These unbelievably thick and gooey vegan Levain chocolate chip cookies are just as addictive as the famous bakery version – with NO eggs or dairy!
New York City’s Most Famous Cookie
My first introduction to Levain chocolate chip cookies came just about a month ago.
As soon as I saw the legendary soft and chewy cookies, packed with melty chocolate in each bite, I fell instantly in love.
How had I never heard of these before???!
The New York City bakery was slated to open a new location in Georgetown – their first shop ever outside of NYC – and suddenly everyone I knew was talking about their classic chocolate chip walnut cookies.
Also try this Vegan Chocolate Mousse
Enlisting my non-vegan friends as taste testers, I set about to recreate the beloved dense and gooey texture of the original bakery-style cookies in a dairy free way.
We went through a few trials to get them perfect, but the final results were totally worth it.
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The Tricks To Soft Cookies
These vegan Levain cookies are the opposite of my Crispy Cookies.
So I employed the same baking tricks as I did with the crispy cookie recipe, just in reverse this time.
I used brown sugar because it has more moisture than white and is more acidic, meaning it reacts with baking soda to produce air that helps the cookies rise.
And I baked them at a higher temperature than my other cookie recipes, because this reduces spreading.
To achieve the softest, fluffiest chewy chocolate chip cookies from scratch, I added a little bit more flour and less sugar, and I chilled the dough before baking.
The recipe calls for traditional chocolate chip cookie ingredients – no coconut oil, chia seeds, or flax eggs required.
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More Vegan Cookie Recipes
Above, watch the video of how to make vegan Levain bakery cookies
The recipe was adapted from my Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies and these Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Vegan Levain Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup white, spelt, or oat flour (for flourless, try these Keto Cookies)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, unrefined if desired
- 3 tbsp regular sugar, unrefined if desired
- 2/3 cup chocolate chips
- 3 tbsp butter (such as Melt vegan)
- 1 1/2 tbsp milk of choice
Instructions
- Stir dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut in the butter (soft but not melted) and milk. If mixing by hand instead of with a stand mixer, it will seem dry. Keep stirring (don't add more milk) and it will eventually turn into cookie dough. Smush into a big ball, then break off dough and roll smaller balls. For soft cookies, cover and chill in the fridge at least 1 hour (overnight is fine). Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake cookies on a parchment-lined sheet on the center rack for 15 minutes.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
More Vegan Recipes With Chocolate Chips:
Hi, how big are these cookies in inches please? I see they are puffy but how wide are they? Love the simplicity of the ingredients!
I just made them, and I would say they are probably similar size but maybe a little smaller than Levain bakery cookies. They’re deceptively bigger than they look at first, because they are very dense (in a good way!).
Great! I love big, fat cookies (in size, but not calories!) Thanks, I’ll be making these today in honor of the city I’ve always wanted to visit but never have…
I am so excited to make these. I had them in NYC and look forward to making them here in KC.
I had all of the ingredients on hand (don’t you love when that happens?) so I made these right away. I am not even a vegan, and these are FANTASTIC 🙂 🙂
Honestly I like them better than the real ones. They have a similar texture but I think these have more depth of flavor. Great job, Katie!
These look fabulous! Would monkfruit work in these? I am trying to reduce the sugar I use when I bake. Thank you
We haven’t tried so unfotunately can’t say. I know they work with xylitol; they’re just somewhat puffier. If you experiment, be sure to report back!
Hi. What is the cup size in ml?
I used a scale and for white flour, it was 120 grams.
I used oat flour and it was 87 g in 1 cup.
Hi! These look soooo amazing and I’d absolutely LOVE to make them!!
Is there any possible substitution for vegan butter?
This version doesn’t use butter https://lett-trim.today/vegan-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Recipe noted unrefined brown sugar was ok. Are you referring to Sucanat and is coconut sugar considered unrefined brown sugar in your recipes? Do you think either coconut sugar or brown Sucanat should work in the Levain cookies? Thank you so much for sharing.
