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.
Amanda
The are HANDS DOWN the BEST cookies Ive ever made! All my other chocolate chip cookie recipes are in the garbage as i type! These are simply AMAZING! I dont know if its the melted butter, or the syrup, or a combo, but these blow everything out of the water. I think my son melted when he tasted them!
Thank you so much for these!!
Sam
Woohoo! So glad you like them, Amanda! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know how they turned out for you!!
Julie
Oh my gosh! These cookies are amazing!! This will now be my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I didn’t have corn starch, so I used flour in place of the corn starch but they still turned out great!
Sam
Yay! I’m so glad that you liked them so much, Julie! Thank you for commenting! 🙂
Emma Holguin
These are UNREAL!!! I can’t stop baking/eating them. My husband and I have baked and eaten these cookies 3 times in the last 2 weeks. I’ve never done that with a recipe before!! Hands down best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had! Thank you for sharing!!!!!!!
Sam
Yay! So glad you enjoyed them so much 😀
Wendy
I can’t find the oven temperature listed anywhere in the recipe. I imagine it is listed somewhere in the myriad comments, but please will you put it in the body of the recipe? Thank you!
Wendy
I finally found the temperature. Thanks! I’ve got cookies in the oven now!
Sam
I hope you love them!
Sam
Hi Wendy, it is listed in the recipe in step 8: “While the dough is chilling, preheat oven to 350F and prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper.”
Amy
I followed the directions exactly, and just as you described, these are THE WORST cookies ever. Why would you post this?? Have you no mercy? Everything you said would happen has come to pass in my house. I’m simultaneously ashamed and elated. Thank you for this. You are the the worst.
Brooke
Now that I’ve baked literally thousands of these cookies, I can attest to them being the worst.
I love to bake and I love trying new recipes. So when I happened across this recipe about a year ago, I thought I’d give it a shot. Ever since, I’ve been making them nonstop. Now when I ask “oh, can I bake anything?” All I get is “can you make those cookies?”
No one wants me cheesecakes, mousse, cupcakes, magic bars, peanut butter bars, or ANYTHING other than these cookies.
They are… too good. I’ve never known “too good” before. 😂
Sam
Haha this made my day 🙂 So glad these cookies are a hit, but I warned you they would take over your life 😉
Chandler
Hey I just have a quick question! Did you use salted or unsalted butter with this recipe? Thanks!
Sam
Unsalted 🙂
I hope you love the cookies!
Dj
These cookies were amazing
Sam
Glad you enjoyed them!
Kelly
I’m getting ready to make these and wondered……can you use margarine, or does it have to be “real butter”?
Sam
I’ve only ever made them with real butter and almost always recommend using butter over margarine, but I think you could get away with using margarine. If you do try them that way I would definitely appreciate if you write back and let me know how they turned out! 🙂
Janelle
All other “best” chocolate chip cookie recipes have been thrown away/deleted. I will now only make these. Thanks for ruining my life/waistline!!
Sam
Yay! I love hearing this! Thank you for letting me know how you liked the cookies, Janelle!! 🙂
CC
I have some bacon syrup. I’m going to try in instead of maple syrup!
Sam
Sounds incredible!
sarah
Hey Sam,
Just read the recipe and found out it is actually the same one I use, I added baking powder to the original recipe and cornstarch for extra fluffiness and softness. Maple syrup is new to me, however, I do use powdered milk for I have read that it helps soften them more, is it true or is it only in my mind? heheh. Mine actually stay soft for quite a while. I stuff mine with Nutella all the time ! Love your blog, keep up.
sarah
oh and one more thing, do u think softened butter yields better cookies?
Sam
Hi Sarah! So glad you like the recipe, I’ve actually never used powdered milk so I can’t say for sure, but that is an interesting addition! Love that you stuff yours with Nutella — YUM! And I think melted butter makes for the best cookies 😉
LisaMarie
Hate to be the Kill-Joy but… not loving these. The receipt itself and the consistency of the cookie was nice. But for me and the group of 13-year old boys who serve as my weekend “Cookie Judges, ” this was voted, “Good, but not as good as your other recipe; don’t make again.” That maple syrup. First off, I don’t want to smell maple syrup when I have chocolate chip cookies in the oven. Second, it took a sweet cookie and obliterated it beyond enjoyment. Sorry.
Jere
Love the maple syrup in these cookies. Yes, they are the “worst”!!!!
Amelia
Just made these cookies: my family gulped them one after the other, unbelievably delicious cookies! Thanks for the recipe :).
I will definitely make them again and again!
Sam
Yay! So glad everyone enjoyed them! Thanks for commenting, Amelia! 🙂