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.
Sheila Crawford
Can I use salted butter?
Sam
Yes but you’ll want to reduce the salt in the cookie recipe, I have a post about how to substitute salted for unsalted butter that might help!
Lauren
Early in motherhood I embarked on a quest to find a chocolate chip cookie recipe to keep in my cookbook. I took this very seriously, knowing that my kids would be comparing all other cookies to the chosen recipe for the rest of their lives. It was my goal to find a chocolate chip cookie recipe that would make them think, “still not as good as Mom’s” every time they eat chocolate chip cookies.
I’m sure that THIS is that recipe. You have my thanks.
Also, sometimes I add a little almond extract just for fun. Or sometimes a little salted caramel on top. Honestly, these are pretty much delicious no matter what I do to them.
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Lauren! “Still not as good as Mom’s” I love it! I love your story and am so happy that you have chosen my Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe to be the one your children will enjoy for years to come. Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Cynthia
Hello, can you substitute the flour for gluten free (1 to 1 ration ) flour?
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Cynthia! Unfortunately, I have not experienced baking this using gluten-free flour, so I can not say. If you try it, let me know how the cookies turn out.
Ninja
Oh My lovely chocolatey marshmallow dayZ!!!!! Sam you are a genius and this recipe allows for adaptations TO TASTE: we popped on a few marshmallows 1/2 way thru and my kids (well 18 and 22-but always kids) over for weekend stayed a little longer and took some frozen cookie dough home (to uni).
Thank you for making the rare family weekends together that much more delicious.
I recommend baking as you need; freezing and chilling are both fine but Samantha – you should be renamed Saman-moretha you genius XXXX
Sam
Woohoo! So happy to hear the chocolate chip cookies were such a hit, and love the sound of the marshmallow additions, YUM! Thank you so much for commenting, I appreciate it! 🙂
Ariana
This are the best chocolate chips cookies I’ve ever Made!! Hands down the BEST! I didnt have Maple syrup so I skip that part, they don’t spread as much as yours I guess is for the Maple syrup, can I use some water?
Sam
So glad you enjoyed! I wouldn’t recommend substituting water for the maple syrup, they will end up to cakey.
Michelle
Hello! I am so excited to make these – they look delicious!! Would it be okay if I left the dough in the fridge overnight? Would it effect the cookies at all? Thank you!
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Michelle! It will be fine to leave the dough covered in the refrigerator overnight. It will just need to sit out a little longer so it’s easier to work with. I hope that you enjoy the chocolate chip cookies 🙂
Tammy Barnett
Can you use a KitchenAid stand mixer for these chocolate chip cookies?
Sam
Sure!
Coley
Yeah, see I thought I had found the best chocolate chip cookie recipe, I won’t say from where, a little while back. Everyone loved this things, taking them to work, friends, neighbors, school, etc. But them we tried these WORST chocolate chip cookies ever. And boy did they ever live up to their name. They’re so absolutely, horribly disgusting that they had to be added to our cookie rotation, made in triple batches and have now also made their way to our doctors, our pharmacies, our oil change place and even our Dunkin Donuts!!! Geez I tell you, the WORST chocolate chip cookiesreally get around for being sooo distasteful 🙂
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Coley! I am so glad that you hated (enjoyed) the Chocolate Chip Cookies so much that you even shared them! I am so glad that they made it into your baking rotation. Thanks for commenting. Enjoy! 🙂
Lauren
Ok so this recipe produces the BEST chocolate chip cookies that I have ever had! This is always the first item to go at parties and people always ask me to make the cookies. Chilling the dough overnight is truly key and produces the best cookies you’ve ever had. Thanks so much for this recipe!!!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Lauren! I am so glad that you enjoyed the Chocolate Chip Cookies. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Mary Montague
For cookies butter is best. Maybe try half butter/ margarine but margarine has water in it.
For cakes my grandma & I always used melted butter in cakes instead of oil. Same for box mixies & pancakes. The are lighter & fluffier. Give it a try.
Linda
Have you tried subbing margarine for the butter? If so, what was the outcome?
Sam
Hi Linda! I have not, wondering if someone else has and can chime in.
Linda
Thanks, Sam. Maybe I will give it a try in the next few days and report back 🙂 Thanks for so many inspiring and tasty recipes.
Linda
It worked fine subbing Imperial stick margarine for the butter. I also cut the sugars in half and added a half cup of oatmeal. They turned out yummy and the cookies held their shape nicely. Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂
Sam
I’m so glad to hear they turned out! Thank you for letting me know, Linda, I appreciate it! 🙂
Tami kay
I used one stick of unsalted butter and one stick of earth balance and it was wonderful!
Janet
pondering the thought of
using the melted butter, then
cooling it down method for chocolate cake
Sam
Hi Janet! I use melted butter in my chocolate cake recipe if you want to check that out!
Lisa
This is my new go to chocolate chip cookie recipe. Ive made it tons of times and it always turns out well. I usually sub in smarties for half the chocolate chips. 🙂 love love love. Thank you!!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Lisa! I am so glad that you enjoy my Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
jes
hi! I just made the dough but haven’t baked them yet. wondering if I can freeze some of this dough… what would the temperature/ time be if I baked them from frozen?
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Jess! I have not frozen the pizza dough personally, however, others have and have had success. If you would like to freeze it, I recommend letting it rise then storing it into a freezer bag. I would let the dough thaw and bake according to directions listed on the recipe. Others may want to chime in and provide tips based on their experiences. Enjoy! 🙂
jes
hey thank you but i was talking about the chocolate chip cookie dough
Sam
Haha, WHOOPS! Yes I freeze this COOKIE dough often. The temperature will stay the same, the cookies might just need to bake another minute or so longer. Enjoy!
Ari
Hi,
I have done others recipes of you O have love them all! I want to make this but I don’t have maple syrup, what can I use instead?
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Ari! Some people have had success with substituting honey, however, the maple syrup really is the secret ingredient in this cookie. If you have pancake syrup that will work as well. I hope you enjoy! 🙂