Emelia Jackson’s spin on Levain Bakery’s choc chip cookies are thick, gooey, and straight out of New York (almost).

I must be honest with you, I have never had a cookie from the famous Levain Bakery. While I absolutely adore New York and travelled there a few times in my twenties, my thirties have thus far been spent either in lockdown, writing cookbooks or having babies,” says Emelia Jackson. “As such, any frivolous opportunities to jet off to the great city on a whim have been totally non-existent. In any case, I have seen many influencers eating these cookies in such high resolution that, if I close my eyes tightly enough, I can just about taste them. The trick to mastering the thick cookie? Cold butter. We don’t want this cookie spreading in the oven, and cold dough prevents that from happening.” 

Makes 13.

Ingredients

125 g (4 ½ oz) unsalted butter, chilled 
120 g (4 ¼ oz) brown sugar 
75 g (2 ½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar 
1 egg 
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste 
280 g (10 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour 
75 g (2 ½ oz) malted milk powder (such as Horlicks) 
1 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
150 g (5 ½ oz) dark chocolate chips 
175 g (6 oz) roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped 
50 g (1 ¾ oz) milk chocolate chips, to garnish  

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F) fan-forced. Line two baking trays with baking paper or silicone baking mats. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, brown sugar and caster sugar until just combined. (You don’t want to aerate this mixture, otherwise the cookies will spread.)
  2. Mix in the egg and vanilla, followed by the flour, malted milk powder, salt and baking powder. Finally, mix in the dark chocolate chips and 125 g (4 1⁄2 oz) of the hazelnuts. Divide the dough into 13 balls, using 80 g (2 3⁄4 oz) dough for each one, and place them on the baking trays, leaving plenty of room for spreading.
  3. Bake the cookies for 13–14 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
  4. Scatter the milk chocolate chips and the remaining hazelnuts over the hot cookies. Allow them to cool completely on the trays.

 

Some of My Best Friends Are Cookies by Emelia Jackson.

Emelia Jackson’s Some of My Best Friends are Cookies (Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99) is out now and available, among other places, from great independent Victorian bookstores such as ReadingsHill of Content and Books for Cooks