Gluten Free Levain Style Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Giant, chocolatey gluten free double chocolate chip cookies are every chocolate lover’s dream come true. Inspired by the famous New York Bakery, those Gluten Free Levain Style Double Chocolate Chip Cookies are decadent with a gooey inside and topped with just a sprinkle of flaky sea salt to give it the perfect balance.

Levain Bakery is located in New York City and is known for its oversized cookies. Not only do they cost more than $4.50 but they are also not safe for celiacs. Clearly, something that caught my attention and I figured it was time to create my own recipes. My Gluten Free Levain Bakery Cookies and my Gluten Free Levain Style Cookies and Cream Cookies have become a reader favorite.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: I use my own gluten free flour blend in this recipe which already contains xanthan gum. I have also tried this with Bob’s Red Mill and it worked fabulously. If your blend does NOT contain xanthan gum, please add 2 teaspoons of xanthan to your dry ingredients.

Butter: We are using cold, unsalted butter for this recipe. Straight from the fridge.

Cornstarch: The added cornstarch gives this cookie a tender crumb and keeps them soft as well as chewy.

Cocoa Powder: The only cocoa powder I use in my recipes is Cacao Barry Extra Brute. Its deep color and richness lend a deep dark chocolate flavor to any recipe. It is soy-free, vegetarian, kosher, and non-GMO. It is a dutch processed cocoa powder. The dutch-process cocoa powder creates what some people consider a richer, fudgier flavor in baked goods.

Chocolate: This recipe calls for a lot of chocolate. 375 grams to be exact. I use a mixture of 62% dark chocolate chunks, Guittard 63% Chocolate Chips, and Ghiradelli Mini Chocolate Chips. Why 3 different styles of chocolate? To give the cookies more flavor and more texture. In addition, all three chocolates melt at a different temperature and therefore will produce a variety of chocolate pockets in the baked cookie. Plus more chocolate is always fun!

How to make Gluten Free Levain Style Double Chocolate Cookie Dough

We are using the “The Streusel Technique” for this recipe for Gluten Free Levain Style Double Chocolate Chip Cookies. It’s the best technique to make those fat, sturdy levain style cookies. Make sure to start with cold butter as mentioned above in the Recipe Ingredient Notes.

• Sift together your dry ingredient: In a seperate bowl sift together Gluten Free Flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking powder and salt and set aside.
• Break up the butter: Add your cold butter, cut in small pieces, to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle and beat it until it loses its shape. We are not going to cream the butter. We just want to break it up in smaller pieces. Make sure to scrape it of the paddle.
• Add your sugars: With the mixer running on low, add your sugars and mix to combine. Again, we are not planning on creaming this. We want little hunks of sugary butter here (see image below)
• Add your dry ingredients: Add all your dry ingredients and mix together. You should have a mixture that looks almost like a Streusel (or crumble). This is why we are going to call this “The Streusel Technique”
• Mix in Chocolate: Add your chocolate and mix to combine.
• Add your Eggs and Vanilla: whisk together your whole eggs, egg yolk and vanilla extract and with the mixer running on low, add it to your “streusel”. Mix it until all the dry pieces have disappeared. You should have a traditional cookie dough now which may looks a little rough. Remember, we are using our hands to pack it together into cookies once it has chilled.
• Time to shape and chill: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and portion the dough in 6oz cookies using your hands and a digital kitchen scale. Wrap the sheet tray with plastic wrap and refridgerate the dough for at least 4hrs.
  

How to bake Gluten Free Levain Style Double Chocolate Cookies

Once your gluten-free dough has rested peacefully for 4 – 12hrs, it’s time to portion it out and bake some outrageous cookies. The longer you allow your dough to rest, the more flavor your cookies will have.

• Preheat your oven to 375F. While you oven preheats, transfer the amount of cookies you want to bake to the freezer. It will take at least 20 minutes for your oven to be fully hot, so a quick freeze will help the cookies to hold their shape.
• Bake your cookies: Arrange 4 cookies on your parchment-lined sheet pan and sprinkle with flaky sea. Bake at 375F for 10 minutes, rotate the tray and reduce the temperature of your oven to 350F. Rotate the sheet tray and bake for an additional 7-9 minutes. Your cookies are done when they have crispy edges, look puffy, and still look slightly underdone in the center. Top them with additional chocolate chips and return to the oven for 1 minute (optional!)
• Cool your cookies: Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the sheet tray for 10 minutes. Transfer them to a cooling rack and allow for them to cool completely.
• Storing: Like any other cookie, they taste the best when freshly baked BUT those cookies are amazing the next day as well. Store them in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• Leftover Cookie Dough: If you do not plan on baking all the cookie dough at once, I recommend freezing it. Place it on a sheet tray that fits in your freezer and allow for the cookie dough to fully freeze. Once frozen transfer them to a ziplock bag and store in your freezer up to 3 months.

How do I make Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

If you would like to turn this recipe into Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip, please substitute 180 grams of dark chocolate chips with Reeses Peanut Butter Baking Chips.

FAQ for Gluten Free Levain Style Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Can I make those cookies with “Regular” All Purpose Flour?
Yes, Please substitute the gluten-free flour used in this recipe with 375 grams of regular all-purpose flour.

Can I make this recipe vegan?
I have not tested this recipe with butter or egg replacements to make this vegan. IF you do, please share your experiences in the comments. So others can benefit from your experiment. I know one of my readers has successfully used margarine in my Gluten Free Levain Bakery Cookies to make them dairy free.

