Go no further! This chocolate chip cookie recipe will ruin your life.
Consider yourself warned.
I can only assume that something must have gone horribly wrong to bring you here today.
Amidst a cherry-picked Pinterest Sea of “perfect chocolate chip cookies”, a Google Forest of the “best chocolate chip cookie recipe”, and dog-eared cookbooks of “award winning” and family favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes, you have somehow found yourself here, face-to-cookie with the actual worst chocolate chip cookie.
Oh, I know what you’re thinking: It’s just a cookie, right?
I mean, sure, they look innocent enough. Golden with melty chocolate chips, crinkled edges and melt-in-your-mouth interiors… but one bite and you’re positively ruined for life.
These cookies will consume your life, shrink your jeans, and steal your boyfriend (I wouldn’t put it past them, anyway).
They even contain a secret ingredient.
A Secret Ingredient You’ll Wish You Never Discovered
How obnoxiously cliche, and, even more obnoxiously, intriguing.
I won’t drag it out. The secret ingredient is maple syrup. And sure, pure maple syrup (priced per ounce nearly the same as gold) would work just wonderfully here. But, if you have a sticky bottle of Aunt Jemima in your cabinet (as I happened to when I set out on the unholy quest for a secret ingredient for the best-turned-worst chocolate chip cookie recipe), that will work just fine, too.
What kind of self-respecting cookie doesn’t demand purity and quality?
Only the worst kind.
I credit (or, rather, blame) this “secret ingredient” for being the greatest offender in this positively worst chocolate chip cookie recipe. It gives the cookies a subtle, caramelized flavor as well as long-lasting chewiness and softness (these cookies stay soft for days, and the cornstarch helps with that as well), and the flavor is to die for.
And, while anyone who takes a bite will be able to detect the extra richness of flavor, not a single taste-tester was able to identify exactly what the secret ingredient was. Just that they were enjoying “really, really good cookies”.
OK, so what’s so bad about really good chocolate chip cookies?
How about the fact that they will consume you as you consume them? I’m not kidding about them wrecking your relationships.
Mom’s favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe? Ditch it. You will snub your nose at every “favorite” cookie (chocolate chip or not) of the past and struggle to hold back scornful laughs at anyone who comments on any other “delicious” cookie. Nobody likes a cookie snob, and yet here you are.
Here comes that girl again, the one who’s too good for Chips Ahoy.
A Cookie Recipe for Ruining Your Life
Be prepared for weight gain. It creeps up slowly, the cookies gently embracing you at first, then clinging to your thighs, your stomach, tighter and tighter until yoga pants are your only way out of the house. If you’re worried about your significant other noticing, don’t bother. They don’t notice anything anymore, only whether or not there are more chocolate chip cookies readily available for consumption.
Perhaps worst of all is that this chocolate chip cookie recipe can be made so easily. There’s no stand mixer or even an electric hand-held one required. They can be stirred by hand, dirtying only two bowls.
They do need to chill for 30 minutes, which would only serve as a deterrent if 25 of those minutes weren’t spent sneaking copious chunks of cookie dough from the refrigerator.
If you’ve made it this far, I fear it may already be too late for you.
It’s too late for me, sadly, and I’ve made these cookies nearly a dozen times in the past two weeks. I’m swapping gym time for cookie time to keep my refrigerator well-stocked with dough, and the photo shoot for this post took three times as long as it should have because I kept eating the subjects.
If you can, stick to the “best ever” cookies. Stick to Grandma’s chocolate chip cookie recipe and the old family favorites. Those cookies are safe, your friends, made to be consumed by you.
These cookies will consume you, instead.
Good luck out there. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did you run into cookies that spread all over the baking sheet in the oven? Here are your most likely culprits:
The butter was too hot when you added your sugar, causing the sugar to melt and creating a greasy cookie dough that never stood a chance.
You didn’t add enough flour. If the flour was under-measured, your cookies could spread when baking.
Your baking powder/baking soda was bad. These need to be stored properly and often will expire after 6 months, if yours is old, that could be the problem.
