Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies (Levain Copycat)
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After you guys went nuts over my Black and White Chocolate Chip Cookies (Levain Copycat), I knew I needed to find more ways to recreate the famous NY cookies right at home!
These Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies are rich, nutty, and perfectly balanced with pools of dark chocolate. Best of all, they come together easily at home, with no trip to New York required!
These peanut butter cookies are part of my Warm Up (Pre-Holiday) Cookie series, but honestly, they are great any time of year! They’re thick, soft, and have those magical chewy centers you love about a bakery-style cookie! And if you love a thinner cookie, be sure to try my Peanut Butter Chip Cookies.
Levain Bakery is a famous bakery in New York that is known for its giant cookies. Their cookies are golden and crisp on the outside with soft, gooey centers that are almost like cookie dough. They’re big, indulgent, and loaded with mix-ins like chocolate chips or nuts.
This Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chip cookie recipe takes that same over-the-top style and gives it a nutty twist, combining the rich, creamy flavor of peanut butter with chunks of melty dark chocolate for a cookie that’s just as decadent as the bakery favorite, but easy to make in your own kitchen.
For more cookie copycat recipes, try my Kroll’s Kookies (Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies) or Black and White Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Table Talk with Tawnie
If you know me at all, you know I’m obsessed with peanut butter. Like, I could (and do) eat it straight from the jar on a daily basis. Whether it’s in my Peanut Butter Cookies, Peanut Butter Blondies, or just spooned over a banana, I seriously can’t get enough. But here’s the deal… when you’re baking with peanut butter, the kind you use really does matter. Natural peanut butter is awesome for toast or snacking, but for baking, I always reach for the classic creamy stuff like Jif or Skippy. Trust me on this one… if you want that soft, smooth, perfectly tender cookie center, go with creamy peanut butter. And if your peanut butter desserts haven’t been quite right lately, and you’ve been using the natural kind, try swapping it out next time. You’ll taste the difference immediately!
- All-purpose flour: As always, it’s essential to make sure you’re using the spoon and level method to measure your flour when baking (you can also use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients).
- Peanut butter: Make sure to use a peanut butter like Skippy or Jif for the right consistency. Don’t use a natural peanut butter. The creamy texture of the peanut butter helps give the cookies a smooth, delicate center.
- Cornstarch: Seems weird to add cornstarch to cookies, right? But cornstarch is key for giving these cookies that delectably soft center. It also helps to keep the cookies thick and GIANT!
- Unsalted butter: Make sure to use cold, unsalted butter in this recipe. Not melted, frozen, or room temperature. Use cold butter straight from the fridge. The cold butter method gives these Levain-style cookies their signature thick, gooey center. To keep the butter cold, I like to get all of my ingredients ready to go, and then once it’s time to start the mixer, I take the butter out and cube it up.
- Dark chocolate chips: I really love the contrast of the dark chocolate with the sweet, creamy peanut butter cookie base. However, you can use semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips if you prefer. Feel free to use regular chocolate chips or a chopped-up chocolate bar!
Step by Step Directions
(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)
Mix wet ingedients
Using a stand mixer, cream the cold cubed butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Then add in the egg, yolks, and vanilla, and mix until smooth and creamy.
Whisk dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
Combine ingredients
Combine the wet and dry ingredients on low speed. Be careful not to over-mix. Then fold in the dark chocolate chips.
Portion & bake
Grab the dough and place it on the baking sheet. I keep the dough in tall mounds (not rolled) and use my fingertips to pinch them a little to give them that rustic bakery-style look. Bake for 10–13 minutes.
Let cool & enjoy!
Once done, sprinkle the cookies with a little extra flaky salt if desired and let cool, then ENJOY!!
Expert Tips
- Keep butter cold: The cold butter helps create that thick, bakery-style texture with no chilling required. To keep the butter cold, I like to get all of my ingredients ready to go, then once it’s time to start the mixer, take the butter out and cube it up. You can also cube your butter beforehand, then place it back in the fridge until you’re ready to add your mixer.
