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.
Lindsey
Amazing recipe! I just got done making these & mine didn’t seem to flatten out like yours in the picture! I’m new to baking, any idea why mine came out so chubby? Still taste amazing but they’re thick! Thank you
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies, Lindsey! Hmm, there are a few reasons your cookies may not have flattened, I would say the most likely reasons would be if you chilled the dough much longer than suggested (or put it in the freezer) or if the flour was measured incorrectly and accidentally over-measured (this can happen if you scoop flour right out of the bag/container instead of spooning into the measuring cup and leveling) or even if your oven temperature isn’t exact and is actually hotter than it’s telling you it is, these could all have an impact on your cookies. I hope these tips help but I’m glad you overall enjoyed the cookies! 🙂
Becca
I actually REALLY disliked these cookies. You sound awesome and your build up had me cracking up and buying right in, but these cookies came out dry and salty and kind of gross! I’m not posting this to be disparaging because clearly others have had success with them, but I just wasn’t a fan! I am, however, a big fan of your writing style. So keep up the good work, sister!
Sam
Hi Becca! I definitely appreciate the feedback and I’m glad you otherwise enjoyed the post! I’m wondering if perhaps one of your ingredients were bad or something else could have gone wrong; the thing I love about these cookies is that they are SO soft (and definitely not dry)! If you have any questions I’d be more than happy to try to help troubleshoot, but I’m sorry they didn’t turn out for you and I appreciate you coming back and commenting! Enjoy the rest of your weekend! 🙂
Annette
Hi Sam. I just saw these on Instagram and can’t wait to try them. I took a fast look at your blog and will have to go back and look through it more thoroughly (I’m at work now) – looks like lots of yummy treats to bake!
Sam
Thank you, Annette! I hope you love the cookies and the rest of my recipes, and thank you so much for commenting! 🙂
Court
Know any substitute for corn starch?? I really want to make these
Sam
Hi Court, I’m sorry but I’d really recommend using corn starch, it helps make them soft and I can’t think of a good substitute.
Court
I just left it out and they’re perfect. Wonderful recipe!
Sam
Oh fantastic, I’m so glad that they still turned out! Thank you for commenting! ?
Jackie
Great recipe!! I’m going to try it without corn starch too. Great tips and writing, really enjoyed this post!
Mel
Do you know if these cookies (baked) freeze well? (If I can manage not to eat them all!) or if the uncooked dough freezes better? Just made the dough! Can’t wait to try them!
Sam
I haven’t frozen either the dough or the cookies before but I think it would be better to freeze the dough rather than the baked cookies. I hope this helps, and I hope you love them! 🙂
Mel
Cookies came out great! I baked some right away and the rest I rolled into balls and froze on a cookie sheet wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and foil. When I was ready to bake I let them sit at room temp about 10-15 mins first. Will be making again soon!
Sam
That’s great! I’m glad you enjoyed them, and thank you for coming back and commenting! 🙂
Loretta
My grandchildren are visiting for a week, so, since a grandmother has to have fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, I decided to try these. Maple syrup? Ok! They are very good cookies, but they are almost tooth breaking hard! It was a big disappointment. We were hoping for soft cookies. Won’t be making them again.
Sam
Hi Loretta,
I’m so sorry that the cookies didn’t turn out for you. I’m wondering if anything could have perhaps gone wrong in the baking process? Were any substitutions made? I’ve made these cookies dozens of times and my favorite thing about them is that they are so very soft. Might they have been baked too long? To make these cookies nice and soft they should come out of the oven still seeming a bit under-baked. If you have any questions about specifics I’d be happy to help troubleshoot!
GWonder
The same happened with one of my batches (of these cookies) and I realized that my butter wasn’t completely cooled when I added it and I should have kept it in the fridge for about 1hr (vs 30min). Either way the next day they went from rock hard to crisp and chewy!!! Perfection once again I just had to wait a bit longer. ❤
Stacy
I am that cookie snob and I adore CCC (chocolate chip cookies). I also love to bake which is quite convenient. I love how you write your recipes. With 5 kids in the house my cookies don’t last long (when I share them!) I’ve made your recipe far too many times now and the family loves them. I have a new go to CCC recipe. I use a whoopie pie cookie pan to bake them in and they turn out “deep dish” which makes them waaaaaaay better! As a maple syrup hobby producer we live to try new recipes with maple! This one ROCKS! I’m trying tonightS batch on the Traeger (BBQ/Smoker) – could be interesting!
Sam
Hi Stacy! That is awesome, I love that you use a whoopie pie pan! I can only imagine how nice and thick and soft they are that way! Thanks for commenting, and I would LOVE to hear how tonight’s batch turns out — that sounds so good!
TJ
Wow! These were A-MAZ-ing. I’ve been cooking up Pintrest cookie batches for months trying to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie, and the WORST cookie recipe turns out to be The One. Thanks for nothing! JK!
I made a small change: I mixed 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips in with 1/2 c milk chocolate chips and half cup peanut butter chips. The pb chips just give it a little some’n some’n. Then instead of adding more chips to the top while they are still hot from the oven, I dunked the top of the cookie dough ball into a bowl of the variety of chips mixed together before putting the dough ball on the cookie sheet. C’est magnifique! Thanks for such an awesome wicked recipe!
Sam
That’s awesome, I’m glad to hear that you liked them so much! I love the idea of the addition of PB chips, haven’t tried them that way myself but I might just have to now. Thanks so much for coming back and letting me know how they turned out for you! 🙂
Sophy
These cookies were crazy good! My new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Sam
Im so glad you enjoyed them Sophy! Thank you for commenting! 🙂
Mackenzie
I’ve been on a hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie for over a year now, trying new recipes every time I bake cookies, but now the hunt is over! These are seriously the BEST chocolate chip cookies on Pinterest. Maybe the internet. Thank you so much!
Sam
I’m so glad that you enjoyed them, Mackenzie!! 🙂
Leslie
I need these homewreckers in my life!
Sam
Yeah you do! 🙂
Michelle Wallace
Just made these with my 10 year old daughter this evening. She laughed at the name but we have all concluded that they are delicious. Thank you for sharing.
Sam
I’m glad you both enjoyed them, Michelle! Thank you so much for coming back and commenting, I really appreciate it! 🙂
Kristi Cargile
Made these for church. Did not chill them. They were a huge hit!
Sam
Awesome! So glad you liked them, and thanks for coming back and commenting! 🙂
Maria
Can’t wait to try these! What do you think about using M&M’s instead of chips? Got some red, white, and blue for the holiday and was thinking thos might work with your cookie base? Thanks.
Sam
Hi Maria! I think that would work great! Just substitute the m&ms in equal amount for the chocolate chips (or do a mix of chips and m&ms). I hope you love them as much as I do!! 🙂
Joy
I despise blog recipes where I have to read forever or scroll on and on just to get to the recipe… However Sam, your writing was as appealing as your cookie recipe – which I’d go bake right now if it weren’t after midnight! Thank you for the very enjoyable read; I’m anxious to read more from you 🙂
Sam
Hi Joy! I’m so glad you enjoyed the post! I hope you get a chance to try out the cookies, and thank you for commenting (and reading)! 🙂