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.
Julie
Just made these yesterday. They are really great cookies, and believe me, I’ve tried MANY chocolate chip cookies. Love the addition of maple syrup. Anytime there is a “different” ingredient in a recipe, I’m gonna try it. I will try sprinkling some kosher salt on top of my next batch as I also enjoy salty and sweet combo. I added 1/4 cup more flour as my dough was quite sticky. YUMMY cookies. Will definitely make again. Thanks so much for the recipe and I LOVE your blog. 🙂
Sam
Thanks, Julie! I’m so glad that you loved them, and I love the idea of kosher salt on top… YUM! Thanks for commenting (and I’m sorry about the delayed response, somehow this comments slipped past me)!
mimi
Hey there!
I wanted to make these cookies again but I ran out of flour, can I use cake pastry flour instead and how much would I be using?
thanks:)
Sam
Hi Mimi! So, I’ve never tried it with cake flour before (or do you mean pastry flour? I see you say cake pastry, but I think you mean one or the other), but I did find this link online (http://www.joyofbaking.com/flour.html) that says you can use 1 cup + 2 Tbsp cake flour for every 1 cup of all-purpose flour that is called for.
So, according to the site I referenced, that would mean adding an extra 6.5 Tbsp (which comes out to a total of 3 1/2 cups + 2 1/2 Tbsp cake flour for the entire recipe). However, if you mean pastry flour, this would be different, I’d have to look into that. I’ve never tried it this way so I can’t make any guarantees on how this will turn out, but I would love to hear how it works if you do try it!
mimi
Hey Sam!
On my Robin Hood brand flour, it says cake & pastry flour! I’m not great with baking so I’m a little afraid of trying and it not turning out as yummy as last time! I’m not entirely sure why the bag of flour mentions both cake & party on the label!
Sam
Hmm, interesting, I haven’t seen that before! I did some googling on this brand, though, and it sounds like it would be the same substitution as I mentioned in my last comment (this source: http://sweetapolita.com/2012/01/bring-me-flours/ seems to be saying it’s the same as cake flour, if I understand correctly). However, I also read that it is possible that this substitution may make for a more crumbly cookie.
So, I’m truly sorry I can’t give you a clearer answer, it’s just that I’m not familiar with this particular flour and haven’t tried this recipe with cake flour so I can’t be certain, but from what I’ve read it *should* be OK, but possibly a bit more crumbly (these are soft cookies though, so I think they’d hold up pretty well). So sorry for all of the uncertainty, Mimi!
mimi
Not a worry! Thanks so much for all your help! you’re such a gem 🙂
So helpful! Although it’s late where I’m from, I may just have to run to the store to grab some AP flour instead!!!
Sam
I’m glad to help (just wish I could’ve been more certain and more helpful)! Thanks, Mimi!
Catherine
Sam your description and name of your cookies is very creative. I just made a batch of these and you are not exaggerating, they are amazing. My elderly father ( aka Cookie Monster) and my 25 yr old are enjoying them right now. I always HATE when I read recipe reviews and someone says ” I made these but I changed ….” but here I go ! I really didn’t CHANGE anything, I just added a handful of toasted pecans chopped up because my husband loves nuts in cookies and before baking just a few ( three or four) grains of coarse Kosher salt on top to feed our sweet/salty cravings. I did push a few chips onto each while they were cooling, definitely makes them pretty ! Thanks for the great recipe.
Sam
Hi Catherine! I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed the cookies so much! And I think your additions sound amazing, especially the addition of salt! Thanks so much for commenting!! 🙂
Taylor
I am definitely NOT much of a baker. I prefer cooking over baking but was really wanting to try my hand at homemade cookies. I came across this recipe and it looked great and the reviews were fantastic. So I tried my hand at it, and it did NOT disappoint! The cookie dough made 32 cookies that were the most chewy and moist cookies I’ve ever had. I’ll continue using this as my go-to cookie recipe for years to come!
Sam
That is awesome, Taylor, I’m glad that it worked so well for you!! Thanks for commenting! ?
Suzanne
These are fantastic! My dad said they were the best he’s ever had and quickly proceeded to back peddle since he said it in front of my mother. Thankfully, she let him live and agreed they are the best she’s ever had as well. This recipe is a keeper! Can’t wait to try some of the others on your site.
Sam
Haha! I’m so glad that you and your parents love them (and that your mother didn’t kill your father!). Thanks so much for commenting, Suzanne! 🙂
Kathy Anderson
I hope to try these very soon. Love recipes using maple syrup as we made 27 litres of it this spring. May put off making the cookies for a couple of days as temperatures going to 30 degreesC today, too hot for cookies.
Sam
OMG, that’s a lot of maple syrup! I hope you love the cookies once the temperatures come down a bit. Thanks for commenting Kathy!
Katie
Hmm I couldn’t get it to let me click 5 stars. But it is! These are fantastic I have made these many times, they have a beautiful finish and a great crunchy outside and the perfect softness inside! These sold great at my culinary class’s bake sale!
