Credit: Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
If there’s one thing we at Serious Eats don’t mess around about, it’s chocolate chip cookies. We have opinions—strong ones—about texture, flavor, and exactly how much chocolate is non-negotiable. So it’s telling that our most popular chocolate chip cookie recipe of all time—based on both ratings and clicks—is pastry chef Stella Parks’ Levain Bakery–style super-thick chocolate chip cookies This is not a casual cookie; it’s a two-handed commitment. I’ve long been a fan of Stella’s rigorously tested, deeply nerdy recipes, so seeing readers love this one makes me especially happy.
Credit: Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
If you’ve ever had a Levain cookie in New York—still warm, slightly gooey, and hefty enough to feel like a personal challenge—you understand the appeal. They’re famous for their towering height and molten centers, with so much chocolate packed in that the dough almost feels like a supporting player. Stella’s version captures all of that, with a method grounded in ingredient ratios and baking science so that you can get consistent results at home—no trip to NYC or long line required.
The key to their thickness is restraint. Stella’s recipe reduces the proportion of sugar relative to flour, so the dough spreads less in the oven, naturally creating a taller, thicker cookie. From there, a high volume of chocolate chips and nuts adds heft and flavor, turning each cookie into a densely packed mosaic of textures.
Credit: Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
The type of chocolate is also important to the cookies’ success. Because it makes up such a large portion of the dough, using higher-quality chips (ideally with a mixture of cocoa percentages) creates a more layered, complex flavor that balances sweetness with deeper, bitter notes.
An overnight rest seals the deal. With a dough that’s relatively low in sugar and high in moisture, the rest time fully hydrates the flour and improves browning, guaranteeing a cookie that bakes up thick, chewy, and flavorful.
Get Recipe: Levain Bakery-Style Super-Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
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Dining and Cooking