold butter, and sugar for 3-4 minutes or until creamy.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Next, add in the dark cocoa powder mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Mix in the peanut butter chips until fully incorporated.
Chilling and Baking the Ultimate Chocolate Peanut Butter Levain Cookies
- Using a ¼ cup cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough onto your parchment lined cookie sheet, then place another 1/4 cup of the cookie dough on top, so you have a double scoop (1/2 cup). Place cookie sheet in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. You should get 9-10 cookies.
- Once the dough is chilled, place cookies 3″ apart on a lined baking sheet. I did 6 cookies per sheet.
- When baking cookies, put one sheet in the middle of the oven and bake for 8-12 minutes, checking at 8 minutes. The cookies should look dry on top and almost done with a little bit of gooeyness in the middle. If they need more time, bake them longer.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes before eating. They will finish cooking and firm up while they cool, and they can break easily when they are hot.
Storing Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Levain Cookies
- Levain Bakery cookies will stay fresh for up to a week, put them in a airtight container at room temperature or the fridge. I prefer to keep them in the refrigerator.
- Additionally, for an extra indulgent treat, warm up the cookies in the microwave for a few seconds before serving. This will give them that fresh-from-the-oven taste, making them even more irresistible. And don’t forget to pair these cookies with a cold glass of milk for the ultimate cookie experience.
Baking Tips for Chocolate Peanut Butter Stuffed Levain Cookies
- When used together, all-purpose flour and cornstarch create a dynamic duo, producing cookies with a perfectly balanced texture. The all-purpose flour provides the necessary structure, while the cornstarch adds tenderness and a lightness that can’t be achieved with flour alone. The result? Thick and huge cookies that are surprisingly light and delicate, with a tender crumb texture that will have you reaching for a second (or third) one without hesitation.
- When you refrigerate the dough before baking, it allows the gluten in the flour to relax, resulting in a denser and chewier cookie. Not to mention, it also helps to prevent the cookies from spreading too much while baking. And let’s be real, no one wants a thin and crispy cookie when they’re expecting a rich and chewy treat.
- Resist the urge to overcrowd your cookies on your baking sheet. The cookies need space to spread out and bake evenly. If you overcrowd the sheet, they will end up merging together. So, place 5-6 cookies on each sheet.
- Don’t leave these cookies in the oven for too long! They might seem dry and done on the outside, but they will be gooey and underbaked in the middle, just like the cookies from Levain Bakery. Just the way we like them!
More Variations
Ready to take these cookies to a different level? Try mixing things up with these fun variations!
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Explosion: Swap half of the peanut butter chips for semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips for an even more indulgent twist.
- Nutty Buddy: Add ½ cup of chopped roasted peanuts for an extra crunch. Trust us, the added texture is a game-changer!
- Sea Salt Sprinkle: Right after baking, sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top of the cookies. The salty-sweet combo will make these even more irresistible.
- Reese’s Lover’s Dream: Chop up mini Reese’s cups and fold them into the dough along with the peanut butter chips for a cookie that will blow your mind.
- Gluten-Free Option: Swap the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free 1:1 baking flour blend. Your gluten-free friends will thank you!
In conclusion, these Ultimate Chocolate Peanut Butter Levain Cookies are the perfect mix of crispy, gooey, and peanut buttery goodness. Whether you are indulging solo or sharing with friends, they will be a hit. Just be sure to chill the dough, and feel free to try fun twists to make these peanut butter chocolate Levain recipe your own.
Ready to bake? Preheat the oven and get mixing! Let us know how yours turn out in the comments. ???? Happy baking!
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Ultimate Chocolate Peanut Butter Levain Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter cold, cut into cubes
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup dark cocoa powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups peanut butter chips
Instructions
- Prepare Baking Sheets: Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, cream the cold butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes until light and creamy.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture on low speed until just combined.
- Fold in Peanut Butter Chips: Stir the peanut butter chips into the dough until evenly distributed.
- Form Cookie Dough Balls: Use a ¼-cup scoop to portion dough, then stack a second ¼-cup scoop on top for each cookie (1/2 cup per cookie).
- Chill the Dough: Place the formed dough balls on the baking sheet and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
- Preheat Oven: While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Bake the Cookies: Arrange 5-6 cookies on one baking sheet, leaving 3 inches between each. Bake for 8-12 minutes until the tops look dry, but the centers are still slightly gooey.
- Cool on the Sheet: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 30 minutes to finish setting.
- Enjoy: Serve warm or store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Notes
- Use Cold Butter: Cold butter keeps the cookies thick and prevents spreading during baking.
- Chill the Dough: Chilling enhances the texture and flavor while helping the cookies stay gooey in the center.
- Avoid Overbaking: The cookies may look slightly underbaked in the middle, but they will firm up as they cool on the baking sheet.
Nutrition
These are the perfect anytime cookie. They’re gorgeous both inside and out! I especially love that you’ve used ingredients that I mostly always have on hand, so easy!!