Levain Bakery's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

By scootchie17

If you're craving those dark chocolate peanut butter cookies from Levain Bakery in NYC, this recipe is for you. You can now make those delicious, melt-in-your-mouth cookies at home.

Ingredients

• 2 sticks cold and cubed unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup good quality dark cocoa powder
• 2 1/4 to 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, Spoon and Sweep method
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 3/4 to 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups peanut butter chips

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle, cream together butter and sugar until well blended and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until well-incorporated, then beat in cocoa powder.

Mix in flour, salt and baking powder until just combined. Gently fold in remaining ingredients.

Transfer dough to clean work surface and gently mix dough by hand to ensure even distribution of ingredients. Divide into 12 equal portions, (about 4 ounces each), and place each on sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Bake in the preheated oven 16 to 20 minutes depending on how gooey and raw you like the middles (I bake mine at 375°F for 18 minutes, as I prefer a less raw interior), taking care not to over-bake.

Let cool on a rack and store what you don’t immediately eat, in an airtight container. To freshen them after a few days (if they last that long), give them a quick nuke in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds.

Note – The Levain Bakery doesn’t use vanilla extract in their cookies, as they feel it’s unnecessary. However, some feel you need it. You can add 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon to each recipe if desired. Just add it after each egg is incorporated.


*** Note – Regarding the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter cookies. I mostly use Dutch-process cocoa. If you use basic, natural unsweetened cocoa (you know, the Hershey’s in the brown can or whatever), add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (I just use a heaping 1/4 teaspoon when using regular baking cocoa) to the dry ingredients. Also, if they’re too ‘chocolatey’ and rich for you, use only 1/4 cup cocoa powder, and add 1/4 cup extra flour.

Note – If you want a more ‘caramel-molasses like’ Chocolate chip walnut cookie, increase the brown sugar while decreasing the white sugar, so you still have 1 1/2 cups total sugar. (Like 1 cup brown sugar to 1/2 cup white sugar).