Levain Bakery Inspired Chocolate-Chocolate Mint Cookies

"Don't wreck a sublime chocolate experience by feeling guilty."

~Lora Brody

For years I could not remember the name of the bakery these cookies came from.  We referred to them as those "big, fat cookies."  Anyone who's had them knows what I'm talking about; the absurdly large, mounded cookies from Levain Bakery in NYC.  If you want to blow someone's doors off, then have some shipped for a special occasion.  They are pricey, but worth it....remember, they are BIG cookies, so 6-8 cookies go WAY further than you would imagine.

The Mister's cousin used to reside in the Big Apple and would bring a box of these to the annual get-together at his maternal grandmother's lakeside cottage.  These are no ordinary cookies.  They're slightly cakey, indulgent and amazing.  Must be, if I'm still thinking about them and it's probably been at least 5 years since I've had one!  When that bakery box was opened at the picnic, we swarmed at it like bees on honey.  Most of us could not finish a whole cookie.  Instead, we broke them up and shared pieces and flavors in-between moans.

I found basically the same recipe at the blogs Annie's Eats and Love From the Oven.  When I mentioned to my daughter that I was going to make these, she emphatically suggested that I chop up and use Ande's Candies instead of chocolate chips. 

Thank you Audrey!  That really put them over the top.  The Mister declared them "the best chocolate cookies, EVER!"   Audrey gave me the "OMG these are too good" look (she and I don't always need to speak to communicate, haha.)  Reactions like that make cooking for them really fun!

If you're not into mint, feel free to use semi-sweet chocolate chips instead, like the originals.  While I was making these I had already left the butter out to soften, out of habit.  The recipe calls for cold butter, but I started with creamed softened butter and they came out great.  I used a 1/3 cup measure as a scoop and preferred them "free form" rather than molded like a patty.  Have a great couple weeks and enjoy St. Patrick's Day, folks.  Doubtful I'll get another post up before then as we're heading to Florida to do a little visiting and a lot of eating and lollygagging around (my two favorite sports.)  Cheers!

Levain Bakery Inspired Chocolate-Chocolate Mint Cookies
Makes 12 big fat cookies :)


1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (or chopped Ande's Candies)


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar.  Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the eggs one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed.  Blend in the cocoa powder.  Measure flour into a medium sized bowl.  Add the salt and baking powder and stir until combined.  Add to other ingredients in electric mixing bowl and beat until thoroughly combined.  Be sure to get to the very bottom of the bowl.  Beat in chocolate chips (or Ande's Candies.)  Batter will be very stiff.


Using a 1/3 cup measure scoop rounded blobs of dough onto cookie sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.  I got exactly 12 cookie and baked 6 on each cookie sheet.  Bake about 14-15 minutes.  Less if you make them smaller.  They should look slightly underdone when removed from the oven.