The WORST Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
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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
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
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.
Hi Sam!!
These by far are the BEST chocolate cookies ever! I am 57 years young and I have tried many cc cookie recipes. Thank you for sharing this and all the rest of your fantastic recipes. Your foodie fan forever!
Rose S.
Thank you so much, Rose! I am so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂
About to make these but wanted to ask if you ever add pecans?
Hi Marsha! I have not but it sounds delicious! 🙂
Sam I’m so glad I found you,
I was intrigued by the title Worst Choc Chip Cookies, so I had to check it out. All my baking life I have always used recipes on the back of chocolate chips and never thought about checking out other recipes. You were right these cookies are absolutely delicious. I would have preferred using Semi-Sweet chips, but my wife wanted Milk Choc Chips, probably a little too sweet for me. Next time I’ll use your recipe and see if she can tell the difference. Your directions were spot on and this will be my go to recipe for chocolate chip cookies forever, even in the next life. I added macadamia nuts to mine as well…another spouse request.
Thanks again for bringing this, but you have ruined my life. At least chocolate chip cookie wise. 🙂
Cant wait to finish these so I can make another batch.
I am so happy to hear this Garry! I think you’ll enjoy the second batch even more. 🙂
These cookies are so delicious, would I be able to freeze the cookie dough if I don’t want to make all 32?
Thank you!
Hi Charlotte! That will work just fine. I typically roll the dough balls, wrap them in individually in cling wrap and store in a freezer bag. 🙂
Thank you, how much longer should I bake them for from frozen? 🙂
I would start with an extra minute or two but just keep an eye on them. 🙂
These are the Worst cookies ever. Why? I cannot keep them in the house long enough. I have to keep making more batches for my family every other day. Hopefully Santa has some for Christmas.
🤣 Sounds like you are going to have to make a secret stash for santa! 😉
I’m so thankful for this cookie recipe. It led me to your wonderful blog. These cookies are to die for. I made them exactly like the recipe said and they turned out perfectly! These best (or worst if you don’t want to eat a dozen cookies in one sitting) cookies ever!! Thanks for sharing
That is so kind of you, Jayna! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies so much. 🙂
Hi Sam – stumbled across Sugar Spun Run looking for Thanksgiving recipes and struck gold. Now my 19 yo daughter and I decided to bake Christmas cookies for all our neighbors who helped us during the wild fires this year. We have completed the Worst Chocolate chip, Peanut Butter Blossoms, Chocolate Crinkles, Thumbprints, Grinch Cookies, Snickerdoodle Bars, and Spritz. They all turned out perfect!! Thank you!
Check out the peanut butter white miso cookie on NY Times Christmas Cookie list ….. a must.
Lastly, looking for Italian citrus cookies…do you have a recipe for these? Thank you! Happy Holidays.
I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies so much! Unfortunately I do not have an Italian citrus cookie recipe, but I can add it to my list of things to make. Happy holidays! 🙂
Ahhh！! Do not make these cookies if you are trying to lose weight! Now I can’t stop eating them! They are the best cookies!
Tell me about it! 🤣 I’m glad you enjoyed them though. 🙂
I’ve tried SO MANY chocolate chip cookie recipes and this one is a keeper! This is my new go-to recipe and this cookie will definitely be in my Christmas cookie tray this year!
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Sabra! 🙂
Omg these are the WORST! Thank you!! I did tweak it because I simply unable to leave recipes alone, but only a little bit. I switched out 1/4 of the light brown sugar for dark brown, and added 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste. I also topped some with Christmas sprinkles because that makes the Christmas cookies, not just regular. It love how adding the few chips when they come out just ramps up the look. I have been tweaking my chocolate chip cookie recipe for at least 15 years. Maple syrup would NEVER have occurred to me but WOW!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Eileen! 🙂
Any recommendations for high altitude substitutions?
Unfortunately I’m not familiar with high altitude baking. 🙁
tried for so long to find a perfect cookie recipe and i have finally found it!! these cookies are amazing & will definitely make over & over again! thank you for sharing
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Isabella! 🙂
I’ve made these several years in a row. They are by far the BEST chocolate chip cookies. Love them!!
I’m so glad you enjoy them so much, Jessica! 🙂
This the best recipe! I make these cookies once a month for my boys and always use your recipe. They always turn out great!
I am so glad everyone enjoys them so much! 🙂
I made these cookies tonight . B oy these was the best chocolate chip that have eaten
in a long time . Thank you for share with us
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Larry! 🙂