Chocolate Chip and Walnut Cookies (Levain -ish)

Get ready for chocolate chip and walnut cookies that are buttery, chewy, packed with chocolate and walnuts, and BIG! Grab a cold glass of milk for the perfect treat.

I love making and freezing the dough in balls, ready to bake, whenever the craving hits or guests appear. You won’t be disappointed.

Two halves of a cookie on top of three whole cookies.

What to Expect

 This is a simple, basic chocolate chip cookie recipe with walnuts. What stands out about these cookies is that they have a LOT of chocolate chips and walnuts – they are packed! And they are large! You can make them smaller though.

My sister Kathy tested and tweaked the recipe about 4 times, so rest assured, it works. We loosely fashioned them after the famous iconic New York City Levain Bakery cookies.

The cookies are buttery with a slightly crispy exterior and a soft chewy interior. And they have a delicious rich flavor with a hint of caramel taste from the brown sugar.

Ingredients – tailored to your taste

Flour, brown sugar, chocolate chips, walnuts, butter, egg, vanilla, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, salt.

The ingredients are very standard for chocolate chip cookies. I have just 3 tips:

  1. Use good quality chocolate chips if you can (see faqs on brands). Any combination of dark chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate is good. Chocolate chunks will work too.
  2. Make sure your walnuts are fresh. Stale, rancid nuts will ruin the recipe.
  3. I prefer dark brown sugar to light brown sugar or white sugar as it has a deeper toffee-ish flavor.

Variations

  • Nuts: Swap the walnuts for pecans, macadamias, or almonds if you are not a fan of walnuts. Or skip the walnuts and add an extra half cup of chocolate chips.
  • Flour: For added nutrition, you can replace 1/4 of the flour with whole wheat flour or almond flour without altering the texture and density much. You can also use a 1:1 gluten-free flour.
  • Spices: Add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg, but not too much – you don’t want to overwhelm the flavors.

Step-by-step instructions

Dry ingredients mixed in a measuring cup.
Stir dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, baking soda and cornstarch in a bowl.
Butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and flour, beaten in bowl.
Beat butter and sugar, then add egg and vanilla, and finally flour mixture.
Nuts and chocolate chips in batter in large bowl.
Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts by hand.
Cookie dough balls on baking sheet, covered with plastic wrap for chilling.
Form large balls, flatten slightly and chill, covered, for at least 30 minutes.
Cookie dough balls, slightly flattened on parchment lined baking sheet.
Cookies will spread while baking, so move a few dough balls to a second pan or freeze for later.
Baked cookies on cooling rack.
Bake until golden brown and cool on a wire rack.
Two halves of a cookie on top of three whole cookies.
I love the melty chocolate when the cookies are a little warm.

Chilling dough helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much while baking and deepens flavors. You need at least 30 minutes. An hour is better.

Instead of wrapping and chilling a big block of dough, form balls of dough first and chill them right on the pan you will use to bake them. I find this much easier and quicker than struggling to shape the colder, harder dough.

Make Ahead

These giant cookies are perfect to make ahead – you have a few options. Instructions are in the recipe card below.

  1. Make the dough ahead and bake in a day or two.
  2. Freeze the dough balls, ready to bake when needed.
  3. Bake the cookies and store or freeze them.

What to serve with walnut chocolate chip cookies

My go-to with any chocolate chip cookie is a cold glass of milk – the perfect combination! Coffee for dunking is good too. And so is a side of vanilla ice cream.

Recipe FAQs

What does cornstarch add to a chocolate chip cookie?

Cornstarch adds a slightly lighter, softer feel to cookies and helps maintain their shape and thickness (and reduce spreading) during baking.

What is a good quality chocolate I can use?

A few brands are known for high-quality chocolate chips – Guittard, Ghirardelli and Callebaut. You can also chop up a Lindt or Godiva chocolate bar. The more common store brands like Tollhouse and Hershey will work fine too.

Is it better to use plain or toasted nuts when baking cookies?

You can use plain or toasted nuts when baking cookies. I prefer to toast the nuts for a deeper, nuttier flavor.

How do I make the cookies soft and chewy?

Make softer and chewier cookies by baking them for a little less time. Using brown sugar (instead of white) and a little cornstarch will help too.

What is the best way to toast nuts?

Here’s an article detailing how to toast nuts in the microwave, stove top or oven . Personally, I prefer toasting nuts in a dry pan on the stovetop because it’s easier to achieve even cooking, it’s fast, and you can closely monitor them to prevent burning. I also like the oven method, although it requires a bit more time (7-8 minutes at 350F/177C).

How are these cookies different from a Levain cookie?

The difference between our chocolate chip and walnut cookie and a Levain-style cookie are as follows: the Levain cookie uses both all-purpose flour and cake flour, and a little more butter I think. They are a bit thicker too. And they are pricey!

