Go no further! This chocolate chip cookie recipe will ruin your life.
Consider yourself warned.
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 cookie recipe”, and dog-eared cookbooks of “award winning” and family favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes, you have somehow found yourself here, face-to-cookie with the actual worst chocolate chip cookie.
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 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 best-turned-worst chocolate chip cookie recipe), that will work just fine, too.
What kind of self-respecting cookie doesn’t demand purity and quality?
Only the worst kind.
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 to die for.
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 was. 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 recipe? 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 any other “delicious” cookie. 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 chocolate chip cookie 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 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 ever” 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 30ย 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.
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.
Letโs bake together!ย Iโll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe andย videoย below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me onย Instagram, and you can also find me onย YouTubeย andย Facebook
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 ยฝ cups (300 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- ยฝ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ยผ cup (60 ml) maple syrupยฒ
- 3 ยผ 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
- 1 ยฝ Tablespoon cookie scoop
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together melted butter and sugars.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 ยฝ cups (300 g) light brown sugar, ยฝ 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, ยผ cup (60 ml) maple syrupยฒ
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.3 ยผ 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.)
- 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
ยนButter
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.ยฒMaple 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 the worst 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.
Wendy
So yummy! Was a little hesitant about using maple syrup but I donโt taste it. Also pleasantly surprised that theyโre not cakey using 2 eggs.
Nicole Forrester
Hi Sam I half live on your site and have tried several cookie recipes with great results. But I was wondering if these cookies could be made huge like your giant cookies? If so do I need to edit some ingredients and if so which ones and by how much. Can’t wait to make these for my families Christmas Brunch this year.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Nicole! That’s wonderful to hear; we’re so happy you’re loving our recipes. Unfortunately, this recipe doesnโt work very well as a jumbo cookie. They donโt really bake evenly enough. We recommend using our recipe for giant chocolate chip cookies instead. ๐
Chrissy F
THE BEST COOKIES I’VE EVER MADE! I’ve made them for four years and always brag about them!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Chrissy! We’re so happy you love this recipe โค๏ธ
Alicia
This cookie recipe is fantastic. I did have to cook mine way longer than 13 minutes because even after cooling they were under baked. Also I’m curious if I can replace the light brown sugar with dark brown sugar? I prefer dark brown sugar when I bake and this is the first time making cookies with light.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
You sure can! ๐
An
Is there a way to make the cookies less sweet? Can I reduce the amount of sugar?
Sam
Hi An! I haven’t made with less sugar, but other users have commented that they have successfully. I would have to recommend just playing around with it honestly and reducing according to your own taste and preference. Sorry I can’t be more specific!
Darcy
I know you have a recipe for a cookie that uses coffee but I canโt remember which one. Also, I like when youโre website allowed the search for an ingredient
Sam
Hi Darcy! I actually have a few cookies with coffee in them! You could try the brownie cookies, or the double chocolate chip cookies. You should still be able to find recipes by just putting coffee in the search bar. ๐
K Bee
I baked them for 10 minutes instead of 13 minutes and they were burnt!!! I should have baked them for 8 minutes and they would have been great! Did anyone else have problems with the baking time?
Sam
It sounds like you may have made your cookies smaller than indicated or your oven just might be running hot. If you haven’t already I’d recommend taking a look at the video and make sure you’re shaping the cookies properly. I hope that helps!
Laurel
Made with dark chocolate chips and toffee bc thatโs all I had, best cookie Iโve had inโฆ.. a really long time!
Kelli
Can I freeze this dough and bake off later
Sam
Hi Kelli! I actually do this all the time. I would recommend scooping the dough into balls and wrapping each one individually then storing in a freezer bag. You can bake them from frozen, they will just take a minute or two longer. ๐
Anna Videsson
yummi!
But I have a question about the butter: I use non dairy butter and the dough doesn’t turn out at all like yours, my doug is more like a batter.
Rosie
They’re delicious and the ingredients made for a beautiful dough consistency, similar to packaged cookie dough. My only problem is that they taste like sugar cookies rather than chocolate chip cookies.
Leanne
Delicious! Measured all ingredients and turned out perfectly. I used a 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop so reduced bake time to 10-11 minutes. Maple syrup and melted butter causes almost a carmelizing of the bottom- delicious! (I didnโt use parchment paper – there is plenty of butter and it totally wasnโt necessary
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Leanne! ๐
Peggie
Made these today for the first time. They are awesome! Can these be frozen after baking if wrapped individually or all together in a freezer bag? (Want to save for some of the grandkids!)
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Peggie! Yes, that should be fine. We hope they love them ๐
Dana
Ugh def not 3 cups. You should remove that! Just put the grams. Seriously. I didnโt use grams and itโs so thick and dry. Donโt use cups like I did. They need to remove that from the recipe. I didnโt watch the video till it was too late.
Sam
Hi Dana! Yes you will need 3 1/4 cups of flour for these cookies. If you didn’t use weight measurements there’s a chance the flour was accidentally mis-measured. I actually have a post on how to measure flour if you ever are in this situation again. ๐
Paige Larson
I get asked about what recipe I use by everyone that eats these. I tell them that they’re ‘The Worst’ and they get so confused. So then I share the recipe and then they get it. Perfect name for a perfect recipe!
Sam
๐คฃ Thanks for sharing! ๐
Phaedra Brothers
By far the most delicious cookie recipe on the internet! Iโve been using this recipe for 3 years now and only tried a different one once. My family nearly had a complete meltdown because the new cookie recipe didnโt taste like yours. I have received countless compliments from all who are special enough to get one these delightful cookies. When making this I use Irish butter and only the highest quality ingredients. Additionally, I refrigerate my dough before baking and they consistently come out perfect. Look no further for the best chocolate chip cookie youโve ever had! Thank you so much for sharing.
Mm
The cookies taste great! However, mine spread a lot and was also too chewy (almost like cookie dough). Should I add more flour next time or can I reduce the amount of maple syrup?
Sam
Next time you make them make sure your butter has cooled enough before adding sugars to it. If it’s even slightly warm to the touch it could potentially melt your sugars and your cookies will spread. I would try this before adding more flour. Also make sure they’ve chilled long enough before baking them. Reducing the syrup won’t help with the spreading it will just take away some flavor.
Mm
Thanks for the quick reply! Will try to cool the butter longer or maybe heat it less. What about if I want to make the cookies less chewy and a bit more crunchy at the edges? Can I experiment with the amount of brown sugar and syrup?
Sam
Unfortunately for this recipe you won’t really be able to get the cookies to be crisp and crunchy around the edges without really overcooking them. It was designed to be a soft cookie. I do have a crispy chocolate chip cookie you could try but they are crispy all the way through.