The dough didn’t chill long enough. If your dough is still very sticky after 30ย minutes, let it chill longer.
You put your cookie dough on a hot cookie sheet. It actually starts to melt before it can even begin baking.
It could be that your flour was over-measured. Never scoop your flour directly into your measuring cup, it packs the flour into the cup and you end up with way more than the recipe actually calls for. Instead, use a scale (this is the scale that I use) or use a spoon to pour the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a straightedge (like the back of a knife).
Honey or light or dark corn syrup would work instead of the syrup, just note that the flavor will be slightly different.
Letโs bake together!ย Iโll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe andย videoย below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me onย Instagram, and you can also find me onย YouTubeย andย Facebook
The WORST Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter melted and then cooled until no longer warm to the touch (see note)
- 1 ยฝ cups (300 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- ยฝ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ยผ cup (60 ml) maple syrupยฒ
- 3 ยผ cups (415 g) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (340 g) chocolate chips I used half regular semisweet chips and half mini semisweet chips
Recommended Equipment
- 1 ยฝ Tablespoon cookie scoop
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together melted butter and sugars.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 ยฝ cups (300 g) light brown sugar, ยฝ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- Add eggs, one at a time, stirring until combined.2 large eggs
- Stir in vanilla extract and maple syrup.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ยผ cup (60 ml) maple syrupยฒ
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.3 ยผ cups (415 g) all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients, stirring until completely combined.
- Stir in chocolate chips.2 cups (340 g) chocolate chips
- Cover bowl with clear wrap and allow to chill for at least 30 minutes (chilling!? I told you, this recipe is the worst.)
- While the dough is chilling, preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper (if you don’t have parchment paper, you can bake directly on an ungreased cookie sheet).
- Scoop about 2 Tablespoons of cookie dough and roll into balls, making them slightly taller than they are wide. Place them at least 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake about 13 minutes (cookies will appear to be a bit underdone, but edges should be just beginning to turn golden brown).
- Allow cookies to cool completely on cookie sheet. If desired, gently press a few chocolate chips on top of the warm cookies.
- Keep unbaked cookie dough in fridge while waiting to put the next batch in the oven, and do not place cookie dough on a hot cookie sheet.
Notes
ยนButter
You do not want your butter to be too hot or it may melt the sugar and you’ll have a very runny dough. Best practice would be to cut the butter into about Tablespoon-sized pieces, microwave in 10-second increments (stirring after each) until it is just completely melted, and then allow it to sit for 5 minutes. If your butter is too hot it could make your cookie dough or resulting cookies greasy.ยฒMaple Syrup
I don’t recommend leaving out the maple syrup, it is critical to the flavor and is what makes these truly the “worst” chocolate chip cookies. In a pinch, honey or even corn syrup or golden syrup will work as a substitute to give you the same texture, but the flavor will not be the same. Pure maple syrup and imitation “pancake syrup” both work just fine here, the former lends itself to slightly flatter cookies and the latter to slightly thicker ones.Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Cookie dough may be chilled, scooped, individually wrapped in plastic wrap and then frozen in an airtight container for up to 6 months.Gluten Free
A number of readers have commented that this recipe works well when substituting the flour 1:1 with Cup4Cup Gluten Free Flour, but I have not tested this myself.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Related Cookie Recipes That are Also Pretty Terrible But Not As Bad:
I originally published the worst chocolate chip cookie recipe on 3/21/16. I have since updated it to include new photos and a video, but the recipe has remained unchanged.
Kendra
This recipe is AMAZING! My family asks for them all the time. And holidays, they are a must have! I prefer this over my old family recipe that’s been passed down! Shhh! Dont tell! Lol.
My question is, I love the dough. How soft it stays. Do you think I could replace the chocolate chips with Reese’s baking cups and pieces?
