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.
Maria
Hi Sam! I just wanted to say that I LOVE all your recipes. I’ve made at least 10 of them in the past month and every one has been delicious. These cookies are definitely no exception. Thanks for everything that you do :).
Sam
Thank you so much, Maria! I am so glad you have been enjoying everything and I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. I hope you love everything else you try. 🙂
Janine
Amazing recipes, last week i stumbled upon your nutella cookie recipe and i saw this worst cookie in the suggestion. Today i baked it and ut was so good. I made smaller cookies so i adjusted my baking time. But overall it is so good, crispy on the outside and still chewy in the inside.
My cousins who are 7 and 3 loved it so much!!! Thanks…
Sam
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the chocolate chip cookies, Janine! Thank you for commenting! 🙂
Fides
The best and the best chocolate chip cookies!!! It’s that secret ingredient that makes it so different from other chocolate chip cookies.
Sam
Thank you so much! I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies so much! 🙂
Brian Austin
Im a chef here in SanAntonio Tx ..made these for my crew….im pretty sure they all fell in love . Thanks for sharing this good work chef!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the cookies, Brian! 🙂
L
Hi Can the butter be browned vs simply melted? Or would this alter the final product unfavorably? Thanks !
Sam
I believe other people have with success. My only concern would be that you lose some of the liquid when you brown the butter, so you may need to reduce the amount of flour that you use by a bit. But man I bet these would be delicious with browned butter!
Audrey Chavez
Hi Sam, I am baking for my granddaughters daycare and I wanted to see if I could just bring the butter to room temperature and use my stand up mixer , and just add all of the ingredients and chill the dough for 30 minutes and then bake them do you think that would work?
Sam
I think it could work, the cookies might not be as soft/chewy though. I also strongly recommend mixing the dry ingredients together separately before adding to ensure everything’s easily combined. Ultimately my recommendation for the best outcome would be to make as written, but if you try it that way I’d love to hear how it turns out for you!
Audrey Chavez
Okay thank you Sam, I will definitely let you know how they came out!
Patty
I tried this today and I was already scared because the sugar butter mixture tasted really good after adding the maple syrup. I was afraid of how good it will taste further once the cookie bakes. This really is the worst kind of choco chip cookies!! I modified the chips and used 60% dark chocolate and added some pecans and macadamia. My life is never the same!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies so much, Patty! 🙂
Crissie
I forgot the syrup !!! The main ingredient so don’t know how they will be . I was worried n a hurry but sure they will be ate
Sam
I hope everyone still loves them! 🙂
Sarah
These turned out wonderful! Thank you for the recipe! I wanted to ask you…What material pan do you use?
Sam
I believe mine are steel 🙂
Sarah Rivers
Can I use honey instead of maple syrup?
Sam
Yes, but the taste will be different. If you like the taste of honey that won’t be a problem though!
Nati
Perfection
Sam
Thank you so much! 🙂
Natalie Noble
This is my forever go-to for cookies!! I can’t keep them in my house!!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoys the cookies so much, Natalie! 🙂
Rachel
AMAZING.
Have been using this recipe exactly as shown for the last 7 months & will never use another recipe again. Chocolate chip cookies to die for.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy the cookies so much, Rachel! 🙂
Rebecca
I always use scale when measuring ingredients for baking. I just wish all recipes gave information instead of cup measurer
Sam
It is always so much easier. 🙂
Lena
I’ve been using this recipe for a while now and I love it, but I got a question. If I wanted to make it into a single recipe, like a single cookie recipe, how much do I use for each Ingredient! I’m a part of a summer program and I’m in helping with the cooking class for kids and we want them each to make 1 cookie of their own!
Sam
Ooh, I’m not sure, Lena! I’ve never scaled it down that far.
JD
Can you divide the recipe in half?
Sam
Absolutely! Enjoy 🙂
Janet K
These cookies are delicious, that is coming from a gal that is known for her chocolate chip cookies. Only one negative, THE COOKIES AREN’T AROUND FOR LONG. Will definitely make again💞
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the cookies, Janet! 🙂
Valerie
These cookies are now my families favorite! Our first batch always spreads a little more than liked but that’s because no one at my house can wait for the dough to be chilled! They want a batch in the oven as soon as possible!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoys the cookies so much, Valerie! Waiting can be tough sometimes. 😉
Sam
We make these all the time and they are a huge hit! Do you know if I can freeze this dough in balls and bake from frozen?
Sam
Hi Sam! Absolutely you can freeze them! I keep a batch in my freezer at all times for “cookie emergencies.” 😂 I roll the dough out into balls, wrap each one individually and then drop them in a resealable freezer bag. They will need another minute or two in the oven when you go to bake them. 🙂