Last week I was watching The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Chocolate, on the Food Network.  Rocco DiSpirito’s favorite chocolate food was the most amazing looking chocolate cookie from Levain Bakery in New York City. I have never been to Levain Bakery, or even New York (I can’t or I’ll come home fat and broke with all the food and shopping), but was determined to get my hands on one of these cookies. He kept saying that they were crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside and weighted 5 pounds (okay really they are 6 oz. but still 6 OZ.!?!). When he pulled the cookie in two the chocolate chips oozed out, and that was that. I had to make these cookies. After some research I found many knock-off of Levain cookies, but not this particular Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie. I adapted another one with peanut butter chips and they came out just as I had hoped. The only problem is that the Girl Scout Cookies which I usually devour are very disappointing after these Levain knock-offs.
Levain Bakery cookies. Photo from two peas and their pod                           
 
The dough is a snap to whip up. Then roll it into “meatballs”. 
 
These are some serious cookies. I almost hesitate to call them cookies at all. I think of them as the molten chocolate cake off cookies. 

 
You can order the real thing online here.

Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie knock-offs

Makes about 17 cookies

  • 2 sticks cold and cubed unsalted butter
  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup good quality dark cocoa powder
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  •  1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
1. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle, cream together butter and sugar until well blended and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until well-incorporated, then beat in cocoa powder.
2. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium sized bowl. Mix into butter mixture. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
3. Roll 1/4 cup of dough into balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool. The chocolate chips will stay nice and gooey for a few hours after baking. After that, microwave for 5-10 seconds (please don’t skip this step!).
adapted from this recipe at Parsley, Sage, Desserts, and Line Drives (kind of)