Can I freeze the baked cookies?
Yes! Place the cookies on a baking sheet and freeze them. Once frozen wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in a ziplock bag in your freezer. When you are ready to eat a cookie, allow for it to thaw at room temperature. You can always warm it up in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to give it that fresh-baked cookie taste.

How should I store my cookie dough?
If you do not plan on baking all the cookie dough at once, I recommend freezing it. Place it on a sheet tray that fits in your freezer and allow for the cookie dough to fully freeze. Once frozen transfer them to a ziplock bag and store in your freezer up to 3 months.

How do I bake the frozen cookie dough?
The best way to bake the frozen cookie dough, please preheat your oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. When your oven is preheated, transfer the number of cookies you would like to bake to your sheet tray. Bake them at 375F for 13 minutes, lower the temperature to 350F and finish baking them for 7-11 minutes.

Baking in grams

My recipes are posted in grams since baking by weight is the most accurate way to bake. Digital Scales are very affordable and can be found on Amazon for less than a set of measuring cups. Measuring cups are very inaccurate and can cause significant errors when it comes to baking. Especially since I bake with gluten-free flours which weigh differently than “regular” flours. I do provide some ingredients like spices and leavening agents in measuring spoons.

Note about Ovens and Oven Temperatures

All my recipes are tested and developed with a conventional oven. I always bake my baked goods on the rack placed in the MIDDLE of my oven. This way the heat coming from the bottom will not burn my baked goods.

If you are baking with convection (fan-forced), please adjust the recipes accordingly. Be also prepared that the convection oven can cause your baked goods to dry out quickly and still be raw inside. Be aware that it takes at least 15-20 minutes for a standard American Oven to be fully preheated. I highly recommend investing in an Oven Thermometer.

Substitutions and Modifications

Any dietary or ingredient modifications/substitutions to this recipe may alter the end result in appearance and taste. My recipes have been tested several times as published in this post and The Gluten Free Austrian Blog is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe found on our website.

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Yield: 12

Gluten Free Levain Style Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Giant, chocolatey gluten free double chocolate chip cookies are every chocolate lover’s dream come true. Inspired by the famous New York Bakery, those Gluten Free Levain Style Double Chocolate Chip Cookies are decadent with a gooey inside and topped with just a sprinkle of flaky sea salt to give it the perfect balance.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 400 grams Gluten Free Multipurpose Flour
• 70 grams dutch processed cocoa powder
• 25 grams cornstarch
• 2.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 226 grams unsalted butter, COLD
• 200 grams light brown sugar
• 100 grams granulated white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large egg, room temperature
• 1 egg yolk, room temperature
• 375 grams high quality dark chocolate chips

For Finishing

• Additional Chocolate
• Flaky Salt for finishing

Instructions

How to make Gluten Free Gluten Free Levain Style Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. In a separate bowl sift together Gluten-Free Flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
2. Add your cold butter, cut in small pieces, to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle and beat it until it loses its shape. We are not going to cream the butter. We just want to break it up into smaller pieces. Make sure to scrape it off the paddle.
3. With the mixer running on low, add your sugar and mix to combine. Again, we are not planning on creaming this. We want little hunks of sugary butter here (See pictures in the above blog post)
4. Add all your dry ingredients and mix them in. You should have a mixture that looks almost like a Streusel (or crumble). This is why we are going to call this “The Streusel Technique”. Make sure to give your bowl a quick scrape.
5. Add your mixed chocolate chips and chunks and mix to combine.
6. Whisk together your whole eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and with the mixer running on low, add it to your “streusel”. Mix it until all the dry pieces have disappeared. You should have a traditional cookie dough now. It might look a little bit rough but that’s okay. Remember, we are using our hands to pack it together into cookies once it has chilled.
7. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and portion the dough in 6oz cookies using your hands and a digital kitchen scale. Wrap the sheet tray with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 4hrs.

How to bake your Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. Once your gluten free dough has rested peacefully for 4 – 12hrs, it’s time to portion it out and bake some outrageous cookies.
2. Preheat your oven to 375F.
3. While your oven preheats, transfer the number of cookies you want to bake to the freezer. It will take at least 20 minutes for your oven to be fully hot, so a quick freeze will help the cookies to hold their shape.
4. When your oven is hot, arrange no more than 4 cookies on your parchment-lined sheet pan and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
5. Bake at 375F for 10 minutes, rotate the tray, and reduce the temperature of your oven to 350F.
6. Bake for an additional 7-9 minutes until they have crispy edges, look puffy, and still look slightly underdone in the center. If you want a gooey cookie you will want to underbake them.
7. Remove the cookies from the oven, top them with additional chocolate if you like and allow them to cool on the sheet tray for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with some flaky sea salt.
8. Those cookies taste the best when eaten when they are freshly baked.
9. Repeat with the rest of your cookie dough or freeze for future cookie cravings.

Notes

How do I bake the frozen cookie dough? The best way to bake the frozen cookie dough, please preheat your oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. When your oven is preheated, transfer the number of cookies you would like to bake to your sheet tray. Bake them at 375F for 13 minutes, lower the temperature to 350F and finish baking them for 7-11 minutes.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Cacao Barry Cocoa Powder 100% Cocoa Extra Brute, 2.2 lb
• 
  KitchenTour Digital Kitchen Scale - 3000g/0.1g High Accuracy Precision Multifunction Food Meat Scale with Back-Lit LCD Display(Batteries Included)
• 
  E Guittard 63% Extra Dark Chocolate Chip, 11.5-Ounce (Pack of 4)

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

14

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 494

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