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.
Carmen
Hey!
Can I brown the butter to make the cookies even more rich or will that ruing it?
Thanks
Sam
Hi Carmen! Several commenters have tried using brown butter with success. 🙂
Elizabeth Fonda
I’ve made this recipe at least a dozen times and it is now my go-to for chocolate chip cookies. My boys also love helping and the end result!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone has enjoyed them so much, Elizabeth! 🙂
Ethan Muse
I came across your website about a week ago and somehow saw a link to this recipe. I’d never made homemade cookies before (at least not by myself) but as soon as I saw this recipe I knew that I would be making them in the near future. It ended up happening yesterday. I surprised my wife by hiding them in the microwave. While we were watching TV I asked her if she could get something from the microwave for me because she only had one cat in her lap while I had two in mine. She loved them.
Ethan Muse
Oops. Seeing my previous comment below that I didn’t even remember making tells me that it was around two weeks ago when I found this recipe and decided to try making them.
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Ethan! That is such a nice surprise. 🙂
Nikki
This recipe looks amazing and I’d love to try it. I was wondering if this could be made as a “pan cookie” recipe or bar rather than individual cookies. What types of substitutions/amendments would you suggest for this result? Thank you!
Sam
Hi Nikki! I have never tried it so I’m not sure exactly how it would go. I don’t think there would be any issues making it as a single cookie but I don’t know for sure. If you try it I would love to know how it turns out. 🙂
Jennifer D.
I’ve made these several times now and they are the literal best chocolate chip cookies. Period.
I know my way around baked goods, but I’ve always struggled with chocolate chip cookies, the ratios of things always eluding me. Not anymore! I follow this recipe exactly (except subbing the chips sometimes) and it’s perfect. No need to change anything, and it’s very hard for me not to tinker with a recipe!
My dad, a man who doesn’t care much for sweets, told me matter-of-factly after I brought him some of these that they are actually perfect. He’s not a man who minces words when it comes to a critique, so it was about the best compliment I could’ve received.
I’m about to make another batch today for games with friends later. Can’t wait.
Note to others: the dough freezes well. I like to save about half what I make and roll the dough into balls, then freeze for individual portions later.
THANK YOU for this perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe!
(P.S. I made your biscuit recipe the other day and it was also a winner. I’m officially a fan.)
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Jennifer! I’m happy to hear you trusted the recipe enough to not tweak it. I know how hard that can be. I’m glad you enjoyed the biscuits and I look forward to hearing about everything else you try. 🙂
Terri White
What a great idea freezing some batter! Much better than reducing the recipe! I love these cookies too!
Cathy C
Excellent recipe. Followed the directions with two little changes. I used 1 cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup of butterscotch chips because those were the two open bags I had in the pantry and (man oh man) they were delish. Also I let my dough chill overnight and they baked up beautifully. Thank you for another great recipe.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Cathy! I love the addition of butterscotch chips. 🙂
Maria
Hi Sam,
I’m planning to make these tomorrow with some kids that I’m babysitting. Their parents don’t like it when their children eat things that are too sweet, so I was planning to reduce the sugars. Would that affect the recipe at all? Please advise on how I would do that. Thanks!
Sam
Hi Maria! I know others have reduced the sugars with success but without having tried it I can’t advise on exactly how much to reduce it. 🙂
alison
I have rated 4/5 before but I’m changing my rating after this latest batch I made. I’m sorry, I was unfair to you. I am on the lookout for a cookie just like they have at Great American Cookies, where I used to work for years. I miss those cookies like crazy!! I’m sorry that I rated your recipe based on that one. I really should have let it stood on its own. this really is the best choc chip recipe I’ve been able to try. (GAC arrived premixed so I never knew the recipe.) so you get 5/5 upon my further consideration. I love how the maple syrup kind of caramelizes the dough, and how if you bake for the correct amt of time at the right temp, you get crispy edges with gooey yet solid centers, melty choc chips that stay that way after fully cooked!! these cookies are best after the dough has chilled for several days. we took them on a weekend trip and enjoyed them even better when we baked some up after getting home. 30 mins works but days on end is optimal. also our metal sheet pan left the bottoms a little too browned so we lowered the heat to 325. that seems to be perfect for the 12-min mark! these are great, my mom’s fave now, and the kids loved them. this is the best recipe Ive been able to find and it’s my go-to now. I may never be able to fully emulate my fave choc chip cookies, but these are a totally suitable alternative and I’m not losing this recipe!! thank you so much and sorry again for being too disgruntled about the cookies I miss. I will be all right without those as long as I have your recipe lol.
alison
*cooLed, not cooKed.
Sam
Thank you so much, Alison! I’m glad you enjoyed them so much. 🙂
Kim Arnold
I ran out of brown sugar and added 6 teaspoons of molasses to 1.5 cups of white sugar (Brown sugar part), then followed the recipe- even including the regular white sugar part. Seemed to work. Kinda scared to see the results but the dough tasted great. Lol
Sam
I hope they turn out for you Kim! I actually have a post on how to make brown sugar if you ever get in a pinch again. 🙂
Kim Arnold
They turned out perfect! In a pinch it’s 2 teaspoons of molasses to 1/2 cup white sugar. This recipe rocks! Thanks!
Lisa B
Really good!
August
Hello, can you use cake flour and not use cornstarch?
Sam
I wouldn’t recommend it with this recipe.
Ethan Muse
Would it make a difference if I used salted butter instead of unsalted but then didn’t add the salt?
Sam
Hi Ethan! You can use salted butter here, you will just want to cut the salt back to 1/2 teaspoon. 🙂
Melissa K Mills
Can I use a stick of blue bonnet butter?
Sam
Hi Melissa! I haven’t tried it, but it should work. 🙂
Karen
Love these, but mine spread out. My friend from Colorado bakes perfect chunky cookies. I let the butter cool and follow instructions perfectly! Would altitude make a difference? I’m at a loss.
Sam
Hi Karen! I’m so sorry to hear this! Altitude may be causing an issue or you may need a little more flour in your cookie dough. I hope they turn out better next time! 🙂
Karen
My friend suggested to omit the baking sodas thoughts?
Sam
While this is something you could try, you would probably want to try to reduce it before totally eliminating it. I strongly suspect the issue could be not enough flour, or if you add your sugars to melted butter while your butter is too hot this could also be giving you issues. Personally for me I would try more flour and making sure your butter is cooled enough before reducing the baking soda. 🙂
Ro
They are our absolute favorite chocolate chips cookies to make. Ours are chilling in the ridge now for Father’s Day. Thank you for sharing all your delicious recipes, Sam!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoys them so much! 🙂
RR
Hi,
This recipe looks great! I’m sure these will make the absolute ‘worst’ chocolate chip cookies! I am dividing the recipe into quarter the original recipe. If I divide the recipe by four (1 teaspoon divided by four = 1/4 teaspoon), will the cookies come out the same? Do I have to change the baking time or anything? Thank you so much for this recipe! I will definitely try it!
Sam
The cookies should still come out the same. You won’t need to change the bake time if you make the cookies the same size you will just get fewer cookies out of the batch. I hope you love them! 🙂
RR
Hello,
Thank you for the reply. I made a few adjustments, and I’ll admit, I was a little doubtful about whether or not it would work. I accidentally made few mistakes while baking, and I let the dough chill overnight. I just baked the cookies, and……
They are the WORST cookies EVER!
I have never made better cookies! Thank you so much for this recipe! I will make a bigger batch VERY soon! Thank you! Best/worst cookies ever!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