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.
Pam
The WORST EVER Chocolate Chip Cookies are absolutely the best EVER! Unfortunately I will be wearing them on my hips for awhile but, who cares? Yum! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. Bye, I have to eat another one.
Sam
😂 I feel the pain there, Pam! I am so glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Dustin
Hi Sam,
My family doesn’t normally eat any sugar or wheat, but we made an exception for this December and thought we would make a variety of cookies. I chose to make yours because your recipes are really well thought out and gram measurements are really important for consistent results. You ought to give a gram or ounce weight suggestion for the rolled dough to put on the sheet pan. I find weighing the raw dough is another step for fool proof cookies. You can also freeze pre-weighed dough on sheet pans and store in ziploc bags to use later. (You can bake them frozen too with a modified baking time.)
Figuring out solid recipes like these takes a lot of time and we appreciate the work you’ve put into these baking applications.
Merry Christmas!
Sam
Thank you so much, Dustin! I am so glad you enjoyed them. Those are some great tips. 🙂
Peter
Great recipe, but way too sweet. Next time, I‘m going to reduce the sugar by a half a cup.
Amber Center
Truly addictive. My kids love these and request them often
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoys them, Amber. 🙂
Karlee
Can this recipe be used for a cookie cake?
Sam
While I haven’t tried it, I think it would work. I would still bake it on 350, I’m not sure about time. Check out my Cookie Cake Recipe for time references. 🙂
Jamie
Hi! I’m going to make these cookies for a holiday party that I am going to later tonight. I was wondering if I could use milk chocolate, chocolate chips instead of semisweet? Would that make the overall cookie too sweet? I love milk chocolate 🙂 but I just wanted to make sure it wouldn’t mess up the overall cookie ! Thanks for the recipe. I’m super excited to make them!! 😁
Sam
Hi Jamie! It’s really a matter of preference. Personally the milk chocolate would make the cookies a bit too sweet for me, but I also don’t really care for milk chocolate. If you like it then go for it 🙂 Enjoy, and I hope you love the cookies! 🙂
Jessica
I made these cookies today and they are AMAZING! The cookies are beautiful and delicious, crispy edges and soft chewy centers. Perfection!
Sam
Thank you so much, Jessica! I am so glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
susan walsh
can you freeze these cookies to make ahead. ?
Sam
Hi, Susan! Yes that works just fine. I would roll the dough into balls wrap each one individually and store in an air tight container. 🙂
susan walsh
can you freeze these?
Sam
Hi, Susan! You should be able to freeze them without an issue. 🙂
Jennifer
These cookies are absolutely amazing. The comments about these cookies are that they are delicious (duh) and that they also look so professional. What a compliment! I find that they are easy to make and I love that there are weight measurements for the ingredients ( I would recommend for sure measuring the flour by weight). I feel like it is going to be hard to try any other chocolate chip cookie recipe after discovering these.
Sam
Thank you so much, Jennifer! I always measure my ingredients, it’s definitely really helpful. I am so glad you enjoyed them, now be careful not to eat too many! 😉
Shannon
How long will these cookies stay fresh? I made them for a family cookie contest and its tomorrow but I made them last night . I put them in a ziploc baggie. They came out glorious! Your amazing sam!!
Sam
Thank you so much, Shannon! They will keep in an air tight container for about a week. I hope you win your contest! 🙂
AMY
These are our favorite cookies! I make them very often. Do you think it would come out right of I made them in cookie cake form??
Sam
Hi, Amy! I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work. You can use my Cookie Cake recipe as guidelines for baking. 🙂
Charlotte
Hi Sam!
My plan is to make chocochip cookies for my freinds as a chrismas present, and i just wondered what will happen if i do not put corn strach in it! Unfortunately, i don’t think i can buy it from local stores///
Sam
Hi Charlotte! Do you have access to cornflour (it’s the same thing). If not, you can just substitute flour for the cornstarch. Unfortunately the cookies won’t be as soft and chewy, but they will still be good.
Briana
I’m excited to make these tomorrow! Question I only have salted butter… would that mess up the taste? Also does butter need to be meleted or can I add at room temp?
Thanks a bunch!!!!
Sam
Just reduce the salt that the recipe calls for down to 1/2 teaspoon and you’ll be good to go with the salted butter 🙂 And yes, melt it for sure, but make sure you also let it cool as per the instructions. Enjoy!
Christine
Perfection!!!! That was the first word out of my husband’s mouth as soon as he tasted one!! This is the best cookie recipe I have ever made..it will be my go to for..well EVER!!! Thankyou for sharing it
Sam
So happy to hear this!! Thank you for commenting, Christine!! 😀