These Levain-style peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies are everything a cookie should be: thick, gooey, loaded with chocolate, and perfectly seasoned with salt.
My love of Levain Bakery cookies knows no bounds. I cannot simply purchase one cookie. I always end up with at least half a dozen!
I’ve taken everything I love about Levain’s legendary cookies- the crispy edges, the soft gooey centers, the sheer heft and size- and added a touch of peanut butter! Chocolate and peanut butter is a pairing I find impossible to resist.
This version is loaded with a mixture of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and chopped Reese’s cups. There’s secret hint of powdered peanut butter in the dough that makes these cookies absolutely nutty.
Ingredient Notes
Salted Butter: I’m using salted butter in this recipe, which adds a deeper, more complex flavor profile. The salt enhances both the chocolate and peanut butter notes without making the cookies taste salty. Trust me, it just works beautifully here.
Powdered Peanut Butter: This is my secret weapon. Powdered peanut butter gives you all the flavor with none of the texture issues of regular peanut butter. I specifically used this brand of powdered peanut butter (which has ONE ingredient and no additional sugars).
Chocolate Mixture: I could a blend of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and Reese’s peanut butter chocolate cups. The milk chocolate adds sweetness and creaminess, while the dark chocolate provides depth and prevents the cookies from being one-note sweet. The Reese’s cups? Pure nostalgia and peanut-y deliciousness.
You’ll also need the usual list of cookie ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar. The recipe uses two large yolks plus one egg.
Baker’s Tips for Success
Weigh Your Ingredients: If you have a kitchen scale, use it. Baking is chemistry, and accurate measurements make a real difference, especially with cookies this specific.
Don’t Skip the Chill: I recommend at least 2 hours of freezing, but overnight is even better. The dough firms up, the flavors meld, and you get better rise and texture.
Underbake Slightly: These cookies continue cooking as they cool. Pull them when the edges are set and golden but the centers still look slightly underdone. That’s how you get the gooey middle.
Go Big: Levain cookies are LARGE—we’re talking 6 ounces of dough per cookie. Use a large cookie scoop (about 1/2 cup) or weigh your portions for consistency. This isn’t the time to be modest.
Have you tried making Levain-style cookies at home? What’s your favorite mix-in combination? Let me know in the comments below!
Levain Style Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
- 227 g salted butter (1 cup), cold, sliced
- 200 g brown sugar (1 cup), packed
- 100 g granulated sugar (½ cup)
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 390 g all-purpose flour (3 cups)
- 25 g powdered peanut butter (¼ cup)
- 8 g baking powder (2 teaspoon)
- 6 g baking soda (1 teaspoon)
- 2 g kosher salt (½ teaspoon)
- 454 g chopped chocolate of choice, your desired portion of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and Reese's peanut butter cups
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugars. In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamy. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in eggs one at time, mixing well after each additional Add vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until well combined.
- Prepare dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, powdered peanut butter, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredient mixture in two additions. Mix until just almost combined- there will be a few steaks of flour remaining. Don't overmix!
- Fold in chocolate. Use a spatula (or very slow speed of mixer) to fold in milk chocolate chunks, dark chocolate chunks, and chopped Reese's cups until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Portion and chill. Portion dough into 8 equal chunks (190 grams or roughly 6.7 oz each. Roll each chunk into a thick cylinder (about 3 inches diameter, 4 inches tall). Place standing on parchment lined baking sheet. Transfer to freezer until solid, at least 2 hours.*
- Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 350℉. Line baking sheet with silicon baking mat. Place frozen cookie cylinders on baking sheet, spacing them at least 4 inches apart.
- Bake. Bake for 16-18 minutes, rotating pan halfway through, until the edges are set and golden brown. The center of the cookies should look puffy and slightly underbaked.
- Cool. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 15 minutes to firm up. Then transfer to wire rack. For the best experience, serve cookies about 30 minutes after pulling from oven.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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