August 4, 2016
This week I decided to try out my very first recommended recipe! I was so excited to receive a comment on one of my blog posts suggesting that I try out their favourite cookie recipe, and I had to give it a go! It’s always so nice to hear from people who read my blog, it makes me feel like I’m adding value to your lives and lets me know that you are enjoying what I am writing, which is always a nice motivator! So I guess I preface this blog by saying I love hearing from you, and if you think there is a recipe I would love to try, let me know! Even if you just want to tell me anything, I always get a kick out of opening up wordpress and finding I’ve had a comment on my blog that isn’t spam.
So if you have been reading my blog for a while, you’ll know how much I love chocolate chip cookies. I don’t know where this obsession came from. Perhaps it’s that one of the first recipes I learnt to bake on my own was from the Frankie cookbook for delicious chocolate chip cookies. Perhaps it’s that they are always a crowd pleaser, and I’ve never really met someone who isn’t tempted by them. Or it could be that the best thing in the world is cookie dough, and when I bake cookies I get to lick the bowl/donate half of the batter to the feed Ella fund. Regardless of the reason, I just love to bake them. They are simple, easy and delicious, and I feel like each one I try has something different to offer. The world of chocolate chip cookies is full of different ways to bake them, and so I feel like I could never run out of recipes to try.
So when I had one of my lovely readers suggest that her favourite cookies were those from Levain bakery, I was desperate to try them. On my hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie, I feel like I need to try every available option (that is going to be a lot of cookies, but I am willing to take on the challenge). But sadly, I would need to travel to New York to try the real thing, which I am completely willing to do, but my budget does not quite allow for such spontaneous cookie hunting trips. She had already thought of this though and was nice enough to provide me with a copycat recipe to try them myself! So I decided that I needed to try out this recommendation for myself, especially after seeing how delicious these cookies looked after a bit of a stalk on Instagram (I will have to make the trek to New York one day to try them in person).
The recipe on the website that I was sent was very complicated and specific, as the writer did not mess around with their copycat Levain cookies (check out the full post here). I cannot possibly try to live up to the amazing effort that this baker made in their cookies! I have to admit that I wasn’t as specific when I made them myself, but I was still careful to make sure they I gave them extra care and consideration as I baked them. And it was worth the extra care, because these cookies were absolutely delicious! So light and fluffy, and the perfect cookie consistency! Normally I have a lot of trouble getting my cookies to rise as much as these ones did, and they were almost cakey in their texture. Bottom line was, I think these cookies changed my life. They were the type of cookies dreams are made of, so I felt I just had to share the recipe with you so you could try them yourselves!
- 227 grams of unsalted butter cubed
- ¾ cup of caster sugar
- ¾ cup of brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 ½ cups of plain flour
- ¾ teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon of baking soda
- 2 cups of dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup of crushed walnuts
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Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit), and line two baking trays with baking paper.
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In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, and beat until combined.
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To the mixture add flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda, and mix until fully incorporated.
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Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts gently with a wooden spoon.
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Transfer the dough onto a clean surface and mix by hand to evenly distribute the ingredients. The dough should be stiff enough to form cookies. Divide into 12 equal portions and place on the baking trays.
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Chill the dough balls in the fridge for about an hour, and then bake for 15 -20 minutes, depending on how you like the middle. The cookies should be lightly browned when you get them out of the oven.
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Let the cookies cool on a rack and serve warm. These will last for a few days in an airtight container, if they manage to not get demolished beforehand.
These cookies were absolutely amazing. I loved how fluffy they were, and the texture was absolutely amazing. I certainly was glad for the recommendation to make these cookies, because now I don’t know how I managed without these in my life. Although, now I feel like these are a little too accessible, and all too quick and easy to make. I mean, it was a bit easier to avoid eating them when the only place I could try them was in New York!
One day I will have to get there, because these cookies were delicious, and I’m sure the real thing would be a million times better! I certainly did not take the care in the recipe that the original recipe writer took, these are certainly the lazy baker’s version of the cookies, so I can only imagine how much better they would be if you went to the original bakery!
So as you know I have been rating each cookie recipe I try on a scale to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. The bar has been set high, but these I feel are a real contender!
Supreme Cookie Awesomeness Score
Simplicity: 6
Gooeyness: 7
Tastiness: 9
Gone Factor: 9
Total Score: 31/40
These cookies were so delicious that they have one of the highest tastiness and gone factor scores of any cookies I’ve tried! But they weren’t as simple as some other recipes, and were more fluffy than gooey. But overall, a great score! And, I feel like even though these are a little more complicated than my usual choice of cookies, they were well worth the effort! Realistically, what’s a bit of extra beating when you get amazing cookies at the end?
Does anyone else have recipes they think I should try? I would love to hear from you!
Until next time, happy eating!
Ella xx