Sam
I’m so glad that you loved them, Katie! They’re my favorites and I love that they sold well, that makes me so happy to hear! Thanks for commenting, and I’ll look into why it’s not letting you give a rating but I appreciate the attempt at 5 stars! 🙂
Amanda Williamson
These really are the “worst!” I just made them and they are so good I was eating the batter, and now eating the cookies two at a time… I don’t think they will last through the night. Thank you for the recipe even though now I’m going to gain all the weight back that I lost. Lol
Sam
Haha, I warned you! 😉
I’m so glad that you loved them Amanda, and thank you for coming back and commenting to let me know!! 🙂
Donna
I just made these and sorry to say I did not like them. The maple syrup (I used pure maple syrup) made the cookies taste “fishy”. They also burned very easily and baked very flat (even though I refrigerated them for your specified time, or even longer). When cooled they were like cardboard. Did not look like the ones you pictured. Sorry.
Sam
That’s alright Donna, everyone has different tastes! I’d check your leaveners though to make sure they’re still good, the cookies shouldn’t be too flat and they’re definitely nice and soft when cooled (not cardboard-like).
Michele
I have to say, if these did not turn out for you, it was not the recipe. They are perfect!
thebecks
I made these cookies last week and they are, indeed, deadly good! They came out exactly like the picture. I was nervous initially because my batter was actually pretty stiff when everyone here has described their batter as being runny! For anyone who has issues with the cookies looking flat, what I did was that I used my oxo medium sized cookie scooper and put one scoop on top of another, then molded them together and pressed down a bit. Definitely an amazing cookie.
Sam
Awesome! I’m so glad that you loved them and that they turned out perfectly! Thanks so much for coming back and commenting! 🙂 🙂
Stefani
These are the long-lost chocolate chip cookies I have been searching high and low for and for many years! I was never satisfied-BEFORE. Thank you!!! Not only for solving the puzzle, but for intriguing me with your “Worst” chocolate chip cookie recipe and your very entertaining (to say the least) commentary.
I followed the receipt to the T, except for using a 1/4 measuring cup for measuring out and shaping. Mine fell beautifully, were crisp on the edges and sumptuously soft in the middle. Perfection!
Again, I thank you and my family thank you!!!
Sam
YES I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed these cookies (and the post)! It’s my pleasure to share, and thanks so much for coming back and commenting! 🙂 🙂
Suzy
Mine didn’t fall flat like yours in the pic! I only had them in the fridge for 25 minutes too. Can you add pic before you put them in the oven?! Maybe we should have flattened them slightly before putting in oven? Taste was great though.
Sam
Hi Suzy! Hmm, I’m surprised yours didn’t flatten more. I don’t have a picture right at this moment, but mine kind of look like eggs standing on end when I put them in the oven — I actually make them taller than they are wide so that they don’t flatten TOO much. If yours didn’t flatten then feel free to flatten them a bit before they go in the oven, but it is curious they didn’t do it on their own… I’m puzzled! I suppose it’s possible that the flour was measured too heavy, like if it was scooped/packed into the cup instead of spooned in and leveled that *may* have contributed to this, but that’s just a guess. I’m glad that you enjoyed the taste, though!
Wendy
Sigh…I’ve made these cookies a few times now. First time, exactly as written. Next couple of times I varied the size to see what the yields would be. I sigh, because this recipe has now replaced my most requested chocolate chip cookie recipe (that I worked for a couple of years on perfecting and won several blind taste tests among friends and strangers). Alas…it is now shelved for a while so I can make these gorgeous, wonderful cookies. They are going to make their farmers market premier tomorrow – I always offer a chocolate chip cookie and last year it was a sea salt variety. Will be interested to see how my customers react to this recipe…I imagine they’ll love it as much as I do!
Sam
I have to tell you, Wendy, this comment actually really made my day! I am so, SO honored that you loved these cookies so much, especially given that it sounds like you have your own amazing recipe! I hope that everyone loves them at the farmer’s market, and thank you so, so much for commenting! Have a wonderful weekend! 🙂
Hayley Haitz
Ok, I just finished making these cookies.
First off, I was super excited to find a recipe that has so many awesome reviews. Reviews mean everything to me when I try out new recipes. Second, I was also really skeptical and scared, mostly because I live in Colorado and the high altitude almost always messes with my cookie recipes.
These cookies are freaking perfect.
My regular “go to” recipe for ccc also calls for melted butter, and while the taste is incredible, I’ve always had trouble getting them to not flatten out, even when I chill the dough. These ones were perfect though. I followed this recipe exactly and the dough was definitely not runny. In fact when I added in the flour mixture I thought it was going to be too dry at first. It ended up being just the right consistency. I chilled it for about an hour, maybe an hour and a half, because I was eating my lunch at the time. I didn’t make them quite so big, about a Tblsp or a little more each, and I only baked them for 8 minutes which was the perfect amount of time in my oven, and let them cool on the cookie sheet. I also baked them at 325 because my oven can sometimes get too hot I think. But yes, they turned out exactly how I wanted, light and puffy, and didn’t fall flat after I pulled them out (like most of the recipes I try do).
I will definitely recommend this recipe to my family and friends now! Thank you so much for posting!
Sam
Hi Hayley! I’m all about the reviews when trying a new recipe out, too, so I really appreciate every comment that’s been left on this post! I am THRILLED that these turned out for you, especially at high altitude! Thank you so much for leaving a comment, and I hope you’re having a fantastic weekend! 🙂 🙂
Breanna
Ugh these are definitely the worst cookies EVER! I ate so much cookie dough and now I’ve eaten six cookies in the past four hours. I need to stop but I can’t.
But really, this is such an amazing recipe. Awesome job!
Sam
Haha I warned you, they’re bad news! 😉
Thanks so much for commenting, Breanna, I’m glad you liked the recipe!!