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.
J Tanner
Finally a chocolate chip cookie recipe that is perfection in my opinion. Not too thin, not too thick. Soft and chewy in the middle. Scrumptious! My family devoured these cookies in a matter a minutes. Now I have a permanent cookie recipe! Thanks!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂
LeeAnne
I used the worst cookie recipe today and I have to say I feel like I’ve gained 10 lbs just from the smell! Its a wonderful combination of crispy /chewy super buttery cookies that are now my forever fav! I will confess I did teek the recipe just a tad – instead of plain melted butter, I browned the butter which gave it a deeper buttery flavor. I also used a combo of chips – semi sweet, milk, and white (leftovers from Christmas) chips. Turned out fab! I’m thinking of doing dark and milk chips with toffee bits next round. Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, LeeAnne! 🙂
Karla Calderon
Thank you for sharing this recipe! LOVE IT!
Julie
These are ridiculous. The absolute best cookie ever! I have tried several of your recipes and every one has been amazing. Every person I bless with these cookies I send them straight to your site when they beg for the recipe. I wanted to try adding walnuts because I love them but not sure how to adjust ingredients to accommodate. Should I decrease the chocolate chips slightly?
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy them so much, Julie! You can reduce the chocolate chips by 1/2 cup to add in the walnuts. 🙂
Sara
Love love LOVE this recipe. This is my go-to for a delicious dessert snack for company or simply when we have the craving.
Have you ever used this recipe to make a cookie cake? What would you recommend for pan size and cook temp and time? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Sara! I have not tried this as a cookie cake so I’m not sure what pan or baking time would be needed. The temperature would remain the same.
Mia Chan
Sam, these were DELISH! They were soft and chewy and my husband loved them!
Helen
I made this recipe countless times !!! It is so so delicious !! The texture and the flavour is scrumptious, chewy , and soft. Now I add a huge chunk of chocolate piece in the middle, some skor bits, plus the regular chocolate chips that goes in the dough, before baking on parchment paper.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy them so much, Helen! I love your subtle additions. 🙂
Connie
I am back to comment again these are the best!!! Thank you!!!! My husband says he’s addicted to these 😍😍😍 happy hubby happy wife! I make them weekly lately and they go so fast ☺️
Sam
That is so awesome! I’m so glad you enjoy them so much. 🙂
Judy
Hi there!!
Question please:
May I store dough in fridge for longer and bake later? Or can it be frozen?
Thank you so much for your help,
Judy
Sam
Hi Judy! You can store it in the refrigerator for up to a week, or if you want to freeze it I recommend rolling the dough into balls and wrapping each one individually then storing in a freezer bag. 🙂
Colleen
That’s dedication! I roll into logs the width of a cookie ball, wrap with parchment, bags and freeze. Then I slice to size and bake frozen. Works just fine.
Jacob
Just made these and had my first one…these should be illegal with how good they are.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jacob! 🙂
anna gordon
So good, my husband can’t stop eating them , love them.
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoys them so much, Anna! 🙂
Sara
I’ve had terrible luck with a lot of chocolate chip cookie recipes lately. This recipe truly is the best I’ve made yet. It worked flawlessly (even though I forgot the cornstarch oops!) I LOVE that I didn’t need to break out a hand mixer and I don’t own a stand mixer. So easy to throw together. The maple syrup really does add a little something. These cookies are the best of both worlds- soft and gooey in the center, crispy and buttery at the edges. Totally foolproof and totally addictive.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Sara! 🙂
Tiffany
I’ve made these cookies countless times. It recently snowed here and my family wanted chocolate chip cookies. To my horror I didn’t have enough butter to make this recipe work… I had ghee though. I substituted ghee for melted butter in this recipe and they still came out perfect. Because of ghee’s fat content I only used around 180 grams instead of the 226 grams of unsalted butter recommended in your recipe. Came to that total by multiplying 226 by 20%. Just thought I’d share my little victory.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Tiffany! I appreciate your feedback, it’s good to know. 🙂
Kelley
I made the “mistake” of making two batches of these cookies just before Christmas. They disappeared, with demands for more. A week ago I made two more batches. I am currently putting together two more batches, again, and now questioning my life choices. Haha. These cookies are sinfully delicious. Every word of your pre-recipe warning is absolutely true. My dad gets rabid over someone touching HIS cookies. My dad is extremely picky about cookies in general, and I haven’t seen him like this in years. I also tried several of your other recipes for a change of pace, and they were all amazing as well! Some of the best sugar cookies I’ve ever had, and I’m personally addicted to your blizzard cookies. Keep it up, we love your recipes!
Kelley
I say two batches because I add walnuts to one, and have found it’s easier to just make separate batches over all of my years of making chocolate chip cookies. I also wanted to note that my cookies turned out perfect, and I’m in the Northwest. The only thing I had to adjust was my baking times, it takes about 2-3 minutes longer up here for that perfect doneness.
Sam
🤣 I’m so glad everyone enjoys them so much! I think my husbands favorite cookie is that blizzard cookie, but I can definitely see why. 🙂
Dayna
Hello deliciousness! Husband said keep this recipe! I love trying different chocolate chip cookies.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Dayna! 🙂