Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

We have all had that one dish in a restaurant or a bakery in our home city or while traveling where a dish just simply knocks your socks off. When the creativity of the chef or the baker shines through and you simply can’t help but wonder if you can recreate the dish at home.

Some of those experiments sometimes become nearly as good as the original and you feel like you cracked the code on something magical.

The Levain Bakery chocolate chip cookies were one such thing for me. And I am not a cookie lover, and I don’t really like sweet things. But this was an exception. These cookies just make you forget all your woes as you bite into them and let the goodness fill your mouth with that perfect bite.

Tips for baking success at high altitude:

This copycat Levain Bakery chocolate chip cookie recipe is adjusted for high altitude. You definitely need to make thicker cookies else they won’t be the copycat. An hour at least of cool off time in the refrigerator helps them maintain their chunky shape and they don’t spread out as much. The cookies are thick but not cakey. Use the best quality chocolate chips you can buy. They make or break this cookie. Cream together butter and sugar first. Really. You have to beat it until it resembles creamy texture.

Just like so! Bake the cookies closer to the time you want to eat them. They are best eaten warm.

Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. This month’s theme is Copycat Recipes, and our host is Karen who blogs at Karen’s Kitchen Stories. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats it’s a virtual party. A theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out. Come along and see all of the delicious copycat inspired dishes!