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.
Kerry
I didn’t see the link to the food scale you used. Could you please add that?
Sam
Of course, here is my affiliate link: https://amzn.to/2Rm19Vu
James
Can self rising flour be used instead if I leave out the baking powder and salt?
Sam
Unfortunately I’m not sure, I’ve never baked with self rising flour. If you do try it would you let me know how they turn out?
Nienke
Would it be possible to freeze this dough?
Sam
You can freeze it. I would roll the dough into balls and wrap them individually and place in the freezer. 🙂
Laura
What if you only have salted butter?
Sam
Hi, Laura. You can just reduce the salt to 1/2 teaspoon. 🙂
Victoria F.
I am always looking for phenomenal cookie recipes, as I love to bring cookies to work, parties, special occasions, etc. I am wanted something that was universally popular to bring to my vet’s office tomorrow and figured chocolate chip cookies would be the perfect solution. These came out beautifully, and of course I snuck one for quality control to make sure they tasted good too! Soft, slightly crisp, just the right amount of salt (which in my opinion is crucial too a great chocolate chip cookie)I will definitely be using this recipe again!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Victoria! 🙂
Jen
Can I skip the maple syrup and the butter melting?
Sam
No
Healthy Eating 101
They are the worst in looking but the best in flavor if I have to say xD
– Natalie
Tamara
I made these this afternoon and they were perfect. I pushed some colored M&Ms down into them just after they came out of the oven to provide some color and a bit of crunch. Have you ever made this recipe with regular (salted) butter and adjusted the salt accordingly? The cookies were just a hint sweet for me and I’m wondering if regular butter might subtly shift the taste. Thanks!
Sam
Hi, Tamara. The salt actually works to cut the sweetness of the cookies. I haven’t tried reducing the sugar so I don’t know how it would turn out.
Yvonne F.
I don’t understand why you would do this to another person? Why? Am I to go back to basic chocolate chip cookies now? How? You have ruined me! LOL! These are absolutely amazing! This will be a regular for me from now on. I may try and add walnuts to my next batch but these cookies need absolutely no help. They are perfect as is. Thanks for sharing!
Sam
😂I’m so sorry, Yvonne! You can add walnuts to the dough, I would just reduce the amount of chocolate chips you put in so you don’t overload the dough. I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies. 🙂
Steven
I will try your recipes soon but today I’m looking for crispy crunchy crispy crispy chocolate chip cookies I’m sick and tired of the chewy Nabisco Etc chocolate chip cookies I want crispy like you’d get Anna Bakery is there a way I can make this recipe or use this recipe to make crispy without much change PS I really thank you for this recipe it seems like it’s wonderful and I will use it shortly but for tonight I was looking for crispy thank you again Happy New Year
Sam
Hi Steven! Unfortunately I’m not entirely sure how you would modify this one to make it crunchy, it’s been highly specialized to be soft and chewy (maybe baking it twice like you would biscotti but for less time? I’d have to test that method to say for sure…). I do have plans for a crispy chocolate chip cookie in the New Year but I haven’t quite perfected it yet, unfortunately! If you’re on my e-mail list you’ll be notified once it is perfected and published!
Naoku
What if you don’t have pure maple? Can you use log cabin syrup
Sam
Absolutely! I use something comparable to that all the time when I don’t have the real stuff. Enjoy! 🙂
Shereen A.
Hi, Sam! Happy Holidays! I made these cookies Christmas morning, scrumptious! In lieu of maple syrup (we were out) I used honey, and these delicious delights were a treat! This is my new go to cookie recipe, thank you, and happy New Years! 🙂
Sam
Happy New Year, Shereen! I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed the cookies! 🙂
Shante
My new go to cookie recipe. Comes out perfect every time!
Sam
So glad to hear this! 🙂
Liza
I made these on Christmas Eve with my mom and husband and they were the BEST (or the WORST, if you prefer). I made a double batch of the basic dough and everyone mixed in their own additions- Heath bits, chocolate chips, M&Ms, chocolate chunks, nuts, butterscotch chips, etc. They all turned out great! It’s been 3 days, they’re in airtight bags, and they’re still chewy. I used a food scale as suggested, and feel this helped a lot too.
My favorite thing about this recipe (and all the recipes she posts) are how detailed the instructions are, and the explanations given for certain steps. I’m not a great baker, but every single thing I’ve tried has turned out great.
For example, it says to melt the butter but wait for it to cool, because otherwise the sugars will melt and the cookies will spread too much. If it wasn’t for this explanation, I’d probably have added the sugar right away, ended up with bad cookies, and thought this recipe was a dud. Same with the room temperature eggs. You can’t taste the maple syrup in the cookies, and I’ll never skip this step!
Sam
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the cookies so much and I LOVE the sound of all those add-ins! Yum! I’m also glad to hear that the notes/tips are helpful, thank you so much for your kind comment, Liza. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!
Rose
Made these two days ago for Christmas. Oh My Goodness. Truly the very BEST chocolate chip cookie ever. My family devoured them – Thank you, thank you, thank you
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them, Rose! 🙂
Danette
If you don’t have cornstarch what should you substitute? Thank you!
Sam
You can substitute flour but keep in mind the cookies may spread more and wont be quite as soft/chewy.