Name: Levain Bakery-Style Circus Animal Sprinkle Cookies
Ingredients: 1 cup COLD unsalted butter, cut into cubes; 1 ½ cups granulated white sugar; 2 large eggs; 2 tsp pure vanilla extract; 1 tsp cornstarch; 1 tsp baking soda; ½ tsp salt; 1 ½ cups cake flour; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 ½ cups frosted circus animal cookies, roughly chopped (like by Mother’s brand); 2 cups white chocolate chips; 1 cup rainbow jimmies sprinkles

Description

This recipe is inspired by the legendary Levain Bakery in New York City, famous for its enormous, gooey, and incredibly delicious cookies.

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup COLD unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 ½ cups granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups cake flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups frosted circus animal cookies, roughly chopped (like by Mother’s brand)
2 cups white chocolate chips
1 cup rainbow jimmies sprinkles

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Instructions

Cream Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the cubed cold butter and the granulated sugar with the paddle attachment on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing for 30 seconds. Lastly, increase the speed to high and mix for another 30 seconds until the butter mixture is fluffy and light. This unusual method is key to the Levain style.
Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla, until the mixture is combined.
Add Dry Ingredients: Add in the cornstarch, baking soda, salt, cake flour, and all-purpose flour, mixing until incorporated.
Add Mix-Ins: Lastly, stir in the chopped frosted circus animal cookies, white chocolate chips, and sprinkles until fully combined.
Chill Dough: Refrigerate the dough to chill for 20 minutes. This helps to prevent the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line 1 baking sheet with parchment paper.
Weigh and Shape Dough: Using a digital cooking scale, weigh out 6 ounces of dough and form it into a loosely packed, rough-textured ball. I like to form my cookie dough balls kind of on the taller side. This creates the signature large, thick Levain-style cookies.
Arrange on Baking Sheet: Place the dough balls staggered, 3 inches apart, 4 dough balls per sheet, on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake: Bake in the center rack of the oven, one sheet at a time, for 10-13 minutes, or until light golden brown and the exterior looks dull and dry. The centers should be gooey and underbaked. You can always test bake one cookie first to gauge what your best timing is.
Cool: Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for up to 30 minutes, as cookies are quite fragile after being baked. Keep the remaining dough refrigerated while other cookies are in the oven.