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.
MaryK
YUM! Just made these . First batch I used a #40 scoop & they were plenty big enough. Second batch I made using a scoop that holds one tablesooon ( no size indicated on this scoop). They were perfect when baked for 14 minutes, crispy edge and soft chewy center. . The smaller cookies measured 2″ after baking, and are great for those of us who tend to eat more than one! Plan to freeze the balance of the dough for future fresh cookies. Did I mention YUM?!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them! Thank you for taking the time to leave me some feedback. Happy baking! ๐
Nisee
Sam, I never leave comments on recipe blogs. EVER! But I felt compelled to do so today. I would have loved this recipe simply based on your post. But I confess that what put me over-the-top in love with the recipe was the Erlenmeyer flask you used to add the maple syrup in the video. Also, I just made these and they’re delicious. ๐
Sam
Hi Nisee! That is one of my favorite props! I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies and thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. ๐
Jennifer Garris
Adding to my last comment I did use raw honey instead of maple syrup !
Jennifer Garris
This recipe is amazing!! After trying multiple recipes I found my familyโs favorite!!! Itโs these cookies !! If you donโt try it itโs YOUR LOSS !!! They are perfect better than pilsbury ready made cookie dough from your grocery store … we love it !! Thanks so much for sharing this !!
Sam
Thank you Jennifer! I am so glad you enjoyed them!
whitney
I didn’t have any maple syrup so I used honey. I also didn’t have enough all-purpose flour so I split it half/half all-purpose and bread flour. I think this added a bit more chewiness BUT your recipe is great as is and I would have liked to have been able to try it just like the recipe. I refrigerated my dough balls and then popped the extra ones into a freezer bag and put them in the freezer for a night when I just want one or two cookies. I made 6 tonight and they’re gorgeously thick, chewy, perfectly golden and crispy on the outside, and the chocolate has melted perfectly through them. I’d post a pic of them but the comment section doesn’t allow that! They’re gorgeous…almost like a perfect pinterest recipe haha not a pinterest fail. I love your recipe and will be making these again! Thank you so much for sharing this with me, I’ll be following your blog from now on ๐
Sam
Thank you very much Whitney! I am glad you enjoyed the cookies and I’m glad you will be following along! I hope you enjoy all of the recipes you try! ๐
Kati Melcho
Hello!!
I absolutely love your recipe!! I live in Indiana and I went to see my aunt in colorado and I knew I had to adjust for th altitude so I added a little extra flour and they still turned out flat! So I added a little extra baking soda and baking powder and they were still flat! Then I tried to turn the temp up to 375 and do 9 minutes and it still turned out flat!
Send help please! ๐
Sam
Hi Kati, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. I’m afraid I don’t have much experience with high altitude baking. Adding more flour would be my first guess, but I would not alter the amount of baking soda and baking powder. Maybe someone else with more experience with high altitude baking could chime in. Sorry…
Sara
Do you possibly have the rest of the nutrition facts? My husband is a diabetic so I need to know how many of these I can let him have :p
Sam
I do not, but you can enter the ingredients into a site like myfitnesspal.com and it will calculate them for you. Sorry!
Amanda
These are the BOMB.COM!!! My fiancรฉ and all my family love them!! Thank you sooo much!! I have a good friend that is gluten intolerant. Do you know what switches would need to be made so she could have these?
Sam
Thank you Amanda! Unfortunately I do not know what substitutions would be necessary to make them gluten free.. Sorry ๐
Audra
Seriously this cookie just might have changed my baking cookie life! LOL
Delicious! I have been looking for a long time the best, or in this case the worst, chocolate chip cookie recipe. I think this is the one!
I did make a few changes to it and it was glorious! I cut the butter down to 3/4 cup, 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, 1/4 of granulated suger. I used a full package of semi sweet chips. It sat in my fridge for most of the day. When I took them out to bake I put them directly on my ccokie sheets, no waiting at all. It was not difficult to scoop them out on my sheets. Cooked for 10 minutes and they cooled on the sheet until I removed them. I am not a big fan of warm cookies but WOW these were out of this world!
Thank you for a great recipe! ๐
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them Audra!
Tina R
Can you use honey instead of maple syrup?
Sam
Yes but the taste will be different
Lena Isa
Hello, have you tried chilling the dough for about a full day? I’ve done this recipe many times and love how they come out, but I want to know what will happen if I leave it in the fridge/ freezer for a whole day?
Sam
You can do that! Just keep the dough covered with plastic wrap. The dough actually gets pretty hard as it chills so you will have to let it sit at room temperature for a bit to be soft enough to scoop OR you can chill the dough for 30 minutes as instructed, then scoop the dough and place the dough balls in an airtight container and keep them refrigerated that way. That’ll make it easier to pop in the oven and bake the next day and is what i do sometimes ๐
Maryam
Hi!
Thanks for the best choc chip cookies recipe I’ve ever made! I’ve made these 3 times already and they are a hit with my family and friends. I didnt have maple syrup so I used molasses instead and I will for sure stick with it as they are perfect!
I’m thinking of making double chocolate chip cookies and want to use this recipe. Do you think it’ll work? If so, how would uou modify the recipe?
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Maryam! I have not tried this recipe as a double chocolate chip one, I would think you could probably cut back on some of the flour and add some cocoa powder, but I’d really have to play around with it to say for sure. I also have a double chocolate chip cookie recipe already but it does not use maple syrup so I’d have to tweak that and play with it before I can advise on how to substitute.
Zoe
I have made this recipe so many times! It is so good! Could I scoop all of the cookies onto a sheet pan, put them into the freezer, and then take out 1 or 2 and bake them so I can have a cookie whenever I want? If I could how long could they stay in the freezer? Would I be able to bake them at the same oven temp? Thanks!
Sam
You can do this but you will want to cover the cookie dough. What I personally like to do is chill my dough for the 30+ minutes, scoop it into balls, wrap each ball in plastic wrap and drop the balls in a ziploc bag or Rubbermaid container and then freeze them. Then whenever I want a cookie I will just unwrap a few balls of dough and drop them on a cookie sheet and bake (you can cook them from frozen and on the same oven temperature without thawing but they will need a few extra minutes). I usually keep mine for several months, I’d say up to 6 months.
Suzi
When Iโm looking for a recipe, I never read the post, I just scroll straight to the recipe. Not so with yours! Read the whole thing, chuckling to myself. Well done – youโd give Lemony Snicket a run for his money! Oh, and I canโt wait to make these cookies…I have maple syrup that was made in an aged brandy barrel… ๐ฌ
Sam
I honestly think that is one of the best compliments anyone has ever given me, I’m not even kidding. Lemony Snicket was always one of my favorites. Thank you for this, Suzi! Made my day!
Danielle
does dark vs light brown sugar matter?
Sam
You can get away with using either with this recipe, so it’s just a matter of your preference ๐
Recently I’ve been doing a mix of light/dark.