- Don’t over-mix: Be careful not to over-mix. Mix the wet and dry ingredients just until no flour streaks remain, then gently fold in the dark chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
- Double up the cookie sheets: Optional, but it works! Double panning is a tip to slow the heat to the bottom of the cookie. To do so, simply flip a cookie sheet upside down. Then, place another cookie sheet on top of it (so the bottoms are touching). Place your cookies on top of the top sheet and bake your cookies!
- Do not over-bake: the centers should still look soft when removed from the oven since the cookies will continue to cook on the hot baking sheets once you pull them out of the oven and let them cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Make each cookie GIANT: Using a food scale is helpful for measuring out 3-4oz. of cookie dough. I like to almost pinch the dough with my fingertips to give the cookies a rustic bakery-style look. Do not flatten them or use a cookie scoop to scoop out onto your cookie sheet. If you want to make the cookies smaller, that’s fine too. Just remember to adjust baking time as needed.
- For extra indulgence: Press a few chocolate chunks on top right out of the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Think of this cookie series as a warm-up round before the gingerbread men, candy canes, and red & green sprinkles take over. These recipes will be sure to get you in the baking mood without diving headfirst into December just yet.
Variations / Substitutions
- Different chocolate chips: You can use dark chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, or milk chocolate chips, depending on your preference. You can also use chocolate chunks or a chopped chocolate bar if you want a little more texture to your cookies!
- Smaller cookies: You can make these cookies smaller if you prefer a more regular-sized cookie. Just be sure to adjust the baking time as needed.
- Gluten-free: Swap the all-purpose flour for Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
More Peanut Butter Treats You’ll Love
Storage / Freezing
- To store: Store these peanut butter dark chocolate chip cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Freeze baked cookies: Let cookies cool completely. Then freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
- Freeze cookie dough: To freeze the cookie dough, form the dough into mounds and freeze in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 2 months. You can bake the cookie dough straight from the freezer; just add an extra minute or so to your bake time. Ovens may vary.
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Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (cold and cut into cubes)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (like Skippy or Jif, not a natural PB for best results)
- 1 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks + 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp. cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2½ cups dark chocolate chips
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream butter, peanut butter & sugars: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cold cubed butter, peanut butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until well combined and slightly fluffy.1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup creamy peanut butter, 1 cup dark brown sugar, 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- Add eggs & vanilla: Mix in the egg, yolks, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.2 large egg yolks + 1 large egg, 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- Add dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 2 tsp. baking powder, 2 tsp. cornstarch, 1/2 tsp. salt
- Combine ingredients: Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not over-mix. The dough should be thick and slightly tacky.
- Add chocolate chips: Fold in the dark chocolate chips until evenly distributed.2½ cups dark chocolate chips
- Portion the dough: Grab the dough and place it on the baking sheet. I like to keep the cookies looking rustic, so I don’t roll in a ball; to make them bakery style, I keep them in tall mounds and use my fingertips to pinch them a little. Trust me, it makes the perfect-looking cookie just like my Kroll’s Kookies!
- Bake: Bake for 10–13 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden and centers look soft and slightly underbaked. The cookies will continue to set as they cool. Start Timer
- Cool & set: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The centers will firm up into that signature thick, gooey Levain texture.
Notes
- Keep butter cold: The cold butter helps create that thick, bakery-style texture with no chilling required. To keep the butter cold, I like to get all of my ingredients ready to go, then once it’s time to start the mixer, take the butter out and cube it up. You can also cube your butter beforehand, then place it back in the fridge until you’re ready to add your mixer.
- Do not over-bake: the centers should still look soft when removed from the oven since the cookies will continue to cook on the hot baking sheets once you pull them out of the oven and let them cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Make each cookie GIANT: Using a food scale is helpful for measuring out 3-4oz. of cookie dough. I like to almost pinch the dough with my fingertips to give the cookies a rustic bakery-style look. Do not flatten them or use a cookie scoop to scoop out onto your cookie sheet. If you want to make the cookies smaller, that’s fine too. Just remember to adjust baking time as needed.
- For extra indulgence: Press a few chocolate chunks on top right out of the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- To store: Store these cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
📸 Photography by Marie Dubé
