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.
Anita S Roberson
I made these today, and have never made chocolate chip cookies before from scratch. These were amazing , they taste soo good. I will definitely be using your recipe.
Lisa
These are definitely delicious!!
I chilled the dough and just rolled them into balls. They turned out perfect!!
Thank you for sharing!!
XXOO!! ( I live in a ALL male household! 2 teenage boys!! 1 husband. They devoured them!! )
Kadeen
I made these last night for the first time for my dessert party and they turned out great! They didn’t spread as much as yours did in the pictures which is what I wanted (Any advice please? Otherwise they were amazing!
Sandy
Sam,
You need to change the name of these “FABULOUS” Cookies. I’ve made them for multiple events and they were a hit. When I gave them the recipe they said…What…the Worst Ever…No No No that can’t be right…. so DELICIOUS not Worst Ever….Thanks So Much for the Recipe.
Lynn Dennison
Thank you for your response. I went back and read the whole post and saw the aunt jamima. I probably should have done that to begin with.. lol
I’m making these tomorrow, I can’t wait ๐
Lee
My mom, who is not usually a big fan of American sweets, BEGS me to make these for her! They’re so good I broke my rule of cooking the day of a flight to make these when I visited my sister- yes, I brought 36 cookies in a huge Tupperware to London. Her flatmates too begged me for the recipe.
The only thing I change is the cornstarch- I found that 2 teaspoons makes the cookies really oily. After experimenting I think 1/2 teaspoon is perfect!
Lynn Dennison
Question… What kind of maple syrup do you use? I live in VT and have pure maple syrup, not the fake stuff, but I’ll buy it for a good cause ๐
My husband is a chocolate chip cookie fanatic and I want to make these for him. I want them to be perfect so I want to use the correct syrup.
I appreciate your response. Thank you very much.
Sam
Hi Lynn! Honestly my preference is to make them with Aunt Jemima, I know that’s blasphemy to a lot of people!! I have made them with pure maple syrup though and they have come out fine, though some readers report that they find the cookies come out flatter with the pure stuff (I have not had this experience), so you may wish to add an extra Tablespoon or so of flour. I hope this helps!
Emily
This is officially my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe! As an avid baker I’ve made quite a few over the years, and this is by far the best! My husband is a harsh critic and he agrees – he has requested these three times in less than a month. Also, I love this blog post. I died laughing ๐
Sam
I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you for letting me know how you liked it, Emily!! Glad you liked the blog post, too ๐
Karen
So, SO good! I loved that I could make them without killing my hands (just had thumb joint replacement this year and carpal tunnel last year). Very hand friendly :), plus delicious, of course!
Sam
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed them!! Thank you for coming back and letting me know how they turned out for you, Karen!
Lyn
I made this cookies for my small business here in the Philippines and they thought that these cookies were great. They smell so good and tasted soooo yummy…
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Lyn! Thank you for commenting! ๐
Karen
Those look delicous. Can i r3xuce the sugar qty or it will mess up the daugh? Thx
Sam
I haven’t tried it with less sugar, so I can’t be sure. I recommend making as written for best results.
Kim
I made these cookies today and they turned out awesome! I live at high altitude and am just learning how to bake here. I added a bit more flour and reduced cooking time and they turned out perfect! Thank you for the recipe ๐
Sam
I’m so glad to hear it! Thank you for commenting to let me know how they turned out for you! ๐
Alaina
What can I use as a substitute for the cornstarch? I donโt have any ๐
Ashlyn
Finally! Perfect recipe. Didnโt change a thing.ive struggled to find the perfect cookie recipe and this is definitely a keeper. Used half chocolate half peanut butter chips. Thank you so much!
Christy
I have made these cookies at least seven times since I found your recipe about a month ago. They have been DEVOURED every time I take them to work and are requested now, even over several cheesecakes I have made. I have a batch in the fridge right now waiting to be baked for my husband to take to work tomorrow. I have mixed up what chips I put in them just for variety and they are always delicious. I have done semi sweet, milk, milk and caramel (a cups of each), and tonight I’m trying a milk/caramel swirl chip. SO good and have definitely taken over our house! Thank you!