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.
Noor
Hi, I dont normally do this(posting online) but I hit the jackpot!! Sam you nailed it, I just finished baking them they’re soooo good 😋 my son loved them! We have tried several and I mean TONS of recipes and none like this. Thank you so much much for sharing them with all of us!
Sam
Woohoo! I’m so happy to hear that these were a winner!! Thank you for coming back and commenting, I really do appreciate it!! 🙂 🙂
Faith
Wow these were some seriously bad cookies!
I cooked them today and most of them didn’t make it to the cooling rack.
After cooking the second batch I took them to work and the four of us ate 12! Omg I’ve already been asked to make more and I wish I never started this cookie-human relationship! Thank you/not thank you for sharing!
Sam
I warned you that they are dangerous!! 😉
Thank you for commenting, Faith!! 🙂
Nicole
This recipe is fantastic! My cookies are perfection, and I suspect will steal the soul of my boyfriend on his return home! The maple syrup adds the perfect texture and gives off a wonderful aroma as they bake. Highly recommenced this recipe to anyone wondering if they should try this.
Fe
Baked exactly as the recipe calls except I ran out of semi sweet chocolate chips and used 1/4 cup less. Brought it to a party and was an absolute hit! I’ve had problems with baking cookies before, retaining their shape as how I shaped them before baking, even if I press the center or make them flat. Not sure if I always overwork the dough with my mixer in the past. I made these by hand. I like how the cookies flatten from oval shape but not “awfully” flat, have crispy edges and chewy center.
Tai
Can i leave out baking powder and cornstarch and only use salt, flour and baking soda?
Sam
Unfortunately I don’t recommend doing that, they wouldn’t come out the same.
Christina
Yup. It’s delicious alright. They’re shockingly soft the next day. The whole keeping the dough cold part is crucial to their texture. A+
Christa Burgin
These cookies flat out ROCK! My nephews & nieces away at college, request these in care packages as they arrive in the perfect state of cookie-ness! Thank you for an easy peezy yet delish recipe. Bonus for the maple syrup as I ship them to CA and tell them it’s a “New England” kind of cookie! Lol!!
Sam
I am so happy to hear this!! Thanks for coming back and letting me know how they turned out for you!! 🙂
Danny
Very good recipe! Didn’t have corn starch and they still turned out great!
Kyla M Kaufman
Is there anything that I need to change if i use a sugar substitute for the brown sugar and granulated sugar ? just made the recipe just changing the sugar and maple sugar to splenda and sugar free maple syrup.
Sam
Hi Kyla, unfortunately I am not sure how to change using sugar-free ingredients.
Victoria
I never post reviews, I’m more of a pin it and forget it kind of gal. But these cookies are terrific. It was great because with the butter being melted, my four year old daughter could to the mixing! Not to mention they came out picture perfect and deliciously soft! If anyone is having flat-cookie syndrome, don’t skip the refrigeration part! It solidifies that melted butter and keeps the cookies from spreading out too quickly. Thanks again! Now, to let these cookies consume me!
Sam
Love hearing this!! I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Victoria!! 🙂
Adam
Do you really use corn starch? Did you mean corn syrup? I’m finding this recipe very odd. My cookies aren’t spreading out at all. On the drier side too. I’m still going to eat them, but something seems off.
Sam
Hi Adam, definitely cornstarch and not corn syrup. It sounds like the flour may have been over-measured, when measuring I would recommend spooning the flour into the measuring cup (not scooping/packing it in) and then leveling it off with a straightedge.
Vianney
BRAVO! 👏🏻 Incredibly well thought out recipe. Worked perfectly! And tasted wordefully. Thank you so much for sharing it with the world!
Sam
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, thank you for coming back and letting me know how it turned out for you! 🙂
Alexandra Robertson
Can these be frozen as balls of dough for future baking or can baked cookies be frozen well?
Sam
I think the dough could be frozen as balls, that shouldn’t be a problem! They may just need an extra minute or two of baking to cook completely.
Rebecca
I started making these cookies tonight and had everything ready to go when I realized I had no maple syrup!! I did have caramel ice cream syrup so decided to substitute it for the maple..
They turned out so good with a perfect soft chewy center. I cant wait to try these with maple syrup. Such a great easy recipe. Thank you Sam!
Sam
That sounds delicious! I’m so glad to hear that they turned out and that you enjoyed them! 🙂
John Gentry
After reading a few comments about ‘flat’ cookies…. anyone that wants really good results with cookies, breads, brownies, Etc.
Use a decent kitchen scale far all measurements.
Measuring cups are somewhat accurate for liquids but depending how packed or loose you scoop your dry ingredients, flour or sugars, the recipe will be over or under whats called for.
By the way.. delicious cookies.
Thanks for the recipe.