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.
Tara
Made these yesterday and they are amazing!! So soft and sweet and delicious.
My cookies however pretty much baked into little rounded puffy cookies, not super different from the dough shape I put into the oven. They didn’t seem to flatten out at all the way yours did in the pictures. No complaints here, they’re amazing, just curious if you had any clue why?!
Will make this recipe again and again!
Thanks!
Sam
My best guess would be that the flour might’ve been over-measured? If you use cups to measure I’d spoon the flower into the measuring cup and then level off with a straightedge rather than scooping the flour and packing it into the measuring cup. I hope that helps and am glad you enjoyed them!! 🙂
Noëmie
I have the same problem and I’m using a scale… which is good because I checked with some packaged food from the store and it’s exaclty the same weight. What else could it be?
Jordan
HI! Could the butter be substituted for coconut oil?
Vanesssa
I’m going to try this! So i will post my results and recipe if they’re good!
Sandra
Hi!I really want to make these tomorrow but all I have is original flavored pancake syrup not maple flavored..would that not work as well or change the whole taste of what your going for in your recipe? The pancake syrup you used I’m assuming was maple flavored?
Sam
HI Sandra! What kind of pancake syrup do you have? I think it will work just fine!
Sandra
Hi Sam ,I only have Aunt jemima original pancake syrup…would it be some what the same as the pancake syrup you used?
Sam
Yup, that’s the same one I usually use, it’ll be great! Enjoy! 🙂
Sandra
Okay ,I just didn’t know since it didn’t have any maple flavoring in it ,lol,thank you so much for responding so quickly!I make a chocolate chip cookie recipe similar to this using cornstarch ,but not the syrup,that my family loves so my granddaughter and I are going to try yours today and see if notice the difference without telling anyone we added the syrup,lol ..she’s 6 yr old and loves to bake !
Ophelia
Simply delicious cookies!!!!!
My honey walked in right after I took them out of the oven. He gave them 5 stars. Will be my go to chocolate chip recipe for sure!!!
Thanks Sam
Traceluna
I’ve made these twice and they came out great. Today I decided to use my scale for more precision, using the weights indicated. Utter failure! The cookies are completely flat, and the dough is way too sticky. All of my ingredients are fresh and I followed the recipe carefully. I needed these for a meeting tonight and now I’m scrambling to make something else!
Sam
That’s… really weird… is the scale calibrated correctly? The last few times I made these I used my scale without problem, I’m sorry this happened for you!
Traceluna
Sorry, I left my other comment before I saw your reply! I really do love this recipe and the cookies get rave reviews from everyone. Thank you so much for sharing it!
I think my scale is calibrated correctly, but I don’t really have a way of checking. Maybe my toddler has been playing with it when I’m not looking!
Traceluna
As it turns out, this was not an utter failure. I brought the flat cookies to the meeting anyway, and everyone loved them. I do think I’ll make them by volume next time, however…
Lynn
They truly are the worst, especially warm from the oven.
I used only one cup of brown sugar, one cup of chocolate chips and one cup of chopped nuts.
Thanks for sharing
Sarah
First, I’ve made these a couple times now and they are the absolute worst! My fiancé keeps grumbling about how he’s meant to lose weight, but obviously can’t if I keep these on hand 😉 they’re my new favorite snack. And dessert. And breakfast food.
I was wondering why the recipe calls for melted butter rather than softened butter? I bake a lot, and I just found that unusual. I haven’t tried them with softened butter yet, and have been melting the butter per your suggestion. Just curious. Thank you!
Sam
I find that the melted butter makes them chewier and gives them a better flavor, though you *could* get away with using softened butter, too 🙂
Muchael
Hey Sam. I’m out of parchment paper! Can theses go directly on the cookie sheet? Thanks.
Sam
Yes that will be fine! Enjoy! 🙂
Tommie Sue
So… I was giving a Sunday School lesson on The Creation (Genesis) and it talks about God “organizing” the earth from materials. So I decided to “organize” some of these cookies for my adult Sunday School class. They were quite the hit!! At least three people let me know that these were the “best chocolate chip cookies (they) had ever tasted”. When they asked for the recipe I told them to google “The Worst Chocolate Chip Cookies”. “WHAT!!?” was the reply. Thanks Sam for making me (a non-cook) look like a rock star. 🙂 (And yeah, they really are delicious!!!)
Sam
I love this! I’m so glad they were such a hit, and thank you so much for letting me know how they turned out for you!! <3
Sarah Glass
Just made these, and they are Wonderful! Thank you for the extra tips like making them taller than they are wide, and keeping the dough in the fridge. These were the most perfect cookies I ever made and they taste great! Thanks a bunch!
Karen Henry
Yours is my new favorite blog. Happily sharing and following. 🙂
About to make the worst chocolate chip cookies ever….so excited.
Sam
This makes me so happy to hear, I hope you LOVED the cookies, Karen!!
Chelsea
These are so insanely good!! I have tried a million and a half recipes for chocolate chip cookies and they are either to puffy and cake like or they are to gooey and no crunch on edges.
Any idea how I can get the chocolate chips to melt better? My chocolate chips hold their shape and never seem to melt into the dough like I want them to.
Also, if I wanted to add a little oatmeal in this, would I have to alter the amount of flour ?
Thanks again, these are incredible!
Sam
Chocolate chips are really good for holding their shape, most chocolate won’t really melt into the dough and will re-solidify after enough time at room temperature, but using chopped chocolate from a chocolate bar (I like the 60% dark chocolate bars) might give you closer to what you are looking for.
I didn’t have a ton of success adding oatmeal to this exact recipe, so it depends on exactly what you’re going for, if you just want a bit for texture I think it would be Ok without reducing the flour, but it’s hard to say without experimenting. I do have an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe, but that may be more oats than you are looking for.
I hope that helps!
Anna
AMAZING!!! I actually made 45 of them (obviously smaller). Thanks for putting ingredients in grams (metric cups are different to what you use in the USA). But as an FYI when you plug the ingredients into MyFitnessPal, the cookies are more like 160 calories. And that’s when you make 45 of them! Sorry to any dieters out there. They are SO worth it though 😉
Jay Gburek
I actually didnt have any syrup but used 1/8 cup of mollasses and omg do these rock. Thanks for the recipe!
Angela
Hi Sam. Can I use light corn syrup instead of maple syrup? Would it alter the recipe? Thanks. 😁
Sam
Hi Angela! Ooh, I’m not sure… I’d recommend using maple syrup (even pancake syrup is fine) if you have it because I’m just not sure how it would turn out with light corn syrup. I’d tried it back when I was developing this recipe but I was using different amounts of flour/sugar/etc. at the time so it’s hard to say for sure. I know the cookies wouldn’t have as rich of a taste with corn syrup.
If you do try it out I would love to hear how it turns out for you, though!