Sucanat will be delicious but it does have a gingery flavor. Coconut sugar works. Just be sure to pack it if using coconut sugar, as it weighs less than brown sugar. Evaporated cane juice also works for an unrefined sugar option.
I am so excited about this recipe!!! My sister-in-law introduced me to the Levain Bakery several years ago as it is her favorite when she comes to NY and their cookies are amazing! I love your tips and info for how to achieve the right texture, something I’ve wondered about for years. I think I know what I’ll be making for the snow day tomorrow!
These cookies were SO GOOD!!
Is the brown sugar packed?
It does not have to be packed.
Will whole wheat pastry flour work?
Hi sorry we haven’t tried so honestly can’t say how the texture would turn out. Be sure to report back if you try!
I have made numerous batches of cookies (not these specifically) with whole wheat pastry flour, and they generally taste a little “healthier” than if I use oat flour. For best results, I would recommend mixing the whole wheat pastry flour with either oat flour or a regular white flour. With the latter two, I am generally as happy as if I were to use all white flour.
I made this recipe. I made 6 cookies, and I’d say they’re quite large, even having made 6! I used white AP flour, packed brown sugar, white sugar, and non-Vegan butter (because I’m not Vegan and don’t have that which was described). I wasn’t able to form “dough” without adding an extra tablespoon of milk (Cashew). That did the trick, and a dough formed almost immediately. I refrigerated the dough for many hours, due to time and the fact it seems to decrease spreading. I baked the cookies for exactly 15 minutes at 350 degrees. I’d say they’re excellent cookies. I’ve never had a Levain cookie, but I’ve made other “copycat” recipes. Nicely done, Katie, and thank you for your incredible diligence when it comes to recipe creation!
Thank you so so much for making them! 🙂
I also had to add more milk (almond) before the dough would form. I doubled the recipe, used whole wheat pastry flour, and added one additional T of milk after mixing for a long time and having nothing but crumb. About to put the dough balls in the oven now after refrigerating for 1 hr.
There’s no such thing as non-vegan butter. it’s just butter.
Just like there’s no such thing as vegan butter . it’s just some form of margarine., or butter “substitute “
I don’t understand why plant products are appropriating animal product names. I don’t understand the need to call everything butter, ice cream, sour cream when it’s all plant-based.
I suppose vegans will eventually invent their own names for their desserts.
Why are you on a vegan recipe blog then lol go away hater.
Hi Katie I had an issue with the mixture forming a dough. I used coconut milk in the carton. I added another tablespoon of coconut milk and kept mixing. While it did come together eventually ,it formed a hard dry ball of dough. I have the dough in the refrigerator now and will bake the cookies tonight. I think the coconut milk may have been a problem. Next time I try using another milk.
Hi, what specific ingredients did you use?
Hi, I used buckwheat flour that I grind from groats and coconut milk in the carton. I used all other ingredients as per the recipe. The only two exceptions were the flour and coconut milk I used.
Unfortunately we haven’t tried the recipe with buckwheat flour so really don’t know how that would change things or if it would work at all. Hopefully yours came out ok with that sub.
I used almond milk and had the same experience: hard dry ball of dough (and it was a lot of effort to make the ball). I had to add more milk. Baking now.
Update: they still turned out to be delicious!
Thank you. I will try again using oat flour.
I refrigerated my dough overnight and baked them this morning and they turned out so delicious ! Subbing buckwheat flour and coconut milk worked out perfectly for this recipe. I will be making these cookies often.
So glad they worked!
I tried making these cookies this afternoon. I made them into regular cookies size andI baked them right away without cooling them. Yummm, crispy on the outside and soft inside. Thank you Katie for the yummiest healthy recipes.
Thank you for making them 🙂
Ahhh I am a New Yorker who grew up with Levain, but my kiddo has an egg allergy so he hasn’t been able to try them. Can’t wait to try these!