Two halves of a cookie on top of three whole cookies.

More recipes with chocolate chips

Cookies

Others: banana chocolate chunk muffins (no mixer needed), matzo chocolate toffee bar, chocolate peanut butter rice krispie treats

If you like this recipe, please leave a 5 star rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟with a comment in the recipe card below. Thanks so much!

Two halves of a cookie on top of three whole cookies.
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Chocolate Chip and Walnut Cookies

Get ready for chocolate chip and walnut cookies that are buttery, soft, packed with chocolate and walnuts, and impressively BIG! Grab a cold glass of milk for the perfect treat.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Chill Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 15 large cookies (or 25-30 small)

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

  • cups all-purpose flour (less 2 tablespoons), Note 1
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (skip if using salted butter)

Wet ingredients + sugar

  • 10 tablespoons softened salted or unsalted butter (½ cup/1 stick + 2 tablespoons)
  • ¾ cups brown sugar (+ 2 more tbsp)
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste

Add-ins

  • 1 cup chocolate chips, Note 2 (~6 ounces)
  • 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped and toasted, Note 3
  • optional garnish: sea salt to sprinkle on after baking

Instructions

  • HEAT OVEN to 375F/190C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper )or a silpat/silicone baking mat) and a second smaller one if making the full batch. You can only fit 12 large cookies on a pan t leave room for spreading. (I cut them in half and freeze the remaining raw dough balls for later).
  • MIX DRY INGREDIENTS in a medium bowl. Set aside.
    1½ cups all-purpose flour (less 2 tablespoons), Note 1, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • MAKE COOKIE DOUGH: Beat soft butter and sugar for 1 minute in a large mixing bowl until fluffy using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer. Add egg and vanilla and beat for 1 minute. Add the dry ingredient flour mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Don't overmix. Add chocolate chips and walnuts and stir into batter by hand. Or use your hand to mix them in as the batter is thick.
    10 tablespoons softened salted or unsalted butter, ¾ cups brown sugar (+ 2 more tbsp), 1 large egg, room temperature, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste, 1 cup chocolate chips, Note 2, 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped and toasted, Note 3
  • FORM COOKIE DOUGH INTO BALLS: Form dough into large balls (size of small plum) about 2 inches/5 cm) for large cookies. You can make them smaller if you prefer. Place them on prepared pan . No need to make the balls perfectly round. Flatten cookies a little bit, not too much. Cover pan with plastic wrap and place in fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes or up to a day. This will help build flavor and prevent spreading.
  • BAKE: for 13-16 minutes depending on the size of cookies and the texture you want. Bake time will be less for softer cookies, more for crispier cookies. Sprinkle very lightly with sea salt if desired right after you take the cookies out of the oven so the salt with stick to cookies. Cool cookies for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. If you love melty chocolate, eat them when they are a little warm.

Recipe Notes

  1. Flour: You can replace 1/4 of the flour with whole wheat flour or almond flour for added nutrition. Or all the flour with a 1:1 gluten free flour. 
  2. Chocolate chips: Use dark, semisweet or milk chocolate chips or any combination. Some good quality brands are Guittard, Ghirardelli and Callebaut. Tollhouse and Hershey will work fine too. You can also chop up a Lindt or Godiva chocolate bar.  
  3. Nuts: Instead of crunchy walnuts, try pecans, almonds or macadamia nuts. To toast nuts, place in 350F/177C oven in a single layer for 6-8 minutes or until fragrant. Cool. Skip toasting the nuts if you don’t have time or are feeling lazy 🙂
  4. Tips:
    1. For softer chewy cookies, bake less time. For a crispy cookie, bake longer. 
    2. Use dark brown sugar for deeper flavor. 
    3. If you forgot to bring egg to room temperature, run it under warm water for a few minutes. 
    4. Make sure walnuts are fresh! Stale rancid nuts will ruin the taste of the cookies. Taste and smell them before using.
  5. Make Ahead and Freeze
    • Make cookie dough ahead up to 2 days, form balls, place on a pan, cover and chill in fridge until ready to use. 
    • Store baked cookies: Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or freeze them for up to 3 months.
    • Freeze unbaked cookie dough balls up to 3 months. Form balls from the cookie dough, flash freeze them on a tray in the freezer for 30 -60 minutes, then pile them into a sealed plastic bag or airtight container. When ready to use, bake frozen balls in a preheated 375F/190C oven for 14-20 minutes depending on size of balls. Some say to bring the dough to room temperature first. I don’t bother (I can never wait). 
 
Nutrition values are estimates based on a batch of 15 large cookies. Values will be much smaller (around half) with smaller cookies. Sea salt is not included. 

Nutrition

Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 247mg | Potassium: 146mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 252IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1mg
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5 from 1 vote

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