Black and White Chocolate Chip Cookies (Levain Copycat)
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Okay, you guys know I love a good copycat recipe, and I’m so excited to add these Levain copycat cookies to my Pre-Holiday (Warm Up) Cookie series!
These giant cookies are packed with rich, deep chocolate flavor (the secret is using extra dark cocoa powder!) and loaded with both white and semi-sweet chocolate chips that melt into every bite. They bake up with ultra-soft centers and perfectly crisp edges, just like a true bakery cookie should.
These Black and White Chocolate Chip Cookies are thick, tall, and irresistibly fudgy, and I promise they will satisfy that Levain-style cookie craving without the trip (or the price tag)!
If you’ve ever been to Levain Bakery in New York, you know the cookie. Giant, thick, gooey on the inside, and loaded with chocolate chips. Among their famous creations is the Black and White Chocolate Chip Cookie, which is a rich, dark chocolate dough filled with both white and semisweet chocolate chips. The contrast between the deep cocoa flavor and sweet white chocolate is pure perfection.🤤
This copycat cookie recipe is inspired by Levain’s iconic cookie, but made simple enough to bake right at home. You’ll get that same soft, bakery-style center with crisp edges and a decadent mix of chocolates in every bite.
Table Talk with Tawnie
As I’ve gotten further and further along in my cookie series, I have realized that many of you guys are very passionate about your style of cookie. Some of you prefer thin and chewy cookies, while the other half of you prefer thick, bakery-style cookies! It’s so funny to me how divided you all are, and I’m working on making sure I create both styles! So if you are team #thickcookie, these copycat Levain-style Black and White cookies are definitely for you! They’re almost like a brownie and chocolate chip cookie had a baby, and I really love the flavor contrast of the deep chocolate cookie with the sweet white chocolate chips!
- 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).
- 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 thes 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.
- Extra-dark cocoa powder: Make sure to use extra dark cocoa for that bold black-and-white contrast and rich flavor. I like this one from Amazon. Also, if your cocoa powder is clumpy make sure to sift it before adding with the rest of the dry ingredients.
- Chocolate chips: I used a combination of white chocolate chips and semi-sweet (or milk) chocolate chips. For extra texture, mix in chopped chocolate chunks instead of chips.
Step by Step Directions
(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)
Mix wet ingredients
In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed for 3-4 minutes. Then add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix again.
Whisk dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Tip: Be careful with the dark cocoa, it can be messy!
Combine wet & dry ingredients
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix! Then fold in the chocolate chips.
Grab a big mound of cookie dough and place it on the cookie sheet. I like to almost pinch the dough with my fingertips to give the cookies a rustic bakery-style look.
Bake & enjoy!
Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cookies cool, then ENJOY!
Expert Tips
- Keep butter cold: 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 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 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. Be sure not to over-bake these cookies in order to achieve super gooey and soft centers.
- 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.
- Circular cookies: If any of the cookies look a little wonky after baking, take the back of a spoon and gently press the cookie dough back into a circular shape right when they come out of the oven. However, they shouldn’t overly spread, so you shouldn’t need to shape them up too much.
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 semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or a mixture of both. You can also totally skip the regular chocolate chips and just use all white chocolate chips if you like things sweeter. You can also use chocolate chunks if you want a little more texture to your cookies!
- Nuts: If you love nuts in your brownies, you may love nuts in these cookies too! Throw in some pecans or walnuts for an extra crunchy texture!
- 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.
Storage / Freezing
- To store: Store these black and white 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.
FAQs
Yes, you can use a hand mixer on low speed if you do not have a stand mixer. If the mixture seems crumbly, just keep mixing until it’s smooth.
No, one of the best parts about this copycat cookie recipe is that you don’t need to chill the cookie dough. Just mix and bake!
What’s the difference in regular and dark cocoa powder?
Using extra-dark cocoa powder is what gives these cookies that bold black-and-white contrast and rich flavor. If you use regular cocoa powder, the cookies won’t look the same, and the chocolate flavor will be much milder. I highly recommend using dark cocoa powder for these cookies for the best results!
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Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (cold, cut into cubes)
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 2⅔ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1/2 cup extra dark cocoa powder (sift if clumpy)
- 2 tsp. cornstarch
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp. fine salt
- 1 (11 oz.) bag white chocolate chips
- 1 cup semi-sweet or milk 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 & prep: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Cream the butter & sugars: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cold cubed butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until slightly lightened in color and well combined. The texture will be like a paste, and not really light or fluffy.1 cup unsalted butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- Add wet ingredients: Mix in the eggs, scraping down the sides as needed. Add vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.2 large eggs, 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, dark cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. (Careful with the dark cocoa, it can be messy! Haha)2⅔ cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup extra dark cocoa powder, 2 tsp. cornstarch, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp. fine salt
- Form the dough: Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix. The dough will be thick and slightly tacky.
- Fold in chocolate chips: Using a spatula, gently fold in both the white chocolate chips and semi-sweet/milk chocolate chips until evenly distributed.1 (11 oz.) bag white chocolate chips, 1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
- Place on baking sheet: Grab a big mound of cookie dough, ~3-4 oz. and place on the cookie sheet, keeping the cookie dough tall. I like to almost pinch the dough with my fingertips to give the cookies a rustic bakery-style look.
- Bake: Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the tops are set but the centers are still slightly soft. (Tip: right after baking, if any cookies look wonky, just take the back of a spoon and gently press the cookie dough back into a circular shape. But they shouldn’t overly spread.)Start Timer
- Cool & serve: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
- 🖤Extra dark cocoa powder: Use extra dark cocoa for that bold black-and-white contrast and rich flavor.
- 🧈Cold butter: The cold butter method gives Levain-style cookies their signature thick, gooey center.
- 🍫Chocolate chunks: For extra texture, mix in chopped chocolate chunks instead of chips.
- 🧊Freeze: These freeze beautifully! Store baked cookies up to 2 months in an airtight container.
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
