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.
Emily
These are my favorite cookies to make and even made them for my wedding!! They’re so delicious and easy to make! Everytime someone asks me for a recipe I send them to your site because everything is so good! I really couldnt ask for a better cookie recipe!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Emily! I am so glad that you love this recipe and thank you for sharing it with others. I greatly appreciate it. Enjoy! 🙂
JoJo
I’ve made these 6 or 7 times and they are hands down the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie I have ever had. I add a Tsp of chopped Andes Mints on top of each cookie as soon as they come out of the oven. OMG! I rolled half of the dough into balls and froze them in wax paper and a ziplock freezer bag. Can I put the dough straight from the freezer into the oven or should I put them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before baking? Thank you Sam!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you have enjoyed them, JoJo! I love the additional pieces of mint as well. You can bake the frozen cookie dough without having to thaw it in the refrigerator, they just may need another min or two to bake. 🙂
Lorraine
Delicious 😋 this will become my new chocolate chip cookie recipe. I made your brownies before and my son said they were the best he ever ate.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy to hear that you now have a new family favorite, Lorraine and that the cookies were a hit! Thanks for commenting.
Michelle
OMG! I’m seriously impressed. I made half the recipe and still got 16 huge cookies! I used milk chocolate chips, then finished with semi sweet chunks on top, after bake. I was out of vanilla extract, so I used coffee extract! Really brought out the chocolate flavor without making it taste like coffee.
Sam
Thank you so much, Michelle! I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies. 🙂
Stephanie
Is it ok to use salted butter and not add the salt or will it change the consistency of the dough ?
Sam
Hi Stephanie! You can use salted butter and reduce the salt in the recipe to 1/2 teaspoon. They’ll still turn out great 🙂
Connie Patton
Love your website!!!
Sam
Thank you so much, Connie! 🙂
Linda
Can I use milk chocolate chips instead of semi chocolate?
Sam
That would work fine. 🙂
Patty
If I could give this recipe more stars I would! They are amazing! Chocolate chip cookies will never be the same…..the bar has been set…..
Sam
Awesome! So happy to hear they were such a hit for you, Patty! 🙂
Denise
Absolutely delicious! I tweaked it a bit and used Organic Amber Agave instead maple syrup and also added some cinnamon. These are just fantastic.
Thank you for sharing. 😋
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies, Denise! 🙂
Brenda
These cookies turned out great. didn’t spread and very light-yum! thanks for sharing the recipe.
Sam
You’re very welcome, I’m glad you enjoyed!
kitty
The flavour is amazing, but my dough came out more cakey than chewy. I prefer cookies more chewy. What could have gone wrong?
Sam
Hi Kitty! Oh no, these should definitely be chewy and NOT cakey. Usually if they come out cakey it has to to with the flour being measured improperly. I have a guide on how to measure flour that may be helpful if you want to check that out!
kitty
Thank you! I have made your brownies before – and they were the best ever!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Kitty! I am glad that you enjoyed them. 🙂
Holly
Hands down my favorite cookie recipe! My family loves them. Recipe is perfect!
Sam
So happy to hear this! Thanks for commenting, Holly! 🙂
Sarah Laidley
OMG!!!! I blame theses cookies (and #stayhome) for my going up a pant size! They are so good! My son doesn’t have such a sweet tooth and my wife doesn’t each much wheat so I think I ate the majority of two batches of these in under 2 weeks! I would bake two trays the first night and then one tray the next two nights. I love that you can put in most of the effort the first day and then still have fresh warm cookies the next two nights.
Love these! (and your biscuits are also the best, I recommend them to everyone)
Sam
Haha, they are DANGEROUS aren’t they!? So glad to hear you are enjoying the recipes, Sarah, thank you so much for commenting! 🙂
Jen
Taste is great, but the cookies came out way too hard. Eggs were room temp, butter was melted and cooled down for 5 minutes and dough was refrigerated. Any other tips that I may be missing to keep the cookies doughy and soft?
Sam
Hi Jen! Most likely the cookies were simply baked too long in the oven, or your oven could be running hotter than it is letting on, most ovens are not running true to temperature and I recommend keeping a thermometer in your oven to check it for accuracy. When you take the cookies out of the oven they should still seem slightly underdone in the centers; they’ll finish cooking as they cool completely on the baking sheet and then will still be nice and soft and chewy once cool. So it sounds like you may just need to shave a minute or two off of your bake time. I hope that helps!
Tessa
If you want them soft, I generally keep the cookies in a container with a piece or two of bread. This makes the cookies take the breads softness for themselves. Hard cookies will be softer. You will indeed find the bread getting stale, when it does just replace the stale bread for more.
Yael Ilan-Clarke
Pure amazing! I didn’t have brown sugar, so had to use white/golden caster, and had to use golden syrup, and dark choc chips,….but seriously delicious!! i am so glad I only made half a batch, otherwise it would all be gone (dough and all!)
Thank you Sam, seriously delicious.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy that you enjoyed them, Yael! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