If you know New York City’s Levain Bakery Cookies, you know why these giant, buttery, chocolate chip and nut filled cookies are so famous. They are as big as your palm, and they have flavor for days. So thick and rich and memorable, they’ve inspired knockoffs everywhere. But we deserve a Gluten Free Levain Style Cookie, don’t we? Of course we do.
This copycat Levain Cookie was surprisingly easy to make gluten free, but it’s really all because of the flour.
As famous as Levain Cookies are, my gfJules Flour is as famous in the gluten free world for making the best cookies. It makes cookies that people swear are better than their gluten versions, and it makes believers out of the most hard-core non-gluten-free eating family and friends.
So I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that these Gluten Free Levain Style Cookies are every bit as good as their gluten versions, and how convenient that we can make them at home and don’t have to wait for a trip to NYC to stock up on a box.
Restraining yourself from eating them in one sitting is another matter altogether ….
What You Need to Make Gluten Free Levain Style Cookies
We’ve already covered the flour — you don’t want to skimp here. gfJules Flour makes this recipe WORK. No grit, no funky taste, no crumble. Check!
High quality buttery or vegan butter. The choices as I see them for vegan are Miyoko’s Creamery European Style Plant Milk Butter, Violife Plant Butter, Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, or Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks in a pinch. If you’re watching your salt, go for unsalted, but in cookies like these I prefer the salted versions and I still add a dash of salt to the recipe.
There are two kinds of sugar in this recipe — both brown and granulated. Cane sugar is best for cookies if you can tell the source, as it provides the nicest caramelization in cookies. If you’re trying to cut back on refined sugars, unrefined coconut palm sugar will work for brown sugar here, but there will be some taste and texture differences.
For egg substitutes, please consult my extensive article on recommended egg substitutes in baking. You will need to choose a whole egg substitute and an egg yolk substitute here.
For chocolate, again, please use high quality chocolate for best results. I like to use a combination of chocolate chips and a favorite chocolate bar, chopped into chunks. For dairy-free/vegan chocolate, you can’t go wrong with Pascha Organic Chocolate Chips, Pure Food by Estee, and of course there’s always Enjoy Life.
While you can skip the nuts if you prefer, for the classic Levain Bakery Cookie, walnuts are it. You could use pecans as an alternative, though.
I also recommend having a good ice cream/cookie scoop for measuring out the cookie dough. This is a link to the one I have. It scoops about 1/3 cup but you can over-fill it by not using a knife to level the dough off.
🎥Watch my video to see what the scoops look like when they come out using this scooper. The dough balls should all weigh the same for even baking — mine were all around 4 ounces.
Enjoy this amazing knockoff recipe … anytime the mood hits you!
Gluten Free Levain Style Cookie Recipe
Gluten Free Levain Style Cookie Recipe
A gluten free knockoff every bit as good as the original Levain Cookie. This recipe makes palm-sized and perfectly caramelized cookies with thick and chewy middles packed with chocolate and chunks of chopped walnuts.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (8 Tablespoons) butter or vegan butter, softened (like Miyoko’s Creamery)
- ½ cup light brown sugar OR coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated cane sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature (or egg substitute)
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature (or egg yolk substitute)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (203 grams) gfJules All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup combination chocolate chips + chopped chocolate bar (pick your favorite high quality chocolate)
- 1 cup chopped walnuts OR pecans
- Maldon flaked sea salt (optional, for tops)
Instructions
- Soften butter and bring eggs to room temperature.
- Place softened butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl. Cream together for 1-2 minutes or until it becomes lighter and fluffy.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 more minute until the mixture is smooth.
- Whisk together the gfJules Flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, then stir into the mixing bowl, beating just until a sticky batter forms.
- Fold in the chocolate chips, chopped chocolate, and walnuts.
- Measure out scoops of cookie dough that are about 4 ounces each. Place them on baking sheets lined with parchment. Make sure the cookie dough balls are at least 4” apart. Don’t
flatten the balls. - Place the baking sheets in the fridge and chill for 1 hour. If left in the refrigerator longer than 1 hour, cover the dough with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Once the cookie dough balls have chilled, place the baking trays in the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes. The edges should be browning and the centers shouldn't be shiny any longer. They will continue to cook a bit when removed from the oven, so don't over-cook them by leaving them in the oven too long.
- Remove to cool on wire racks. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt, if using.
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
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