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.
Maddy
Pretty good! Great texture for sure! A lot of ingredients for a simple cookie though, so not super quick. And a little sweeter than we like our cookies to be.
Kathy S
I’m always looking for “the best” chocolate chip cookie recipe.
I have tried many over the years and I would have to say this recipe is at the top of my list. I tried baking them at 13, 14 & 15 min and preferred the ones baked at 15 min.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Kathy! I’m honored to be at the top of the list. 🙂
Aviv Rathaus
OMG!!! I thought they were just joking about them being the worst and ruining your life but it’s all true! every person who eats them eventually doubles the amount that he was planning to eat, people are breaking diets because of it, and all my friends are crazy about it , it’s INSAYEN!!! honestly, I think it has a secret spell in it that makes you addicted
do not make it! IT IS DANGHEROUS!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone has enjoyed them so much, Aviv! 🙂
Lorraine
I love these cookies was wondering if I could switch out the butter with crisco instead?
Sam
Hi Lorraine! I think it could work. I’ve never made them with crisco though. You will lose a lot of the flavor from the butter.
Holly
Oh My Gawd! I added a little bit of maple flavoring and definitely made this the “worst” cookie ever! So bomb thank you!
Joey
I mad!! I a choc chip cookie nut!, I have experimented for years and mine are great….but not near as good as yours!!
These really are the best! Take it from me….I have tried all of them
GREAT JOB!!!
FYI…..add some coconut to them for an awesome twist…not a lot 1/2 to 3/4 cup
Joey
Sam
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed these, Joey! I love the sound of the addition of coconut! 🙂
Emily
Literally the most AMAZING chocolate chips cookies, EVER! I’ve made them a lot and they come out perfect every single time!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Emily! 🙂
Faith
TLDR; Wayyyyy too sweet.
I subbed the ¼ cup of maple syrup for 1 TBSP of Honey because I thought the recipe looked a bit sus with the sheer amount of sweetener.
Even then my family could barely eat 1 before grabbing a glass of water.
I won’t lie, the texture is absolutely fantastic, A++!! It’s nice and crispy on the outside, gooey, and just ever so slightly cakey inside. Just wish I could bring myself to eat more!!
Katie
Hi Sam! Could these be made into cookies bars? Would I still let the dough chill??
Sam
Hi Katie! Other people have done this with success. You don’t have to chill the dough to make them as cookie bars but it won’t hurt. 🙂
Tracey
Did you decrease the other 2 sugars and if so by how much? Did the cookies turn out well?
I’m reading through comments trying to find specifics on successful sugar reduction.
Love these cookies but def too sweet. We don’t want to not use this great recipe though.
Will reduce the maple syrup to 1 T. I reduced the other sugars by 1/2 in another batch I made and the cookies were too biscuit-y.
Thanks for that maple syrup tip!
Bella
Hi, I was wondering, could I use margarine in place of some of the butter? I don’t quite have enough butter so I want to use margarine for the rest of the amount I don’t have. Hope you reply soon because I want to make them celebrate chocolate chip day!
Sam
Hi Bella! I think it could work, but I’m not sure. I hope they turn out for you. 🙂
Trish
This is the “worst” cookie dough I’ve ever tasted. I’m surprised the dough even made it into the oven to make the “worst ever” cookies. My husband left me after waiting for the first batch to come out of the oven. Now I am sitting here with these “terrible” (terribly delicious) cookies calling me! How am I going to stick to my diet?? How am I going to keep my husband from coming back and eating the rest?????
Sam
Hmmm sounds like you have yourself in quite the predicament here… I would recommend requesting your husband runs to the store to grab you some much needed ice cream or something along those lines, and eat all of the cookies while he is out and restart the diet tomorrow. Some things are more important than diets. 🤣 I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Jamie
Best recipe EVER! I was up through the night eating these well crafted cookies!
I am making them again today! Seriously, THANK YOU
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Jamie! 🙂
Chan
I never used mayple syrup is it so much better with it the choc chip cookies
Samantha
Great recipe! I think I overcooked mine slightly as it is a little crispy, but I love it! My husband says this is better than the tollhouse recipe, which is saying something!
Elisa
Can this recipe be baked in a pan and made into cookie bars?
Sam
Hi Elisa! I haven’t tried it, but I do have a chocolate chip cookie bar recipe that I know works well. 🙂
Jane
The recipe doesn’t specify pure maple syrup or pancake style maple syrup….I have both – which one should I use? I can’t wait to try these so I hope you reply soon!
Thanks so much!
Jane
Sam
Hi Jane! Either will work just fine here. 🙂
SK
Just made these cookies yesterday and they are good! First time EVER that I’ve made a choco chip cookie that’s advertised itself to be chewy and actually delivered. Thank you for sharing. One question – could this be made with browned butter and if so, do any of the other ingredients need to be changed? Read somewhere with browned butter you lose some water that evaporates during the browning process so thought I’d ask. Thank you!
Sam
I know others have made it with brown butter with success. There shouldn’t be any need to make any measurement adjustments I don’t believe. 🙂
Keerthana
Oh, Sam. Oh, dear Sam. I’m so glad to have found you and this recipe.
I’m no choc chip purist, but I do like to nail them whenever I make them. And a lot of recipes under-deliver what they describe.
You, however, have gone above and beyond.
This was just all kinds of perfect, oof. Only thing I did different was to brown my butter for extra nuttiness.
But texture-wise, this was SO on-point! Gooey in the middle, the nice kind of crunchy edges, and just the loveliest chew that leaves you mesmerized. And wanting more.
I made these to ship to a friend, and I told the family that they get only one cookie to test. Unfortunately, they unabashedly took more than one xD
I’ll definitely post this on the ‘gram once my friend receives the cookies, so as to not spoil the surprise. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!
Sam
Thank you so much, Keerthana! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies so much! 🙂