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.
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.
Momof11gifts
These are absolutely amazing!
Definitely my new favorite cookie.
They did ruin my life, just as you warned.
After making this batch, I made a batch of the peanut butter/chocolate chunk cookies.
They didn’t taste good at all & I’m highly convinced that it’s only because I had just eaten the worst chocolate chip cookies.
Wishing now that I’d made 2 batches of these instead. I’ll hide these back for myself & serve the peanut butter ones to my grandkids. Or better yet, I’ll share these with the grandbabies & give my kids the peanut butter ones. Lol
Thanks for sharing such a great recipe.
You’ve truly changed my life forever.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies so much! 🙂 I hope you love them for years to come. 🙂
Katrina Borchester
Fantastic BEST- WORST chocolate Chip Cookies! Amazing!! Made them 3 times so far! ‼😺👍🍪🍪
Sam
So glad you enjoyed them, Katrina! 🙂
Lori
I’m trying this recipe very soon. It sounds delish! You are a very talented writer… Your article is really clever and funny!!😅
Sam
Thank you so much, Lori! I am glad you enjoyed the post. I hope you love the cookies just as much. 🙂
Diane
Hi there! I just made these cookies – weighed all the ingredients, eggs were room temp, butter was cooled for 20’ish minutes to ensure it wasn’t warm anymore and I chilled the dough for 45 minutes. I used a 2-TBL scoop and scooped a tiny bit generously to get them between 2-2.5 TBLS and I rolled them into egg shapes (I watched your video). The cookies taste fantastic, but I’m really confused – as I got 21 cookies and your recipe states you get 32.
FYI – I feel a bit sick now because I’ve already eaten 3 of them! 🙂
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Diane! I will have to redo it to see how many I get. I made these quite a while ago. 🙂
Susan Bethune
I can’t keep them in the House! Everytime I turn around I’m being told “we need a visit from the cookie fairy!” Lol. I found some cookie and cream bits (oreo bits and white chocolate chips) that I used instead of chocolate chips for something different and boy were they delicious! Thanks for the great Recipes! 😀
Sam
😂 I am so glad everyone enjoys them so much, Susan! 🙂
Nay
These were amazing!! I had to reduce the baking time to only 6 minutes though as I guess my oven at 170C is too hot. The first batch were a bit more brown than I think they’re supposed to be but they still taste amazing and were just as chewy and soft! Have added the recipe to my staples, thank you Sam ! 😊
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies, Nay! 🙂
Rosie Zacks
This is literally the best thing that I have ever tried!!! My whole family agrees, you NEED to open your own resturant, and have this as one of the first things! I could not stop myslef! I kept saying, ‘Just one more. Just one more.’ And, (I’m not surprised,) they were gone the very next day! Thank you so much for giving me and my family a recipe that we can use to bake together on stormy days, or during summer. You are the best!
~Rosie
Sam
😂 I definitely know how that goes! 😂 I am so glad you enjoyed them, Rosie! 🙂
Corrine
What kind of salt is used? Kosher, table etc Thank you!
Sam
It’s just regular table salt. 🙂
Paul Hecht
Tried the recipe–the cookies were devoured by one and all! Some said it was the best chocolate chip cookie . . . EVER!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the cookies, Paul! 🙂
Heidi
Would you recommend making brownies out of this recipe instead of cookies? Rather than roll the dough into balls and bake on a cookie sheet, you could put the dough on a jelly roll pan. Nestle Toll House has a bar cookie variation and it always turns out well! Thanks
Sam
Hi Heidi! I haven’t tried it but it should work. I’m not sure how long you would need to bake it. If you try it, let me know how it goes. 🙂
Garrett
When I bake these they seem to be a bit too cakey which is a problem I have never had before this recipe. Not that anyone complains since it still taste like an addicting chocolate cookie.
Sam
Hi Garrett! If they are cakey, most of the time the problem is having too much flour. I’m glad everyone still enjoys them. 🙂
PirateJenny
I recently came up with a secret non-ingredient: I leave out the baking powder (and/or soda). I noticed most recipes only call for a 1/2 teaspoon or so–which doesn’t seem like it would make *that* much difference, texture-wise, in such a rich recipe–but I can always TASTE it, and I find it unpleasant. I’m not really looking for a FLUFFY cookie here, haha! Chewy, fudgy, & dense choc chip cookies are just fine with me.
norman dela cruz
i’ve just watched your video and i want to try your worst ever choco chip cookie recipe…but im just worried,because im using a small electric oven(18L)…any suggestions?thanks a bunch…
Sam
Hi Norman! They should still bake the same way if you can get the oven to the proper temperature. You may have to do a few more batches if they don’t fit in the oven. 🙂
PirateJenny
Hi, I have a small electric oven, and I (1) lower the heat 50 degrees (mine in also a convection oven), and (2) don’t put any dough in the corners or too close to the edge of the tray–those areas tend to brown or burn very fast. Unfortunately this means I can only do very small batches, but there’s less waste since I’m not throwing away burnt cookies.
Alison Angel
This recipe looks great. Can’t wait to give it a try for the holiday. Can you give me a tip on how to store finished cookies so they keep their integrity?
Thanks
Sam
Hi Alison! They keep for about a week (if they last that long 😂) in an air tight container at room temperature. Enjoy! 🙂
PirateJenny
I’m not 100% sure what you mean by “integrity”, but perhaps you mean “keep them from bending & breaking”? If so, then I’d say don’t pile them on top of each other; store cookies in a single layer; or put several pieces of waxed or parchment paper* in between so they don’t stick to and droop over each other; or tray-freeze them, wrap them up well, and take them out as needed.
(*Or even something more supportive, such as paper plates or a cut-up cereal box; in which case I would do waxed paper, paper plate, waxed paper.)
Irene Lane
Hi Sam,
I am going to make your worst chocolate chip cookie recipe. I watched your video and you mentioned a scale that you purchased, but I could not find any information on what kind of scale and brand. Would you please e-mail me that information so I can purchase one.
Thank You.
Irene
P.S. I promise I will send a comment after I make them.
Sam
Hi Irene! This is the scale that I use and love, I just added a link in the recipe notes as well. I hope that helps and I hope you love the cookies!! 🙂
Emily
Hey! About to try your recipe and am wondering if you have ever frozen either the dough balls to cook later, or the completed cookies. I am the type to eat a whole batch if they’re sitting on the counter and am wondering if I could store them somehow. Thanks!
Sam
Hi Emily! I actually have some frozen dough balls in my freezer right now! You never know when you need a cookie! 🙂 I usually wrap each ball of dough individually and then store them in a ziploc bag. Enjoy!
Alissa
Hi Sam,
If you freeze the dough balls for future baking, do you alter the oven temp or baking time or do you just move some into the refrigerator until thawed?
Thanks!
Sam
You can certainly freeze dough balls for future baking. You can bake the frozen dough balls, they just may need another minute or two. 🙂