Last fall, I went to New York for the first time. EVER. Shocking, I know. When I entered the food world three years ago, I set a personal goal for myself: the first time I set foot in New York City, it would be for the Food Network. And ta dah! I reached that goal and was flown to the Big Apple to film the Ultimate Recipe Showdown.
Before the much anticipated trip, I made a NY hit list of things I wanted to do and places I wanted to visit. Or more accurately, things I wanted to eat and restaurants I wanted to visit. Sadly, I never made it to Levain Bakery, home of the colossal cookie that kicked Bobby Flay’s cookie in the butt on his chocolate chip cookie throwdown.
A year later, I’m still remorseful about missing my chance at the ultimate chocolate chip cookie, so imagine my surprise last night when my neighbor Meredith showed up on my back porch with a delightfully greasy bakery box from…LEVAIN!
I screamed, I shrieked, and I tore into that box faster than a kid on Christmas morning.
I coddled each cookie, unwrapping them carefully and examining every nook and cranny. And get this–I refrained from taking a bite, in the name of capturing a photo for my blog. Yes folks, my priorities are all whacked. I had to photograph the darn things before I could even taste them.
These things are no joke…Levain weighs out 6 ounces of cookie batter, (more than twice the size of my chocolate chip cookies) resulting in a confection the size of a hockey puck.
I’ve tried, in vain, to make copycat recipes of Levain’s original chocolate chip walnut cookie and their chocolate peanut butter chip cookie, below. Results were lukewarm, resulting in overly floury cookies that weren’t very spectacular.
Here’s the cross-section…yup, I even paused to take a cross section for you. And then I took a bite.
They’re dense, almost an inch thick, and unlike any chocolate chip cookie I’ve had. They weren’t at all like a typical Tollhouse cookie, which is chewy, crisp, and buttery. Rather, they were rich, moist, and doughy in the best way possible. Each cookie is packed chock FULL of high quality nuts and chocolate.
It’s no wonder these were created by Levain’s owners as high-carb treats to fuel up before triathlons. Whoever heard of a baker who runs Iron Man triathlons? I am not that kind of baker.
Mere, I will gladly water your flowers in exchange for Levain cookies, anytime you have to jet off to New York 
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I’m so jealous! Is there a crumb left in the box for me? I made a copycat last weekend of a cookie I’ve never even had. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my version, I have no doubt it wouldn’t hold a candle to the real thing!
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