Copycat Levain Bakery Caramel Coconut Cookies

Start dreaming of New York with these Copycat Levain Bakery Caramel Coconut Cookies. Think gooey pockets of creamy caramel, rich dark chocolate, and nutty coconut all wrapped up in a buttery vanilla cookie that’s THICK and chunky with crispy edges. They’re my new favourite New York-style cookie.

Just like my favourite Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies, these cookies require zero chill time and are ready to eat in under one hour.

You can easily freeze the cookie dough as well, and simply whip them out when you need a cookie fix. They also make the perfect gift. These Caramel Coconut Cookies are sure to be your new fave!

Why you will love these cookies

• Thick and chunky: Expect chunky, buttery cookies with crispy edges and soft, chewy centre – aka cookie heaven!
• Easy-to-find ingredients: My recipes only requires everyday ingredients that can be found at most grocery stores.
• No chill time: You don’t need to chill the dough before baking. Using cold butter will help prevent these cookies from spreading too much.
• Make-ahead: You can easily make the cookie dough ahead of time and freeze it. You can even bake the cookies frozen and enjoy as needed.

These are so delicious! I’ve made them many times and they are always a hit and easy to make.

– Amanda

Recipe testing

If you’ve been around here long, you’ll know that I take so much recipe inspiration from my travels. In 2019, I went to New York City and finally got to go to the famous Levain Bakery and try their 6-ounce cookies.

What is so special about Levain Cookies? I hear you ask. Well, they’re super thick with a crispy, golden brown exterior but an almost underbaked centre. Packed with mix-in’s, they’re a solid treat – almost a meal in themselves!

I came back home and practised making thick cookies from scratch. It took a while but I finally came up with my own copycat version of their famous Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies. It’s been one of my most popular recipes for five years straight.

Since then I’ve used this base recipe to make New York-style Double Chocolate Cookies and Biscoff Cookies, and even thick Gingerbread Cookies as a Christmas treat. I LOVE making Levain-style cookies.

Through my recipe testing process, I discovered that small things like using cold butter (not room temperature butter or melted butter) and using all brown sugar can make a big difference in how much a cookie spreads.

It’s also important not to over-mix your dough. And you don’t need to cream the butter and sugar – just combine them. These little tips help to make the BEST New York cookies at home. For more tips, see my article on Why Are My Cookies Flat.

So when one of my readers sent me a request on Instagram for a copycat version of the new Levain Bakery Caramel Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookie, I couldn’t wait to oblige.

Ingredients

You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make these Caramel Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies. While some copycat recipes use chewy caramels, we opt for caramel chips since that is what it appears that Levain Bakery uses. They’re also easier to find in Australia!

Here’s a snapshot of the key ingredients you need, including any substitutions you can make:

• Butter: Use COLD butter, straight from the fridge.
• Brown sugar: The key to the rich, caramel flavour in this recipe is usually brown sugar due to it’s molasses content. Brown sugar can also prevent a cookie from spreading too much in the oven. I prefer light brown sugar over dark brown sugar.
• Vanilla extract: I use one whole teaspoon of vanilla extract in this recipe for extra flavour. I prefer vanilla extract over vanilla essence or imitation vanilla.
• Plain flour: Plain flour or all purpose flour works great in this recipe, rather than cake flour or bread flour.
• Shredded coconut: For texture, I recommend using shredded coconut. Be sure to use unsweetened coconut for this recipe.
• Chocolate chips: I use dark chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate for this recipe to help balance the sweetness – as do Levain Bakery. However, you can use milk chocolate chips if you prefer.
• Caramel chips: I use Cadbury Caramilk chips for this recipe, but any caramel chocolate chips will work. If you don’t have access to caramel chips, you could white chocolate chips or if you have access to them, chewy kraft caramel bits or toffee bits.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Storage

Keep leftover baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Alternatively, you can make the cookie dough ahead of time and freeze them (see below).

Make-ahead instructions

You can roll and freeze the cookie dough balls for up to three months. You can then leave the dough at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before baking as per instructions below.

The cookies might need 1-2 extra minutes but will bake up beautifully. I actually find baking the cookie dough balls straight from the freezer will give you the structure of the cookie that Levain Bakery is famous for: golden crispy edges and a soft, almost under-baked centre.

Jess’s recipe tips

Here are my tips for creating perfect Copycat Levain Bakery Caramel Coconut Cookies every time.

1. Use a baking scale: To achieve the perfect NYC cookie that spreads just the right amount, use a kitchen scale to measure your flour. It is very easy to over-measure flour when using measuring cups. This could result in a dry, tough cookie that doesn’t spread.
2. Don’t over-mix the butter and sugar: While many cake recipes (and some cookies) require you to ‘cream’ the butter and sugar, this recipe is not one of them. You only need to beat the butter and sugar until it’s combined in a smooth paste. The longer you mix the cookie dough, the warmer the butter = the more your cookies will spread. For more tips on avoiding spreading, read my article on flat cookies.
3. Don’t skimp on the mix-in’s: One of the keys to make a thick cookie is adding plenty of mix-in’s to help prevent the cookies from spreading too much. If you want to replace or change up one of the mix-in’s, be sure to add the same amount of something else. For example, skipping the coconut? Add an extra 1/2 cup of chocolate chips or similar.
4. Consider the bake time: I’ve suggested a bake time for 12-14 minutes as these cookies are quite large but they will still be chewy in the middle. If you prefer a crisper cookie, consider baking them for a minute or two longer. Just remember that cookies firm up as they cool!

More New York-style Cookies

• Double Chocolate Cookies
• Big Biscoff Cookies
• M&M Marshmallow Cookies
• Peanut Butter Chip Cookies