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.
Linda
These cookies are good. However after following the recipe exactly (I always change things up), my family said they were good but not as good as my usual browned butter chocolate chip cookies that I usually make.
Thanks for sharing though, but we will be sticking to our usual.
Sandra
Reading your article and all the comments about these cookies, I was very excited to try them. I don’t know if you hyped them up too much, but for me, these cookies were simply ok. Definitely not the best cookies I’ve made. You definitely have to warm them up to eat otherwise they are too chewy, like eating toffee. I like the maple taste but definitely not the texture. My boyfriend also said I’ve made better. My kids liked them and they won’t go to waste. But probably won’t be making them again.
Sugar Spun Run
I am really sorry to hear that, Sandra. These cookies should not be chewy like toffee?!!! I am not sure where you went wrong, possibly overbaked?. Regardless, I appreciate your feedback.
Lisa Skelton
These have got to be the best worst chocolate chip cookies ever!!! I make these all the time and everyone loves them! I’m so glad I stumbled across the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever! Thank you Sam for Sharing your recipes! I’ve used both maple syrup and regular buttery pancake syrup and they are delicious either way!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Lisa! 🙂
Cass
I never comment on things but I just had to- these were freakin’ amazing!!!! This is the chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe I have been searching forever for!! My bf called me an evil witch for making these and leaving them out- def the WORST. Note: I subbed 3/4 dark brown sugar 1/4 white for the light brown as I was out. I chilled for hr + and had to increase baking time to about 20 mins- but you can pretty much eye it. I am ruined forever, thank you!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Cass! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I really appreciate it. 🙂
Chris
What can I say… these are exactly what they say. My family loves it when I make these and the kids are waiting on them to come out of the oven. Great recipe. Thanks so much
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that they are a family favorite, Chris! Thank you so much for commenting. 🙂
carolyn
Could you make bar cookies by making this recipe in a 9×13 pan? How long would you bake them? Thank you
Sam
Hi Carolyn! I haven’t tried it but I think it should turn out. 🙂
Tiffany
This is my absolute favorite cookie recipe and I have made it dozens of times. This time was unlike any other – my cookies spread and I was devastated. 😝 I’ve already glanced past Sam’s note about spreading cookies and thought “hmmm, that’s odd!” Now I join the club of the spreading cookies! 🙃
Sugar Spun Run
OH NO!!! I am so sorry that happened, Tiffany. 🙁
Tiffany Robinson
Ha! It’s ok Sam. Everyone seems to still be enjoying them. 🙂
Thao
These cookies should come with a warnings! It’s so delicious you will lose all self control. I love how the maple syrup made the cookie taste. The best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had, hands down! A tip I picked up from baking these cookies over a dozen time is to let the dough sit in the fridge over night. The dough is more stiff and the cookies won’t come out flat. Big difference in texture and taste to me.
Sugar Spun Run
They really are the WORST right? lol. I am so glad that you hated/loved them, Thao! 🙂
Cindy
Can you refrigerate the dough for longer than 30 minutes?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Cindy! Yes, you can! You want to make sure that the dough is well wrapped when stored. 🙂
Lynae
This is my favorite cookie recipe of all time have being using it for years. I recently have been doing Keto and wanted to see if you ever tried to use almond or coconut flour and how much would I put to replace the flour?
Sam
Hi Lynae! Unfortunately I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure how it would go. If you do try it I would love to know how it goes for you. 🙂
Suzanne
These cookies were absolutely amazing! Thanks for another great recipe.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Suzanne! 🙂
Cindy
Do you absolutely have to melt the butter and then chill the dough? Can you just use softened butter and then skip the chilling process??
Sam
You could do that, but for best results and the best tasting cookie I do strongly recommend making as written. This will yield the chewiest, softest, and best-flavored cookie possible.
Cindy
Ok. Thank you!
Suzannah
Love them, but I’d really, REALLY recommend to anyone to leave the dough in the fridge until it is properly cold- like at least an hour. I did mine in two batches and kept the second half in the fridge until the pans were cool again. The first batch came out a little greasy and sad looking, but the The second batch came out FLAWLESS. They held their shape beautifully and they look like a professional made them.
Thank you for including the metric measurements and Thanks for such a delicious recipe!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Suzannah! 🙂
Angela
Hi Sam
I meant to said was can make the cookies 1 1/2 Tbsp how many minutes can they bake.Sorry typo mistake.
Sam
Hmmm I haven’t made them that small. Just keep an eye on them while they are baking.
Demi Fong Sotomayor
These cookies are absolute perfection. Big fan of your snickerdoodle recipe too!
Sam
I am so glad you have enjoyed them both so much! 🙂
Angela
Hi Sam
Your recipe is the best these cookies come out great.
My question is can I make smaller like 11/2 inch how many minutes can bake them?
Sam
Hi Angela! I am so glad you have enjoyed them so much! I haven’t made them that small so I’m not sure how long they would need to bake. Just keep an eye on them. 🙂