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.
Barbra-Anne
These Are so good! Definitely try them , even the maple syrup skeptics – you won’t regret it!
Elizabeth
Can you half the recipe?? Has anyone ever done so successfully?? We like to make small batches often bc we like to eat them warm from the oven 😉
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Absolutely! Enjoy, Elizabeth 😊
Ann Marie
Just a tip for always having warm cookies. Make the whole batch, but only bake what you will eat. Make balls of the rest, put them on parchment paper on a cookie sheet in the freezer until frozen. Place them in zip lock bags and put back in the freezer. Take out only what you need each time for fresh, baked warm cookies. My freezer is loaded with different kinds of cookie dough, depending on everyone’s mood!
Megan
I am doing this right now! I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Barbra-Anne
These are so good!! Seriously the worst cookies, my pants are feeling tight lol But for the maple syrup skeptics – I used real pure maple syrup and you can’t taste it at all. My man isn’t big on maple , and he’s beyond obsessed with these cookies!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you both enjoyed them, Barbra-Anne! ❤️
Nicole
So easy and delicious!
Teneille S
If I only have salted butter, can I half the salt in the recipe or just make it normally? And the cookies will turn out ok?
Sam
Hi Teneille! Yes you would just use 1/2 teaspoon salt. They’ll still turn out great. Enjoy!
Sara
I am not one to ever comment on recipes unless I really really like them… and I love this one AND SO DOES EVERYONE ELSE. I started making these a few years ago and follow the instructions exactly. They are consistently perfect every single time. I posted a picture of them tonight on Instagram when I made them and a few of my old coworkers reached out right away and said they were so sad if I was making their favorite cookies. I haven’t worked with them in lover 4 years! That’s how good they are – that they remember!
Sarah
I came across this when searching for a new chocolate chip cookie recipe. Very cleaver to give it this funny name because I HAD to see what it was all about. I followed the recipe exactly and these truly are the BEST chocolate chip cookies I have ever made or eaten! I’m getting ready to make them again but using half the dough with mint M&Ms and chocolate chips for the other half. I’m sure they’ll be delicious too!
Amy Collins
I’m super excited to try this recipe, as it’s the new hype. However, I’ve just began trying a gluten free diet due to health issues. Do you know if I can substitute GF flour for all purpose? If so, should I do the same amount? Sometimes GF flour makes baked goods gritty. Must I add any extra liquid or omit the corn starch when using GF flour? Thanks, and happy baking! 🙂
Sam
Hi Amy! We’ve successfully made this recipe doing a 1:1 substitution of gluten free Cup4Cup flour for the all-purpose (no other changes were made). I hope that helps, and that you enjoy the cookies!
Jamie
Do they have any trace of maple syrup flavor?
Sam
Hi Jamie! You won’t be able to tell that there’s maple syrup in the cookies, but it adds a great depth of flavor. 🙂
Mithila
This cookie came out pretty much perfect! The children absolutely loved them but I personally couldn’t eat more than a bite or two… It was a little too sweet for me, is there any way I can make this less sweet without compromising the absolutely heavenly texture of the cookies?
Sam
I haven’t tried reducing the sugars, but I know others have with success.
Alba
Love this recipe and have made it multiple times. I just so happen to be missing cornstarch this time :(. Can I make it without cornstarch?
Sam
Hi Alba! Yes you can, substitute with an extra Tablespoon of flour. Enjoy!
Cheryl C.
I’ve made these cookies 3 times now. They are the bomb. (I would use other words but don’t want to get Sam in trouble. ) these cookies are so good there is nothing else left to say except they are so good.
Maricar
Hi! I’ve been making this recipe a couple times! Always a hit with the crowd.
I do have a question. Do you have a salted version of this? The one where it kinda gives a sweet & salty vibe? Thank you!!!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy they’re a hit! A sprinkle of flaky sea salt added just after baking does wonders here. We do this with our brown butter chocolate chip cookies too, and it’s divine! 😍
Laura
my cookies did not flatten much at all, they don’t look like the picture. what did I do wrong?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Laura! We’re so sorry this happened! 🙁 Check the recipe notes for a few possible causes for this.
Katie Gurney
Can I use brown butter for this recipe?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Katie! Several commenters have tried using brown butter with success. 🙂
George
Have I ever told you that I don’t enjoy baking cookies? But wait – things have changed with this recipe alone! The recipe is simple and the dough is easy to scoop and portion. I made a double batch and froze them and popped them directly in a pre-heated oven. It has made the annual cookie baking chore easy! I will make no other chocolate chip cookie than this recipe! And having pre-portioned cookies ready for the bake whenever the craving for the worse chocolate chip cookie? Cue the angels singing…
Alex
Any advice for add nuts to the mix?
Sam
Hi Alex! You can add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of add-ins. I would probably scale the chocolate chips back 1/2 cup so you don’t overwhelm the dough. 🙂