Why This One Delivers That True Levain Rocky Road Magic
These Levain Bakery Rocky Road Cookies start with cold butter and a hot oven, and that’s where the bakery-style magic really happens. Using cold butter and a higher bake temperature at 410°F means the outsides set quickly while the centers stay thick, gooey, and just a little underbaked—exactly what you want in a Levain-inspired cookie. The mix of cake flour and all-purpose flour keeps them tender but sturdy, so they hold that signature chunky, mound-like shape instead of flattening into sad, wide pancakes. Cornstarch adds a bit of softness, so even with all that cocoa, the texture stays plush rather than dry. You get a cookie that feels like a bakery splurge, not a flat weekday shortcut.
Flavor-wise, these cookies don’t just toss in chocolate and call it rocky road. The unsweetened cocoa powder gives you a deep, fudgy base, while the brown sugar brings a caramel note that complements the cashews beautifully. Roughly chopped cashews introduce a buttery crunch that stands up to the molten chocolate chips and soft, vanilla marshmallows—every bite has contrast. Decorating the tops with extra chips and marshmallows before baking isn’t just pretty; it also ensures you get visible pools of melted chocolate and toasty-edged marshmallow in every cookie. And that last step—gently scooting the edges in with a spatula after baking—concentrates the gooey center and creates those crinkly, bakery-style edges people line up for. These Levain Bakery Rocky Road Cookies deliver because every ingredient and step works hard to earn its place on your cooling rack.
From Prep to Finish: Baking Levain-Style Rocky Road at Home
From the moment you cube that cold butter to the final gooey bite, these Levain Bakery Rocky Road Cookies follow a simple, reliable rhythm. Start by creaming the butter and sugars longer than you think you should—at least 4 minutes—until the mixture looks pale and fluffy, even though the butter is cold. When you add the eggs and vanilla bean paste, scrape down the bowl so nothing sneaky hides at the bottom. Once you fold in the cocoa powder, flours, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt, the dough will feel thick and a bit dense—that’s exactly what you want for those bakery-style, chunky cookies. Stir in the chocolate chips, mini vanilla marshmallows, and cashews gently so you don’t crush the nuts or streak the dough unevenly.
Shaping is where the “bakery-style” magic really happens. We’re not making dainty tea cookies here; roll the dough into large 5 to 6 ounce balls so they bake up tall, gooey, and dramatic. I like to press extra chocolate chips and marshmallows on top, the same way I finish off my double chocolate chip cookies, so you can see all the rocky road goodness once they bake. At 410°F, the edges will set quickly while the centers stay soft and almost underdone at 9–11 minutes. When you pull them from the oven, use a spatula to gently nudge the edges toward the center—this gives you that signature thick, crinkly, Levain-style look.
The hardest part? Letting them rest on the baking sheet for the full 15 minutes. This short cooldown finishes the baking from the inside out, melts the chocolate just enough, and lets the marshmallows settle into chewy little pockets. If you move them too soon, they can fall apart under their own glorious weight. Once they’re set, you’ll have rich, crackly-topped Levain Bakery Rocky Road Cookies with gooey centers, crisp edges, and crunchy cashews in every bite—perfect with cold milk, a scoop of ice cream, or, honestly, just straight off the pan.
Timing, storage, and make-ahead for rocky road success
Your Levain Bakery Rocky Road Cookies move quickly once you start, so it helps to know the rhythm. Allow about 15 minutes to prep the dough and 9–11 minutes to bake, but don’t rush that 15-minute rest on the baking sheet—it’s when the centers finish setting and the marshmallows settle into that gooey, rippled top. If you’re baking multiple trays, rotate pans between racks halfway through for even browning, and leave a few minutes between batches so your oven can bounce back to 410°F. These are at their most dramatic (and irresistible) within 2 hours of baking, when the edges are set, the centers are still soft, and the chocolate is just a little melty.
For storage, let the cookies cool completely, then tuck them into an airtight container with parchment between layers so the marshmallows don’t weld everything together. At room temperature, they stay fresh for about 3 days; after that, the marshmallows can turn a bit chewy. To keep them longer, freeze the baked cookies on a tray until solid, then store in a freezer bag or container for up to 2 months. Rewarm in a 300°F oven for 5–7 minutes to bring back that “fresh from the bakery” texture. They won’t quite be as lava-like as day one, but they’ll still taste like a chocolatey campfire dream.
If you love planning ahead, this recipe is very make-ahead friendly. After mixing, scoop your Levain Bakery Rocky Road Cookies dough into 5–6 ounce balls, chill them on a lined tray for at least 1 hour (or up to 24 hours) to firm up and deepen the flavor, then bake straight from cold—just add 1–2 minutes to the bake time. For longer storage, freeze the dough balls until solid, then keep them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen whenever a craving hits, no thawing needed; just add a few extra minutes in the oven and keep an eye on the marshmallows so they toast, not scorch. This same make-ahead approach also works beautifully with any of your favorite “bakery-style” cookies, from classic chocolate chip to s’mores-inspired riffs.
