AH, I haven't updated for a month! I actually haven't felt like baking for a while, strangely...but I REALLY wanted to for a good friend's birthday! Her favorite cookies are from Levain Bakery in New York City, so she emailed me to recommend them (and a huge list of other places to eat!) when I visited NYC back in October. That was maybe a couple weeks after we had met for the first time...and we weren't really friends yet, so I thought that was so kind of her. Fast forward to half a year later and she is one of my closest friends--I don't know what being in Boston would be like without her! Anyway, since I couldn't make a trip to NYC, I decided to try to recreate the amazing Levain cookies right at home. :) After looking through all the "copycat Levain cookie" recipes a google search could provide--I settled on this one!

It was fun to make them HUGE like Levain's. This makes the outside crisp but the inside soft. The final product was pretty goood and close enough for me! :)

(Levain) Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Parsley, Sage, Desserts
makes ~12-14

Ingredients

• 2 sticks ‘cold and cubed’ unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 3/4 to 3 cups AP flour
• 1 t table or fine sea salt
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1 T corn starch 
• 2 cups good quality semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
• 1 cup walnuts (you can toast these if you have time)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle, cream together butter and sugars until well blended and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until well incorporated.
3. Add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, corn starch and mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips/chunks and nuts.
4. Transfer dough to clean work surface and gently mix dough by hand to ensure even distribution of ingredients. Divide into 12 equal portions.
5. Place each on sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake in the preheated oven 15-20 minutes depending on how gooey you like the interior, until very lightly browned, taking care not to overbake. Let cool.

Makes about 12-14 cookies