Sam
Hi Kendra! You should be able to switch out the chocolate chips with no issues. ๐
Kari Tobey
Hi… Iโm trying your cookies for the first time…. so excited but I live in a high elevation town (Lake Tahoe) and was wondering if I need to add extra flour like so many recipes….thankyou in advance and look forward to your answer โค๏ธ
Sam
Hi Kari! Unfortunately I am not familiar with high altitude baking. I would make any adjustments that you typically make when baking. ๐
Izabella Sanchez
I don’t have maple syrup? Can I use regular pancake syrup? ๐
Sam
Absolutely! ๐
Amber Nicole Allen
Can I freeze the dough or is it better to freeze the cookies after they are baked?
Sam
Hi Amber! I personally think it’s better to freeze the uncooked dough. Scoop the dough balls and wrap them individually in cling wrap, then store them in a freezer bag. You can cook them from frozen. They will just need an extra minute or two in the oven. ๐
GEORGE CHONG
Oooohhhhh…..these are so good! Thank you for also post the recipe ingredients in grams too. I much rather weigh my ingredients that risk the chance of adding too much of something. I can’t wait to share the cookies (if I don’t eat them all first!)
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much George! Baking with weights is so much easier in my opinion. Good luck not eating them all! ๐
Renv
Hi can i use corn flour instead of cornstarch? Is it the same? I cant find cornstarch in the market thank you
Sam
In the UK cornstarch is actually called corn flour. ๐
Renv
So i can use corn flour for this recipe? Coz im kinda worried in the result hope it will be like yours thanks sam will bake it today ๐
Sam
Corn flour is the same things as corn starch (or at least very very similar) so that will work just fine in place of the corn starch. ๐
Bev
Yup, these ARE the worst! LOL, won’t last long. Mine came out with almost a fudgey taste, but chewy. In spite of the sugar, they were not over the top sweet. Next time, I am tossing in pecans! My husband has given these a “thumbs up”. Will definitely make again. Thank you!
Sam
๐คฃ Hopefully they don’t ruin your life! ๐
Mindy Shryock
A 5-star recipe for sure! Absolutely PERFECT! Thank you for sharing! My whole family LOVED these cookies!!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that the cookies were such a hit, Mindy! Thanks for commenting. ๐
Elena
Can I ask what is the difference between melted and softened butter in cookies ?? because I saw other recipes that use softened butter
Sam
Hi Elena! In this particular recipe the melted butter infuses the cookie with a better, butterier flavor and makes the cookies more chewy ๐
T
These cookies are amazing – thank you for sharing! But one question, as i’m a beginner baker, the cookies turned out way too soft, how do I get the crispy on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside?
Your insights will be appreciated!
Cheers,
T
Sam
These cookies were actually made to be pretty soft cookies. They should hold together and not crumble in your hands though. If they are crumbling in your hands you may need to bake them for a minute or two more. If you want them to be crispy you could always over-bake them a little bit but I really don’t recommend that. ๐
Occasionally Baker
Is it okay if I lessen the sugar or maple syrup so Iโll have a less sweeter choc chip cookies? Iโm quite afraid that my cookies would turn out too sweet for me since Iโm also using sweet chocolate blocks. Thanks ๐
Sam
Others have reduced the sugars a little bit and still had success. ๐
Leslie
You are right! THESE COOKIES ARE THE ABSOLUTE WORST! I can’t stop eating them. They are so chewy, and soft, and delicious and oh soo bad for you. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Leslie! ๐
Shabnam
Good Lord ..these are soo addictive..Sam Thank You for this recipe. My cookies turned out soft and Delicious..My daughters love it and my husband canโt stop eating.
I have tired you crepe recipe and it was Awsome… I no longer go out for crepes =)
Thank You
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much! It’s always better to have homemade if you ask me. ๐
Kaylee
Can the cornstarch be substituted for another ingredient or left out? Iโd love to try this recipe, and thatโs the only ingredient I donโt have.
Sam
Hi Kaylee! You can substitute it with flour the cookies just won’t be as soft and chewy. ๐
Stacy
Amazing cookies! I have never made cookies that stay so soft!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Stacy! ๐