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.
Shyla Cabell
Thank you for this recipe – these cookies are AMAZING!!! My husband said they remind him of
The Original Cookie Company! Really good!!
Stefanie
Every recipe claims to be great BUT this is the easiest recipe for the tastiest chocolate chip cookie ever , I followed the exact recipe with pure maple syrup no tweaks at all and they are excellent, the best worst cookie it’s claimed to be . Thank you so much for sharing.
DANISA
Sam these cookies are amazing. Thank you for sharing. I love how soft they are. My whole family is in love with these.
Michael Beird
I was looking for a new recipe today and stumbled on this one via Google. WOW!! I have NEVER had a batch turn out this well! I shared it on Facebook and recommend that everyone try it. Ironically I WAS looking for a choco chip recipe that had maple syrup (can’t live in NH and not have that in your baking), but agree with some of the comments above as I couldn’t really taste the maple as there are so many other flavors happening all at once! I would add that, more than the syrup, however, is the corn starch as the secret ingredient (along with the careful instructions of chilling the dough). AWESOME recipe!!
Amy
These are the BEST chocolate cookies ever! The only change I made was to use 1cup semisweet chocolate chip morsels and 1 cup mini M&Ms. They are soft, chewy and oh so very delicious!!!!
Gabrielle
These were a hit in my household! I changed the recipe a bit to 1/2 unsalted butter and added 1/2 unsweetened applesauce. They came out great for me this way. Personally, these were too sweet for me and I might cut some of the sugar the next time I make them.
Adriana
Oh my goodness! i read this recipe a long time ago but the maple syrup turned me off because i figured they would taste like it, so i tried other recipes. After many failed attempts with other recipes, i gave this one a try today and the cookies were absolutely WONDERFUL! i was SO wrong about any taste of syrup. My cookie monster 16 year old son couldnt put them down. So delicious and easy. I followed your instructions to the “t” and was so glad that you clarified using grade A syrup, butter cooling, proper measurement of flour (i think i’ve had this wrong all my baking years), and cooling the cookies correctly. They turned out perfect and this will be the only recipe i ever use! Thank you so much for posting this yummy cookie recipe.
Sam
So glad to hear that you enjoyed them so much!! 🙂
Merry Christmas, Adriana!
Armond
You are absolutely right about these cookies. They are the worst for all the right and wrong reasons. I made them with a little less maple syrup and added some cinnamon, dark chocolate chips and pecans. They were great and my mom enjoyed them. I will bring some to my co workers to see how they like it. Will let you know, great recipe! Good thing I’m a regular at the gym.
Debra
Would this work with self rising flour
Sam
I don’t think it would turn out quite the same, I’m sorry Debra!
Cindy
So good! Best cookie recipe I’ve found!
Terri
Ohh no! I had maple syrup aged in a bourbon barrel!! Sooooo good! People will steal these!
Sam
omg that sounds AMAZING!!!!!
ivette hernandez
if the dough is runny will it affect the outcome of the cookie?
Sam
If it’s runny they probably won’t turn out, I’m sorry! Usually that happens if the sugar is added while the butter is too hot, and the sugar becomes melted. 🙁
Ashley
OMG, these are SO good! Thank you for sharing.
How would you store these so they stay tasty?! I am hoping they don’t disappear before Santa shows up Sunday night.
Sam
I store mine at room temperature in an airtight container like a Ziploc bag or Tupperware container. I’m so glad you like them!! 🙂
MLynn
Love this recipe! I made 2 batches that came out amazing and will be making another 4 batches this weekend for a Christmas party and to give away. This is the best recipe out of the 7 that I’ve tried so far, haha. Thanks so much!
Sam
So glad to hear that you enjoy it so much!!! Thank you for coming back and letting me know how they turned out for you! 🙂
Lisa
These cookies are perfection. Thank you! These are my new recipe for sure!
Elaine
Hi I love your recipe! I was wondering if I make the dough in advance like for example tonight (Wednesday) can I bake the cookies on Friday?
Sam
Yes that will be fine! One thing though – the cookies will be really hard to scoop if they chill that long, so either chill them for 30 minutes, roll them into balls and then re-cover and refrigerate (or freeze) until Friday, or you will have to let them sit at room temperature for like 20 minutes to soften. I hope that helps!