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.
Jessica
Hi Sam,
I have a quick question about the flour measurements…. are you saying to add 3 and 1/4 cups of flour or (3) 1/4 cups of flour? Just waned to make sure I got the measurements correct. Thanks!
Sam
Hi Jessica, yes, that is correct. Hope you love the cookies! 🙂
Leah
I’ll admit, I’ve never made so many batches of cookies in a one-week period. But these were SO good that I made some for a “Friendsgiving” and, since there were no left-overs, I made another 1/2 batch for home the next day. And I’m making another batch for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I’ll be entering these in my department’s cookie contest too. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it, right! A definite crowd pleaser. And pressing a few chocolate chips on top right when they get out makes them look amazing. I don’t bake from scratch often, and I love how easy the recipe and instructions were to follow. For some reason I can’t leave a rating, but it’s a 5-star for sure!!!
d de tc have tsd
I allowed the butter to cool completely so that it would not melt the sugar and the dough came out runny, even after chilling. The butter was cold but still liquid.
What am I doing wrong?
Sam
That’s very odd, I literally just made these again today and did not have that issue. If everything was measured properly and the butter was cooled appropriately, this simply shouldn’t have happened.
Alex
This recipe is definitely a keeper. I like to bake them for 10 minutes instead of 13 though, perfect medium rare!
Sam
I like the way you think! Glad you enjoyed the cookies, Alex!! 🙂
Jay
I don’t have maple syrup can I use honey?
Sam
Hi Jay, sorry for not seeing this sooner (your comment was somehow marked as spam, apologies!). I don’t know if it’s too late, but while you *can* substitute honey for maple syrup and it should result in a similarly textured cookie, I can’t guarantee that the taste will be as good as it is with the maple syrup. The results would (obviously) have honey undertones rather than maple, but that’s not a bad thing if you like honey! If you do try it, please let me know how they turn out for you!
Janet Yamashita
You are right. These have to be the best worst ever cookies. I have had to make them several times for a senior group. This way they can make sure that the cookies are the worst. Thank you for the recipe!
Sam
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Lucy birdy
I LOVE ❤️ this recipe!!!! Third time making this. The maple syrup really does something magical in the recipe ??????. I have people who don’t like chocolate so I make a batch of this plain omitting the chocolate chips and they still come out delicious. This is a keeper in my recipe box.
Sowmya
Uh oh..I made these twice in the same week. I’m in trouble.
Sam
They’re addictive, I warned you! 😉
Darlene
Sorry to say, I didn’t like these cookies…will stick with my old favorites.
Queene
Sugar, you are one smart cookie! Thanks much for sharing your recipe and your creativity! Love it!
Sam
🙂 🙂 So glad you enjoyed the post, Queene!! 🙂
Renee
I just tried these. Great flavor! However, mine turned out paper thin. I followed your directions perfectly and I have chocolate chip crepes. Any suggestions? Would love the chewiness/cakiness that your cookies appear to have. Thanks!
Brenda Nelms
I have made these before and they are WONDERFUL! I am making more today, they turn out so perfect…
Sam
I love hearing this! So glad you enjoyed them so much, thank you for coming back and commenting! 🙂
Don
I’ can’t get the print icon to work I click on it but nothing happens.
Sam
Hi Don, I’m sorry about that! I am able to print it here — it comes up in a separate screen and I print it from there. I am going to e-mail you the recipe so you can print that e-mail without worrying about printing the whole website page, if you’re still having problems or would prefer me to send the recipe a different way, please let me know!
Rachel C
The dough is in the fridge as we speak. I can’t wait to try them baked Hahaha
And seriously, I want you to be my new best friend! I’m cracking up as I read this post ?
Sam
Ah awesome I hope you love them! And if you send me some of the cookies we can totally be best friends 🙂 🙂 🙂
Prencesse Jackson
These cookies were so good i couldn’t believe it!!!!! I didn’t make the whole batch because you know what happens with too many cookies around especially in my house. My oven will cook food to a crisp lol. So my baking time is always less than the suggested time given. I didn’t have any maple syrup which i realized at the last minute, so i had to use regular pancake syrup. The cookies still taste so good. My next batch will have the maple syrup though. Thanks for the recipe.
Sam
Why thank you! I’m so glad that you enjoyed them 🙂 🙂