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.
Taylor Kuttner
Really good!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Taylor! I am glad that you enjoyed them! 🙂
Gwendoline Remedios
I must say I’m going to use this recipe only cos of ur title. Its epic.. and I’m sure its going to be awesome heheheh
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you! I hope that you LOVE them, Gwendoline! Keep me posted on how they turn out. 🙂
Gwendoline Remedios
Oh they turned out awesome inspite of not having enough chocolate chips ;o ) .. but I used peanut butter chips and a few chocolate chips. I skipped the 1/2 cup granulated sugar and only used the brown sugar. Well was trying to reduce the sugar. It still turned out fabulous..
Sugar Spun Run
That is awesome!
Alan
I’ve made these twice, now. Definitely the best worst chocolate chips cookie recipe ever!
These are delicious and worth the extra step. Thank you for sharing, Sam!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you love them, Alan! Thank you so much for trying my recipe. 🙂
Kathy
Sam, I can’t thank you enough for this “worst chocolate chip cookie” recipe!! I LOVE them! My boy friend tells me I should start selling them!! Haha. They are awesome, I will never make another recipe for chocolate cookies, THIS is it!! Thank you!!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that this has become your go-to recipe and you have enjoyed it, Kathy! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Lauren Kysela
Made these with my friend tonigh,t and we thought it was hilarious that the name was the WORST cookies unlike all the others that say they’re the best. We took the recipe up a notch and split the batter and added oreos to one half. Let me tell you these cookies are amazing! I will have to resist eating all of them at once!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you found the cookies irresistible, Lauren! I love the additional oreo add-ins as well. Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Indiya
A truly fantastic recipe. I have made it several times and it’s always wonderful. It takes some elbow grease to mix the thick dough so I can get a little workout in before over-indulging ;). Interestingly, I found that leaving the dough in the fridge longer than the 30 minutes makes the cookies better, in my opinion.
This is my go-to recipe for chocolate chip cookies now (I have some dough chilling as I type this) and I’m so glad I found it. Thank you!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much for being a big fan of this recipe, Indiya! I am so glad that the cookies have become a favorite of yours. Yes, the longer the batter sits the longer the flavor has to combine, but if you let it sit too long the harder it becomes to scoop. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Kelly Stevens
This is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe! So yummy! I even love how they look. Of course I’ve had to make them a bunch of times to be absolutely sure they were my favorite. 🙂 Thanks, Sam!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that this recipe has become a favorite of yours, Kelly! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Janeane Gibson
My family loves these cookies. They never last very long! One of my favorites!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that the cookies have become a family favorite, Janeane! Thank you so much for using my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Christine Mattingly
Since I loved your Apple Butter recipe ,, gave these a try.
Yummy and thank you!!! We are forever ruined to any other.
Looking forward to trying more if your recipes.
Have a beautiful day, and stay well.
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much for giving another one of my recipes a try, Christine! I am so glad that you enjoyed the cookies! This is my personal favorite recipe. Thanks so much for coming back to my site. I can’t wait to see what you bake next! 🙂
J
These cookies do taste incredible, but I have had so many problems regarding them. I’ve made this recipe countless times, but every time I do, I always end up having to use at least one additional cup of flour to this recipe! I do everything that the recipe says, and I even weigh the flour out by grams, and chill for at least 45 minutes, but without the extra flour, these cookies always end up with holes in them, and incredibly flat. The first few times I made this recipe, I thought it was just due to old baking powder or soda, or wrong measurements on my part, but the only thing that seems to prevent the cookies from gaining unsightly holes on them is the addition of flour. I was wondering if this was the result of the maple syrup, because the water content in it might have contributed to the flat, holey cookies that are trypophobia inducing. Despite it not ever working out as I plan, I do love this recipe, so I was wondering if you had any tips or insight that could help me perfect the cookies.
Sam
Hi J! I am sorry the recipe has been giving you trouble. I’m wondering where you live/what your elevation is, as that might be part of the issue.
J
I live in Southern California, and the elevation in my city is about 300 feet above sea level haha. Would this greatly affect the results that I get from the cookies?
Shawnie
I made this with king Arthur’s measure for measure gluten free flour, 1 cup of coconut sugar and 1 cup of maple syrup – and softened butter rather than melted. Though the dough was rather sticky the cookies came out amazing! Thanks for the great recipe!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that they turned out so well for you and that you enjoyed them, Shawnie! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Teresa M.
My scale even thinks these cookies are the worst! We can’t let them go to waste though so I guess we’ll have to suck it up and eat the awful things. ;p
Sugar Spun Run
Your comment made me smile. lol My scales HATES these cookies too! I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Teresa! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Marty
Hey there,
The cookies remain my favorite recipe although I changed it a bit. The only thing that is better than eating this cookie is eating it topped with bacon and drizzled thick caramel! Dont knock it till you try it. It is one of my most requested cookie to date.
Regarding the original recipe, I used softened butter, added a additional teaspoon of corn starch and a half teaspoon more of both baking soda and baking powder. I also added a 1/4 cup more flour. This was baking for dummies (me) 101! I wish there was a way to share the pictures, both with and without the toppings. The slight change in the recipe seems to help folks that are having difficulty. The melted butter caused issues for many folks that I shared your website with.
Anyway, thank you again and give the cookie a bacon and caramel topping. Your recipe is already addicting but the toppings make you go even more insane for the cookie!
You rock in my book, Sam!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you have enjoyed this recipe and have made your own unique adjustments, Marty! I will have to try the bacon and caramel topping the next time I make them. From the sound of it, my husband would love it! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Marty
Awesome! I’d love to know what you both think about it. My wife and her friends went bonkers over them. I baked three dozen the first time and the lasted less than 20 minutes!
Keep up the awesome work, Sam!
Sugar Spun Run
Thanks, Marty! 🙂
Ariana
Have you tried this recipe with gluten free flour? I wonder if it comes out just as delicious.
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Ariana! I personally have not tried using gluten-free flour with my recipes. I tend to develop them with ingredients people have on hand or easy access too. With that being said, I know that others have substituted and have had success doing so with this recipe. 🙂
Beverly Hardister
Absolute cookie perfection! These are amazing! Our new favorite for sure!!!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you now have a new favorite, Beverly. Thank you so much for commenting. I am so happy that you enjoyed them. 🙂