Go no further! While many have called these the best chocolate chip cookies, I assure you they are actually the worst, and this recipe might actually ruin your life.
Consider yourself warned.
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies are the Worst
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 cookies”, and dog-eared cookbooks of “award winning” and your family favorites, you have somehow found yourself here, face-to-cookie with the actual worst chocolate chip cookie recipe.
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 chewy, 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 worst-but-should-be best chocolate chip cookies), that will work just fine, too.
What kind of self-respecting cookie doesn’t demand purity and quality?
Only the worst kind.
Ingredients (& Secret Ingredients)
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 other-worldly.
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 actually is. 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? 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 their own personal best chocolate chip cookies. 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 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 at least 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” chocolate chip 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 30 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.
If your cookies are spreading too much, you can try stirring in a bit more flour or just chilling them (covered) for longer.
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.
Easily one of the most-asked questions that I get, I suspect those who ask this question were merely so distracted by the siren call of these cookies that they were unable to read the blog post. Just know that they would be the best chocolate chip cookies… if they didn’t turn you into a cookie obsessed monster at first bite.
If you’re looking for something a little tamer but still delicious, check out my best chocolate chip cookie recipe, instead.
Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my email list to be notified of all my newest recipes and find my video tutorials on YouTube.
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 ½ cups (300 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60 ml) maple syrup²
- 3 ⅓ 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
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together melted butter and sugars.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 ½ cups (300 g) light brown sugar, ½ 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, ¼ cup (60 ml) maple syrup²
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.3 ⅓ 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) and up to 3 days (the cookies look and taste even better after a longer chill. Note the dough will be harder to scoop after a longer chill time, just let it sit at room temperature a bit until it's scoopable)
- 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
¹Butter
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.²Maple 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 my 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.
Laura
As a hopeless chocolate chip cookie addict, your post made me laugh my head off! Cookie snob 🤣
Sam
🤣 I’m glad it was enjoyable for you. 🙂
MiMi
Hi! If I add pecans or walnuts will I need to adjust the temperature or baking time? If it will ruin the recipe I’ll just leave them out.
Sam
Hi MiMi! No, you shouldn’t need to adjust the baking time. You may wish to reduce the chocolate chips by just a bit though (maybe half a cup?) to not overwhelm the cookie dough, but that’s just a matter of personal preference 🙂
Enjoy!
MiMi
You were right! These cookies are the worse. I can’t stop eating them:) They are delicious and the best I have ever had. I added pecans and baked just a minute or two longer because of my oven temperature being off. Thank you for sharing your secret!
Sam
Yay! I’m so glad they turned out for you. 🙂
Dianna
This recipe is so good! My husband usually requests these cookies for our at-home date nights. They’re easy to make and the dough freezes really well too. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy them so much, Dianna! 🙂
Jeannine Thomas
My dad is the ultimate chocolate chip connoisseur! He says these are the best ever! I made him a batch for his 77th birthday. I typically use Ina Garten’s recipe and this one blew it out of the water! Thank you for sharing.
Sam
Thank you Jeannine! I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much! Tell your dad I said Happy Birthday! 🙂
N
I love these cookies so much. Beyond just eating them myself, I love to use them to bewitch co-workers and professors. They have always been an office party favorite, with much debate over the “secret ingredient”.
Now that I have just moved, my neighbor brought over some fresh-baked bread. Not one to be shown up, I will be returning her plate with these… so I can really how her who’s boss.
Thanks for the fantastic recipe. I’ll try to use my cookie power responsibly.
Sam
😂 I love the term “cookie power”! I’m so glad everyone has enjoyed them so much. 🙂
Joy
These are amazing! I did add 1 tsp of cinnamon and it enhances the taste. Great recipe.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Joy! 🙂
Tanja
Can you freeze any unused dough for later. On consumption?
Sam
Hi Tanja! That will work fine. I do it all the time. I like to roll the dough out into balls then wrap each one individually then store in a freezer bag. 🙂
karina
what would happen if I used only granulated sugar?
Sam
Hi Karina! You will lose some flavor and moisture if you only use granulated sugar.
Dan
We have done this countless times as regular cookies and they are great! I was wondering if you thought how they would be baked in a 13×9 and turned into cookie bars. Any alterations or suggestions or thoughts?
Sam
Hi Dan! It will probably turn out, but I haven’t tried it to be sure. If you do try it, I’d love to know how it turns out. 🙂
Dan
Forgot to get back on here until now, but these turned out just as amazing as cookie bars.
Followed the recipie to a T, the only exception being that we didn’t have baking soda, so substituted with three more teaspoons of baking powder.
After chilling, spread out in a parchment covered 13×9 pan. Baked at 350 for 32 minutes.
And like I said first, they turned out absolutely great.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Dan! 🙂
Craig Fields Williams
Finally! I’ve tried so many cookie recipes over the years. These are by far the best I’ve ever made. Perfect instructions, too. They came out exactly like the picture and taste even better than they look (if that’s even possible)! So amazing. The only thing I changed was I switched out the maple syrup with 1/4 cup of agave syrup and they are perfect. Thank you so much.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies so much, Craig! 🙂
Pamela C.
10 years in a baking and pastry industry and this has to be THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE of all time! not only were they delicious but they made my house smell like maple heaven!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Pamela! That is quite an honor. 🙂
Anthony Diaz
Have you tried this recipe but with the brown butter technique? Does it make it any better/worst?
Sam
I have not, but others have commented that they have with success. It honestly sounds like it would be fantastic to me!
Judie
OH my gosh!!!!! The best ever!!!! Well worth following you step by step for the Perfect cookie!!! I took a picture but didn’t know how to add it in the comment.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Judie! Unfortunately there isn’t an easy way to add pictures here but I do have a Facebook group where I love to see everyone’s creations! 🙂
S
Looking forward to trying out this recipe! Wondering why both baking powder and soda are needed though? Typically I’ve learned that one or the other is the best option and incorporated at the right level accordingly.
Sam
It has to do with how they spread and bake up. In this recipe this is really the best combination of ingredients. 🙂
Cassie
These are the BESTA cookies I’ve ever made. My son raves about how they tasted like the ones at the store bakery. 🤣 Absolutely delicious, will be saving this recipe!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Cassie! 🙂