Ingredient Swaps and Serving Options for These Rocky Road Giants
One of my favorite things about these Levain Bakery Rocky Road Cookies is how easily you can play with the mix-ins while keeping that thick, gooey bakery-style center. If cashews are not your thing, swap in walnuts, pecans, or even sliced almonds; just keep the pieces roughly chopped so they distribute well but still feel chunky. You can also change the chocolate profile: use half semi-sweet and half milk chocolate chips for a sweeter cookie, or go with dark chocolate chips or chunks for a deeper, more intense flavor. No cake flour on hand? Replace the 1 cup cake flour with 1 cup all-purpose flour, then remove 2 tablespoons of it and add 2 tablespoons cornstarch (on top of the cornstarch already in the recipe) to mimic that tender crumb. And if you cannot find vanilla bean paste, regular vanilla bean paste works just fine—use the same amount, and maybe toss in a few extra chocolate chips to bump up the decadence.
For the marshmallows, mini vanilla marshmallows melt in cute little pockets, but you can chop regular marshmallows into smaller pieces if that is what you have. If you like extra-gooey tops, press a few mini marshmallows into each cookie as soon as they come out of the oven and let them soften while the cookies rest. These Levain Bakery Rocky Road Cookies taste incredible warm, but they also make decadent ice cream sandwiches—try tucking a scoop of vanilla, coffee, or toasted marshmallow ice cream between two slightly cooled cookies. For a more composed dessert plate, serve them with a drizzle of warm chocolate sauce, a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, and a scoop of ice cream, just like you might do with my brownie-inspired cookie recipes. They also travel beautifully: let them cool completely, then pack them in a tin with parchment between layers for lunchboxes, bake sales, or that friend who always “accidentally” shows up when you bake.
Serving of Levain Bakery Rocky Road Cookies
Conclusion
Every time I pull a tray of these cookies from the oven, my kitchen smells like pure celebration—chocolate, toasted nuts, and gooey marshmallow all tumbling together. It’s the kind of aroma that makes people wander in barefoot, curious, and suddenly “just in the neighborhood.” That’s the quiet magic of baking: you start with simple ingredients and end up with memories, shared stories, and crumb-dusted smiles.
I hope these Levain Bakery Rocky Road Cookies become one of those “everyone’s favorite” recipes in your home—the one you reach for on snow days, late-night cravings, or whenever someone needs a little extra love. Don’t overthink it, just preheat the oven, scoop that dough, and see what happens when you give yourself an hour to play in the kitchen. You deserve that kind of cozy.
If you bake a batch, I’d be thrilled to hear how they turned out and who you shared them with—those details are the heartbeat of Taste to Rate.
For more delicious recipes like this, follow us on social media!
Instructions Process of Levain Bakery Rocky Road Cookies
What makes these Levain Bakery Rocky Road Cookies different from regular chocolate cookies?
Levain Bakery Rocky Road Cookies stand out because they are ultra-thick, bakery-style cookies with a fudgy, brownie-like center and crisp, slightly crinkled edges. You pack the dough with mini vanilla marshmallows, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and crunchy cashews, so every bite has a mix of gooey, melty, and crunchy textures. Cold butter and a high baking temperature help the cookies keep their height instead of spreading flat. The combination of cocoa, vanilla bean paste, and brown sugar gives the cookies a deep, rich chocolate flavor that feels like a bakery splurge made right at home.
Why does this recipe use cold butter, cake flour, and all-purpose flour together?
Cold butter keeps the dough cooler and firmer, which helps the cookies bake up thick and chunky instead of thin and crisp. Creaming cold butter a bit longer still builds structure and a little lift without fully softening it. Using both cake flour and all-purpose flour balances tenderness and structure, so the cookies stay soft and chewy but don’t collapse or spread too much. Cornstarch joins the party to add even more softness while the cookie exterior still gets that classic bakery-style crust.
Do I need to chill the dough, and how big should I scoop the cookies?
You do not need to chill the dough for these Levain Bakery Rocky Road Cookies because the cold butter already controls spreading. The recipe is designed for large, bakery-style cookies, so aim for dough balls that weigh about 5 to 6 ounces each. Bigger scoops give you that contrast of crisp edges with a gooey, underbaked-looking center. If you make them smaller, check them a minute or two earlier, as they will bake faster and may lose some of that signature thick texture.
Recipe
Levain Bakery Rocky Road Cookies
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips plus extra for topping
- 1 cup mini vanilla marshmallows plus extra for topping
- 1 cup cashews roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 410°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cold cubed butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together with a mixer on medium-high speed for 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla bean paste and mix for 1 minute more, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add the cocoa powder, cake flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt to the bowl. Mix on low speed just until a thick dough forms and no dry streaks remain.
- Gently fold in the chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and chopped cashews until evenly distributed.
- Divide the dough into 12 portions and roll each portion into a large ball, about 5 to 6 ounces each. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them well apart.
- Press a few extra chocolate chips and mini marshmallows onto the tops of each dough ball for a bakery-style look.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges look set but the centers are still soft and slightly underbaked.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Immediately use a spatula to gently press and nudge the edges of each cookie toward the center to keep them thick and round.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 15 minutes to finish setting before carefully transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely or serve warm.
Notes
- Weighing the dough portions helps keep the cookies uniform in size for even baking.
- If the dough feels too sticky to roll, chill it for 15 to 20 minutes before shaping.
- Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.
