Levain: finally

This picture alone speaks for itself. After reading and drooling over these cookies in what seems like every food blog that I read lately, I couldn't pass up a trip the the upper west side to try them myself.

What could this cookie possibly taste like to create such a huge internet following?

Let me start by saying that I am not a proficient baker nor a food scientist, so I'm sure my food review will pale in comparison to those who are actually trying to recreate this monster of a cookie.

When we arrived at Levain I left the cookie ordering to Josh as the tiny shop had a constant strain of people filtering in. I watched him from the window as they put our cookies in the bag and actually thought they weren't that big. Where were the giant cookies everyone was talking about?

When he came out the first thing he said was "these were expensive cookies!" $7.50 for both, he got the double chocolate and I got the chocolate chip walnut. As he pulled my cookie from the bag I soon realized exactly how big this thing was. It wasn't big in circumference, no, it was very dense and thick. I'm a good dessert eater, and I was overwhelmed.



I took the first bite and it was bliss. Exactly what you'd want a chocolate chip cookie to be: slightly crispy on the outside/chewy and gooey on the inside. I read many recipe theories around this cookie. As in: lots of butter, yeast, no shortening or vanilla. I'm still suspicious about the yeast, but very curious as to how these cookie baked so perfectly brown on the outside, creating a sweet and slightly crispy crust without spreading. AND leaving the middle soft and gooey.

I do believe these cookies have shortening in them as well as butter, and I tasted vanilla, sugar and brown sugar. Perhaps, my pallet has yet to pick out various flavors, but I swear I tasted vanilla in the dough. My idea as of right now, is that the cookie is baked at a medium/low temperature for a certain amount of time. Maybe 15 minutes?

Many people talk about the center being similar to raw cookie dough. I didn't feel that way. To me, raw cookie dough is grainy. All of the chips were soft and melting, and the dough in the middle was gooey and not under or over cooked. I just don't know! And now I want to make them myself.

The Levain cookie mystery continues...

PS: I tried the double chocolate chip too. Equally as good. Like a delicious, soft, fudgey brownie.