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Copycat Levain Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Inspired by Levain Bakery, these dark chocolate peanut butter cookies are perfection—they're thick and gooey, full of rich cocoa flavor, and packed with melty peanut butter chips in every bite!
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Servings: 9 cookies
Author: Mae Martin

Ingredients

  • 1 cup COLD good-quality butter, such as Kerrigold
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 ¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • ¾ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 12 ounces peanut butter chips I used 1 (10-ounce) bag plus ½ cup Reese's peanut butter chips

Instructions

  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • Slice the butter into cubes and add to a large bowl with the granulated sugar and brown sugar. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until evenly combined—no need to beat in a lot of air, as we want a dense dough.
  • Crack in the eggs one at a time—the batter may look separated, but that's normal. Once evenly incorporated, fold in the dry ingredients and peanut butter chips until just combined with no more streaks of flour.
  • Using a kitchen scale, weigh out the dough into 5 to 5 ½ ounce portions, gently pressing the mass into a craggly ball of dough. Place onto the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough (no need to space them apart).
  • When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 410℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and evenly space the cookie dough balls at least 2 inches apart.
  • Bake the cookies for around 20-23 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through (you can also use the convection setting in your oven for even baking). The cookies are done when the edges are firm and the center is no longer shiny and doughy. The cookies will be underbaked at first when you take them out of the oven, but they will continue to cook and set as they cool. If using a kitchen thermometer, take the cookies out of the oven once 190℉ on the inside (do NOT overcook).1
  • Remove the cookies from the pan and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes—this will ensure that the cookies firm up enough and will not fall apart when serving. Enjoy!

Notes

1. If the cookies bake too quickly and are still raw in the center, try lowering the temperature of your oven or doubling up your baking sheets to buffer the heat and stop the bottoms of the cookies from burning.