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.
Lauren
Hi – question related to the maple syrup. I know it said that leaving it out is not recommended. However, could you choose to leave out the maple syrup (or any of the listed substitutes) and still get a nice, delicious cookie?
Thank you!
Sam
Hi Lauren! I would recommend my second best chocolate chip cookies instead if you don’t want to use the syrup. 🙂
Nikki
Love these cookies! It’s the 3rd year I’ve used it. This year I’m dairy free for my breastfed baby so I had to sub the butter for an alternative. The first batch I made I used earth balance “buttery sticks”. Shape and texture were perfect but the smell and taste were terrible. I was confused but felt it was the “butter”. Made a new batch with country crock plant butter and they were yummy. I threw the bad batch out and redeemed myself lol. I will say they’re better with real butter but this will suffice this year. My husband also got me dark chocolate instead of semi sweet so they’re more bitter than I prefer but still good.
Sam
I am so glad you still found a way to enjoy them, Nikki! I know how hard it can be to try to eliminate dairy. Congratulations on your new bundle of joy. 🙂
Mark
Well, thanks again for an awesome recipe!! I just finished making a batch of these and yup, they are the worst!! These will be my go to secret family recipe! As always your instructions are spot on!! I love that you give weights of ingredients, pretty much makes it idiot-proof! Just a small tip, I used my scale to weigh the dough for the cookies, made them all 37 grams and got 40 cookies out of it. Cooking time was about 11 minutes! I also made your sugar cookie recipe yesterday and they turned out perfect too!! Thanks for your fabulous recipes!! Merry Christmas!
Sam
I’m so sorry for the horrible cookies, Mark! 😉 I’m glad you enjoyed the sugar cookies. 🙂
Janet
My girlfriend tried these recently and said they were very good, so I am going to try them. Thanks so much for including the weight as I am learning that measuring can make a difference!
On that note, have you weighed the liquid for your eggs? I know that even “large” eggs are not consistent in size. Just wondering what the correct weight for this recipe is.
Have you weighed your chocolate chips?
I noticed in the video you said to use 1/2 cup mini chips, and then reserve 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the 1.5 cups semisweet chips to use on top, but the directions say to use 1 cup of each type, and then, if desired, add more on top. Which is correct?
Thanks!
Sam
Hi Janet! While I’m normally very particular about things, I have made this recipe with eggs ranging from large to jumbo and it has always turned out great! The chocolate chips would be 340g here. Honestly for what kind of chips to use, any combination will work just fine. Sorry for any confusion. I hope everyone loves the cookies. 🙂
Emily
I have made these several times over the past couple of years. These are hands-down the BEST chocolate chip cookies ever. I get loads of compliments when I bake them. My friend asked me to prepare the dough for her so she can bake them and deliver them warm to her neighbors! My daughter even asked for them instead of a birthday cake!
Sam
That is so awesome! I’m so glad everyone enjoys them so much! 🙂
Ariel
Ok I just had to comment because this is my go to recipe – I love these cookies sooo much. I started to make them last night and realized I only had half regular flour, half gluten free flour, and I was missing an egg. I ended up going half and half with the flour and using a flax egg. when I baked the cookies they came out super flat (obviously due to my changes) so I was a bit disappointed, but I gotta say they are still SO good. Soft and chewy, they’re like perfect holiday morning cookies with a cup of coffee.
I honestly don’t think this recipe can go wrong. Thank you for this recipe!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Ariel! 🙂
Carolyn
We just made our first batch of the worst chocolate chip cookies and they are amazing.
Charlotte
Im planning to make it for friends for christmas! Wondering if I can leave dough in fridge for 3 days before baking? As planning to bake them in batches! Cant wait to try!
Sam
Hi Charlotte! The dough will be fine in the refrigerator for up to a week as long as it’s covered tightly so it doesn’t dry out. 🙂
Kristen
I must say these are SO delicious! I’ve made some recently from scratch, but they came out flat. I’ve learned so much from this recipe and I wi be using this all the time! I have 4 little girls, so chocolate is a must have in my house 😂
Thank you for sharing this and sharing all the tips!!! You deserve a trophy 🏆
Sam
Thank you so much, Kristen! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Alexis
I am so excited to try this recipe! How do you know how much maple syrup and cornstarch to add if I wanted to try this technique in another recipe?
Sam
Hi Alexis! Ooo there are way too many variables to say for sure unfortunately. 🙁
Allie
Hi Sam. I’ve made these before but baked them right away. They are magical and I am considering making them as Christmas gifts. If I scoop into dough balls and place in airtight container, can the recipient freeze and bake at a later time? Should they thaw first?
Sam
Hi Allie! Yes these freeze very nicely. I wrap each ball of dough individually in cling wrap and store in a freezer bag. They can be baked right from frozen. It may just take another minute or two in the oven. 🙂
Megan
These are so good my new go to chocolate chip cookie recipe! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Megan
I was going to hunt down a cookie snob, lock them in a room, and only feed them stale Chips Ahoy until they eventually broke down and gave me their secret family cookie recipe. This, this is a much better option. The cookies were delectable and I am currently bringing them to my class White Elephant Gift Exchange to spread waistlines and holiday cheer!
Sam
🤣 I am so glad you enjoy them so much, Megan! I hope everyone else does too. 🙂
nannette fromm
I have made the before, and they are awesome. I am always looking for extra flavor.
Question: could these be made with brown butter?
Sam
Hi Nannette! I know others have made this with brown butter with success. 🙂
Beth
I have made several batches of these cookies! I even doubled the recipe last year! They are wonderful! Just wanted to say they get stale after a few days in a tin, but I’m sure to make sure I store them in airtight containers this time!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Beth! 🙂