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.
Carey
Would adding a cup of chopped pecans make the dough too stiff?
Sam
Hi Carey! Adding the pecans will be fine. You may want to reduce the chocolate chips just a little bit so the dough isn’t completely overwhelmed with add ins. 🙂
Carey
Thank you so much! I will reduce the amount of chocolate chips to add the pecans. That is how my crew likes them. Have a good day!
Donna
I just had to leave a review, these were that good! I gave almost all the cookies this recipe made to some family I was visiting, and the next day they said they were all gone! They said they couldn’t stop eating them! So I will be making these again for sure.
Also, I loved reading the article attached–normally I kind of skip the words before the recipe cause they can be long and drawn out, but yours was to the point and hilarious. Thanks for sharing!!
Sam
Thank you so much, Donna! I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies so much! 🙂
Kbp
I made half batch 2/3 cup semi sweet morsels and 1/3 white chocolate chips. I was out of chocolate! Turned out great. Hubs who is a toll house purist likes them went back for seconds. I baked a dozen made balls of the rest of the dough and will freeze or we would eat them all! I also added a few dark chocolate chips to a few cookies in the cooling stage triple chocolate threats !
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much! 🙂
Michelle
Hi there, these look so good! Can you store half of cookie dough in the fridge for a few days till you want to make your next batch? How long does the cookie dough last in fridge?!
Sam
Hi Michelle! Yes, keep in an airtight container (or tightly cover with plastic wrap) in the fridge for up to a week.
Patti Adams
Can dark brown sugar be used instead of the light brown sugar?
Sam
Yup! The cookies will be a bit chewier and more rich.
Cindy Minnich
Quick question: If I wanted to spread the dough into a bar pan for bar cookies, do you have any advice? As in size of pan, temperature, and duration of time in the oven? Thanks so much!
Sam
Hi Cindy! While I haven’t tried baking these in a bar, a commenter actually just the other day told me they did it and it turned out great. They used a 13 x 9 baked at 350 for 32 minutes. I hope it goes well for you. 🙂
Na
These cookies are absolutely amazing the only thing is when I was storing the cookies I tried stacking them on top of each other and they all were stuck just in the center did I underbaked my cookies? I’m guessing that’s what went wrong they were just as good lol.
Sam
Unfortunately it sounds like they were under-baked. Good news is that’s an easy fix for next time. 🙂
Na
Do you recommend me baking the cookies on conventional mode? Or what do you recommend me doing to prevent this problem I just ordered an oven thermometer maybe my oven runs cold? Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions I’m new to this.
Sam
I bake in a conventional oven and that is my recommendation for all of my recipes so that could help. I also do recommend an oven thermometer because many ovens don’t run true to temp, so that’s a good call, too. Honestly though, I would probably just bake them a minute or two longer and I think that will fix the problem 🙂
Veronika
This has been my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe for a few years now! Do you think I could substitute peanut M&M’s for the chocolate chips?
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Veronika! M&M’s would work just fine here. 🙂
Dave
Made a batch last night. Loved them!!!! Super Recipe!!! Thank you Sam!!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Dave! 🙂
Emily
Hands down the best cookie recipe ever. Everyone raves about them when I bring them over. You can’t really taste the maple flavor so no one ever guesses the “secret ingredient”. I’ve made the recipe without chilling the dough, chilling as directed, chilling for hours, and freezing then thawing and baking..ALL turned out fab.
I modify the recipe only slightly….
Replace the chocolate chips with 2 cups (or whatever your preference is) of ALL mini chocolate chips
Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry mixtures (this is something all bakeries add to their chocolate chip cookies!)
Omit the salt from the recipe and instead sprinkle salt flakes over the cookie dough balls (I use Maldon)
Fantastic recipe, will forever be my go to. Thank you!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Emily! 🙂
Ashley
I haven’t made these cookies yet, but they are on my to-do list for this week. I have a question about the syrup… Real maple syrup vs. pancake syrup – what’s the difference in flavor profile, if any? I’m assuming the texture would be the same and it would just be flavor that’s possibly affected between the two. I don’t usually have maple syrup, but always have pancake syrup. I know you say pancake syrup works just fine, but is it one of those things where it works, but maple syrup is preferred to bring the cookie to the next level? I borrowed maple syrup for this recipe so I was thinking about doing a batch of each for a side by side comparison. Sorry… I know I’m over thinking and analyzing this, but it’s what I do. 😬
Thoughts?
Sam
Hi Ashley! Some people have said the pure maple syrup cookies are a little bit flatter but that has not been my experience. Other than that, there is really not much difference at all. Even as a “super-taster” I can’t tell the difference in tastes or textures. 🙂
Abby
Can you freeze this dough?
Sam
Hi Abby! This cookie dough freezes well. I like to roll out the cookie dough balls, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then store in a freezer bag. You can cook them from frozen they may just need an extra minute or two. 🙂
Kelsi
Are these okay to chill for a few hours in the fridge before baking?
Sam
Yup! The flavor will develop even more. Just keep the bowl tightly covered. Enjoy!
Joey
Ok I am a chocolate chip cookie nut,! I have tried a tons of recipes and this is the best. It’s now my secret go to recipe ….and like my grand mother taught me (always give credit to the chef) Sam’s cookies!!
Thank you
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoys them so much, Joey! 😊
Micaela Neus
What an amazing and well-written recipe! Truly a delight to read <3
Sam
Thank you so much, Micaela! 🙂
Suzannah Keiser
Hi! Since this recipe uses melted butter would it be possible to use brown butter? Like if you brown the butter then let it cool until room temperature would that affect the recipe?
Thanks, this recipe looks delish!
Sam
Hi Suzannah! Others have used brown butter in this recipe with success. You will want to let it cool so it doesn’t melt the sugars. 🙂
Suzannah Keiser
Awesome! I can’t wait to make these! By the way, can I ask where you did your calorie calculations for these cookies? I didn’t see you had put a calorie count down so I calculated it myself and it only came out to 185 per cookie with 32 cookies? Maybe I’m just totally wrong though, haha!
Thanks again.
Sam
I typically enter all of my into My Fitness Pal for calorie calculations. 😊