The WORST Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
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
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
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.
Well I am thrilled to say that these are absolutely the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made in my life! I’m sad to say that it took me 63 years to find this delicious recipe… I’m thinking that it must be the maple syrup that takes them over the top…. I have been baking since I was 12 and have made all sorts of chocolate chip cookie recipes… This will now be my go to recipe! I’ll have to make them an awful lot to make up for lost time…😂
Hi Sam! Thank you so much for this recipe. Everyone that has tried them LOVES them. I wanted to get your thoughts on using brown butter in this recipe.
Thank you so much for trying my recipe, Lola! I’m so glad it’s been such a hit! Brown butter should work here without hurting the texture. There’s just already a lot of flavor in these cookies so I didn’t use brown butter here. Many others have done this with success. 🙂
I’m surprised because this is my first time failing at making a basic chocolate chip cookie. (PS I’m in my late 50’s)
I didn’t have the maple syrup as required but substituted with corn syrup as mentioned in the sub-notes. Otherwise I followed the directions exactly as described. They turned out completely flat like a crepe.
I measured the dry ingredients in grams indicated beside the cup measurements.
The equipment I used was a Bosch stand mixer and was very cautious to not over mixing.
This summarizes the final results of making this recipe.
I’m sorry to hear this happened! Did you let the butter cool completely before adding the sugars? Did the dough have long enough to chill?
I have made these for years and they are gone within a few hours in my house! Excellent recipe. I substitute applesauce for the maple syrup because I think the maple makes the cookies too sweet. The recommendation to use small and medium chocolate chips is great—it helps the texture and overall flavor. You won’t regret making these!
We’re so happy our recipe is such a hit for your family, Jess! Enjoy 😊
Ok. I DID manage to get the dough into the fridge to chill, but the bite I snuck almost made me dizzy it was so good…I will let you know if any make it to the oven! How DO you do it???
Just made these again 10 out of 10 still!!!! best cookies ever! thank you for sharing!!!! you’re the besttttt!
I had previously made a comment saying I had trouble and my cookies turned out not so great, I had suspected the maple syrup. But alas, no, I just must’ve messed something up 😂. Since adding a kitchen scale to my baking equipment and trying these again- they are incredible!! I chilled the dough overnight and made my dough balls a little tall to help them spread less and that worked out wonderfully. I apologize for originally blaming this sublime recipe when it was my fault. I’m glad I tried again because this will be my go to from now on!
I wanted to know why you would say it was the worst so I had to make it. Seems that this is now the BEST recipe for cookies I’ve found. The 30 min in the freezer is not a problem and I roll them into balls for a nice even cookie. These rate right up there with bakery cookies or better. I love them! Thanks so much; I will cherish this recipe and share it with family and friends. I don’t add the maple syrup, just a little extra vanilla and a touch of cinnamon.
I’ve been making these for years, and I have the most frustrating problem! No matter how few cookies I put on the tray, no matter how small I make the balls, they always find a way to flop into each other and merge into square messes. I’m at my wit’s end. I just want pretty cookies like the pictures. They taste wonderful, but I hate how amateurish they look. HELP!
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear this is happening, Chantalle! Are you waiting for the butter to cool after it’s melted? If you add the sugar to the butter when it’s too warm it will melt the sugars and the cookies can spread. 🙁 Are you weighing your flour? Are you making any substitutions or additions to the recipe? Did you let your cookie dough chill long enough? All of these things can contribute to a flat spreading cookie. I hope this helps and I hope you are able to find the issue. 🙂
I have been making these cookies for about 4 yrs now since I came across this recipe. They are amazing and get raving reviews from family/friends. Today I made them w/ cinnamon chips & pecans w/ exact ingredients. This is always my go to recipe. Thank you for sharing
This may be the 2nd time I leave a 5-star rating because I have been making these chocolate chip cookies so often and for so long. Recently I experimented with the sugars and found that they are still wonderfully fantastic with less sugar. I reduced the brown sugar by 1/2 cup and use 1/2 cup dark and 1/2 cup light. I also slightly reduced the granulated sugar to 1/3 cup. Sam, you are the BEST !!!
I do the same! ALL desserts are too sweet for me, and unless it’s candy-making, I cut the sugars in half.
Can self rising flour be used in place of the dry ingredients? I made these a few years ago and they were incredible! But I can’t remember if I used self rising flour or not.
I would not recommend self rising flour here. 🙁
Wow, these really are the “worst” – I can’t stop eating them! I can usually say no to a chocolate chip cookie, but not these! They are the perfect flavor and texture – so soft and delicious. I made them for a party and they were a hit! For the chocolate chips, I used a combination of semi sweet, white and dark. And, yum!
We are so happy everyone liked them so much, Rachel! Thanks for coming back to leave a review 🥰
Would I be able to sub in brown butter?
Hi Yaz! Brown butter should work here without hurting the texture. There’s just already a lot of flavor in these cookies so I didn’t use brown butter here. Many others have done this with success. 🙂
Incredible flavor! I love these so much, I make them every Sunday for my family! Thank you so much for another amazing recipe, Sam!
Super recipe. I love the note about saving the dough for later, since it’s a very big batch. I used honey, and it was lovely. Thank you!