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.
Carole Giampalmi
Has anyone added nuts, walnuts, pecans?
Roxanne
Hi there. I live in Hawaii and we love macadamia nuts. I put those in and they are great!
Felton Callaway
Yes..They are Super Delicious..!!
Megan
This is so good! I turned this into a cookie cake for my grandpa’s 70th birthday party and it turned out great! It was super soft and chewy on the inside, and the outside had a good crunchiness to it. Everyone loved it so much! I would definitely recommend you tiring it out!
Erin
These are absolutely amazing. They are perfect just as written. Every time Iโve made them I get asked for the recipe, and once I was asked not to share the recipe because they couldnโt trust themselves with a whole batch!
Sam
Haha, I am so happy to hear they are such a hit for you!! Thanks for commenting, Erin! ๐
Kia
They are super delicious!!!!! I followed the recipe but mine came out more fluffy than chewy. Any ideas as to why that would’ve happened?
Kathy
So Iโve made the worst chocolate chip cookies about 6 times now.
No alteration is necessary – as I say – no messing with perfection.
I had to stop making them because two times a week is too much- right?!!
I used Trader Joesโs chocolate chunk for the chips in this recipe.
Absolutely horrible.
Roberta
I just made this cookie. I loved it. It’s delicious. But I didn’t use the parchment paper. I confess I’m no much with this paper. Always when I use, I burnt . So I decided to go without and I also left less than 13 min because it starts to turn golden brown before around 10min. Family also enjoyed.
Sarah Elkins
Both times I have made these cookies I had to add a little more maple syrup to get the dough to stick together but they turned out absolutely amazing, I put them in for 12 minutes and they come out perfect.
My family says they are the best cookies they have ever had, thank you for the recipe.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoy them, Sarah! Thank you for commenting ๐
Erika
I have been making these for a while now. I love the recipe. I make them for the teachers at my kids school. They have asked for them 2 years in a row. I use 1/8 cup of maple syrup and 1/8 dark Karo syrup because Iโm not a huge fan of maple syrup. They are the best cookies ever.
Marina
Hello!!! When baking these do you put convection on or off?
Sam
Hi Marina! I don’t use a convection oven
Stacey
I may have just found my new go-to recipe! I grew up with the toll house recipe and lately it hasnโt been working well. These are absolutely perfect, and so fitting that it has maple syrup! (We have a maple farm) Thanks for sharing, these are ridiculous!
Sam
Haha, these cookies really are perfect for you! So glad to hear you enjoyed them, Stacey!
Graciela
The best ever!!! Super great recipe. Thanks for sharing it Sam.
Sam
So glad to hear you enjoyed!! ๐
Ellen
I’m so excited to make these! Would it be bad if I chilled the dough for 24 hours so I could cook them the next night? Thank you!
Sam
Nope that would be fine! Make sure to cover the dough though and it will get very firm and difficult to scoop so you may need to let it sit at room temp a bit before scooping OR you can chill, scoop, and then place the cookie dough in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap and then just unwrap and bake the next day.
Mandy
I’ve made these twice in the last week. It might be my family’s new favorite cookie. Just FYI, in case anyone needs to know…
I didn’t have any unsalted butter (I tend to do this a lot- I should probably put it at the top of my grocery list). Anyway, I used regular Kerrygold butter and cut the amount of added salt to 1/2 tsp. I was able to melt the butter on the stove. I put it in a small saucepan over the lowest heat until about half of it was melted. Then I took it off and stirred in the rest. I feel like this is less work than in and out of the microwave. It worked beautifully, although I do have a gas stove, so it might not work as well on an electric burner.
Also, I don’t have cornstarch, but I do have tapioca starch and it worked just as good.
Also, they are fantastic warm out if the oven with vanilla ice cream! ๐
marcie
But I do want to add..Ive made these a few times and they are by far the BEST Ive ever made!!!
marcie
Question….
Can I leave dough in fridge over night? And do I need to bake the entire recipe at once? How long could I leave the dough in fridge before using it all up?
Thanks!
Sam
Hi Marcie, yes you can! Make sure to cover the dough though and it will get very firm and difficult to scoop so you may need to let it sit at room temp a bit before scooping OR you can chill, scoop, and then place the cookie dough in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap and then just unwrap and bake the next day. The dough will last several days in the fridge.
Diane
Bear with me…Iโve made many so many variations of the chocolate chip cookie in the past 45 years. This recipe didnโt seem that special. Donโt get me wrong, itโs a very good chocolate chip cookie. I made a few different kinds of cookies this past week for the family and nobody was taking the chocolate chip ones until yesterday. This cookie is delicious. Theyโve all but disappeared from the cookie jar. They stayed CHEWY and the flavor was soooo good! They get better with age? This is my go-to chocolate chip cookie from here on. Thank you for sharing this yummy recipe. โค๏ธ