These copycat gluten free Levain Bakery walnut chocolate chip cookies are just as soft and gooey as the real thing but made right at home! Loaded with two types of chocolate and chopped walnuts, these extra thick, giant, bakery-style cookies are totally worth the hype!
This Gluten free Levain Cookie recipe is sponsored by King Arthur. As always, all thoughts are my own. Thank you so much for supporting brands that make The Fit Peach possible!
If you've never had the pleasure of enjoying a Levain Bakery chocolate chip walnut cookie, I encourage you to put it on your bucket-list like today. These aren't just any cookies guys. They're GIANT and have the perfect crispy outside and gooey slightly undercooked inside.
They have two locations in New York City and I have been known to stand outside in the freezing northeast winter for a few hours to get my hands on one of their infamous cookies. I can confidently say it was worth it!
Their cookies are so delicious, I thought it was time we create them at home and make a gluten free version. And WOW these copycat gluten free Levain cookies are just like the real thing but without the freezing cold line and you can make them in the comfort of your own home. A win-win if you ask me! Trust me, these will become your new favorite cookie recipe!
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Ingredients
- Gluten free flour - I used King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour in this recipe. It already has xanthum gum in it which makes these cookies soft and chewy, just like the real thing!
- Corn starch - The secret to the classic Levain cookies is cake flour. We can easily create our own gluten free cake flour by adding a little corn starch into our flour. This will make the cookies super thick!
- Grass-fed butter - I used grass-fed butter in this recipe but vegan butter will work as well. Use cold butter cut into smaller pieces.
- Coconut sugar + Cane sugar - Both of these sugars together create the perfect caramel sweetness to the cookie with a crispy outside.
- Chocolate chips - I used a combination of semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips in these cookies which creates a really decadent chocolatey flavor! Feel free to use one or the other if you prefer though.
Step by step directions
These cookies are SO easy to make! Almost too easy if you ask me. You will need is a mixing bowl and a hand mixer or stand mixer and a cookie scoop and kitchen scale if you have one.
Step 1 : Beat the butter with the coconut sugar and cane sugar
First, beat together the butter with the coconut sugar and cane sugar until creamy. The color will look darker than typical cookie dough due to the coconut sugar. This is best done with a hand or stand mixer.
Step 2 : Whisk the dry ingredients together
In a small bowl, add the gluten free flour, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt together. Whisk well with a fork or whisk.
Step 3 : Fold the dry ingredients
Slowly add the flour mixture to the bowl and fold into the batter. The dough will be on the thicker side. I recommend using a mixer still or a stiff spatula. Mix until no flour clumps remain.
Step 4 : Add in the walnuts and chocolate chips
I like to chop the chocolate chips and walnuts before adding them to the batter. This further breaks them up so you're sure to have a little bit of each in every bite! Fold into the batter to disburse.
Step 5 : Measure 6-ounce cookies
Real Levain cookies are 6 ounces of batter!! Because I wanted these gluten free Levain cookies to be as close to the real thing as possible, I measured out the dough into 6 ounce scoops. Yes, it's A LOT of cookie dough but so worth it!
You should be able to get 5 6 ounce cookie dough balls out of the batter.
Step 6 : Chill the cookie dough
To prevent the cookies from spreading too much and keep them tall and thick, chill the dough balls in the fridge for at least an hour before baking. You can also chill the bowl of batter in the fridge but it may be a little harder to scoop after it has chilled.
Step 7 : Bake!
Bake the cookies in the oven at 400 F. Keep in mind this temperature is higher than normal cookies. We want a higher temperature to get that crispy outside. Because they are baked at a higher temperature though, be sure to keep an eye on them to prevent over baking.
These gluten free Levain copycat cookies are meant to be slightly under-baked when you pull them out of the oven. Allow the cookies to cool down for about 15 minutes before enjoying. This will allow them to bake a little more on the baking sheet.
Freezing the dough
This dough is great to prepare ahead of time and freeze for when the cookie craving hits! Prepare the dough in the same manner as described above. Go ahead and scoop out 6 ounce cookie dough balls, place them in an airtight ziplock bag, and store them in the freezer.
When ready to enjoy, remove a cookie dough ball and allow it defrost for about 20 minutes before baking. The dough doesn't need to be room temperature but you don't want it to be rock hard either. I found allowing the dough to sit on a baking sheet while the oven preheats is the perfect amount of time to take the chill off the dough.
Storing
To store these cookies, place them in an airtight container once they have cooled down. They will keep for 5 days out on the counter. I highly recommend warming them up in the microwave for about 10 seconds when ready to enjoy! They will soften up a bit and the chocolate will melt too.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, this dough works well when frozen! You will want to go ahead and measure out 6 ounce cookie dough balls before freezing. When ready to bake, allow the dough to defrost for about 20 minutes before baking.
Yes, you can replace the walnuts with any other type of nut or use another ½ cup of chocolate chips.
Corn starch is going to give you the best results. But if needed, you can substitute with arrowroot starch or tapioca flour.
For more cookies, check out my:
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Recipe
Gluten free Copycat Levain Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup grass-fed butter - (cut into pieces)
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 ½ cup King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour
- 2 tablespoon corn starch
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, coconut sugar, and cane sugar until creamy. Add the vanilla and egg and egg yolk to to the bowl and continue to mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour, corn starch, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. Add the flour mixture slowly to the mixing bowl and mix just until the flour is incorporated.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. Measure 6 oz cookie dough scoops and place on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the fridge to cool for at least an hour.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 F and remove the baking sheet from the fridge. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12 - 14 minutes until the outside has turned a golden brown.
- Let the cookies sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Hi, I don't have cane sugar, can I use white sugar?
White sugar will work as well!
These look amazing! I don’t have coconut sugar. Can I substitute an equal amount of cane sugar?
Hi Jennifer! Cane sugar will work as well yes!
Hi! I just wanted to thank you for these WONDERFUL cookies! I have been GF for 10+ years and always struggled to find a good chocolate chip cookie recipe. I have tried dozens and dozens of recipes, but they always turned out thin and flat. This is hands down the best one i have ever tried! My search is over! thank you so much for the hard work you put into your recipes!
Hi Erin! This is so sweet, thank you for your kind words! I'm so glad it's your new go-to ccc recipe 🙂
These were amazing! I love levain cookies and these were a fabulous gluten-free version! A word of caution..they are HUGE so be sure to have someone to share them with.
They look amazing but a readymade gluten free flour is not available where I live, can I substitute it with almond flour or oatmeal or a combination of both ? Or do you have any recommendations ?
Thank you ..