Levain Bakery-esque Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

After seeing Levain Bakery on Food Network's Throwdown with Bobby Flay, I KNEW I had to try and recreate those cookies in my own kitchen. Sorry, but Bobby's cookies were a sad comparison to the giant, chewy, gooey gobs of cookies from Levain Bakery. I did a Google search for "Levain Bakery chocolate chip cookie recipe," and I found a handy little compilation of various copy-cats on Levain's own website. Nice! I settled on a recipe from LisaMichele.wordpress.com. She had already made and RE-made her own copy-cat version of Levain's cookies. The only change I made was to use all light brown sugar because I think that's what the Levain girls said they used in their cookies.

The end result was FAB-U-LOUS! Truthfully, I've never had a cookie from the famed Levain Bakery in NY... YET! I say "yet" because Josh and I will be headed to NY in August, and I'm going to try my hardest to get my hands on a world famous cookie! Anywho, these cookies are scrumdiddlyumptious! They've got a thin, crackly crust on the outside, but the inside is gooey and soft. They're not cake-like at all. They've got a nice chew and great flavor. I think I differ from the Levain girls' opinion that vanilla has no place in their CCC. Next time I'll add a teaspoon of the good stuff just because that's what my mouth expects to taste in a choco-chip cookie.

All in all, I'm very happy with this recipe. Maybe if I think about it, after I get a REAL Levain Bakery cookie, I'll come back and edit this to see how they compare.

Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies (copy-cat recipe)
I got 21 cookies using a #20 scoop (about 4 tbsp of cookie dough)

2 sticks unsalted butter, cool but slightly softened
2 cups light brown sugar
2 eggs, straight from the fridge
2 3/4 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle, mix together butter and sugar on low speed until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat on low speed until incorporated.

Add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips and nuts.

Scoop cookie dough onto parchment lined baking sheet 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake 15-20 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the tops are just lightly browned. (For smaller cookies, of course you'll need to watch them because they'll bake much faster.) Cool completely on wire racks. Store airtight until you eat them all!