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.
Madeleine Daly Devereux
This is without a doubt the best cookie recipe out there – both shop bought or home backed. They are amazing. So chewy and gooey – even the next day (if you can hang onto them without being eaten!!). They are hands down the nicest cookie I have ever tasted. I have also made the carrot cake muffins and blondies from SugarSpunRun and they have all been amazing. Cannot wait to try another recipe from your website!!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Madeleine! I am so glad that you have enjoyed them along with my other recipes. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Victoria
Can i store the dough overnight in the fridge without ruining the cookies? These are so awesome, btw, in love with these cookies.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you have enjoyed the cookies, Victoria! Yes, you can store the dough in the fridge to bake the next day. Be sure to wrap the bowl well so your dough does not dry out or store it in an airtight container. The dough may need to sit out at room temperature 10-15 mins to soften before scooping so that it is more manageable. 🙂
Austin
I would give this recipe 5/5 if the measurements made a little more sense. I have made this recipe a couple of times. Regardless of the results, every cookie is eaten!
As for the measurements, I don’t understand how
3 1/4 cups = 415g flour
The conversion I know is 120g/cup. Where does the extra 25g of flour come from?
Which measurement should be followed?
Sam
Hi Austin, 1 cup of flour is about 125g. Different websites may have subtle variations but this is my standard (you can read more about this in my guide on how to measure flour). All of my weight measurements are what I use myself and are correct and what I recommend, there’s simply too much room for error when using cups.
Virginia D Bean
Love your video’s
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Virginia! 🙂
Loisy
We love this cookie recipe so much! But we started to cut back some sugar on our diet. Is there a way we can still use this but lessen or eliminate the sugar (and leave the maple syrup) and still give us the same feels? 😭
Sugar Spun Run
Without testing it, I am not sure how it will alter the taste, Loisy. You may need to experiment some. Sorry, I can’t be of more help. Keep me posted on how it turns out and what you try. 🙂
Quincy
these cookies are THE BEST!! I love them sooooo much. my dad and I made them on a Saturday afternoon to have with our movie night and these cookies were all gone in the morning. we made more the next day. I never eat eny other chocolate chip cookies
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy that your family loved the cookies and they made the perfect movie night treat, Quincy! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Carla
I love all of your recipes I’ve tried so far. These cookies, I’ve baked twice and they come out flat and seemingly raw. The first time I just thought I missed something but the second time they came out just the same. Almost raw, very thin wear the chips are poking thru, then they tear apart when I lift them after cooling for 10 minutes. The first mishap, I thought I had added the wrong amount of flour, not enough, so I went back to the batch and added quite a bit of flour, until the dough didn’t stick to my fingers. Baked them and they were perfect. Fluffy, and they rose. I’m not sure if you’ve gotten this feedback but just don’t know what I’m doing wrong. No strange oven, humidity, sea level (in Texas), can’t think of anything. What could it possibly be? Adding flour seems to make them perfect, but I just don’t know how much to add, since I added mid stream with first batch and now I’ll have to do it with my second try as well. They taste great and i love them, but texture is not good. Please help!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much for trying my recipe, Carla! Let’s try to fix this cookie mishap! Mismeasuring flour is the most common mistake in baking so I have created a guide on how to measure flour properly that can be used as a reference. Another thing that comes to mind is perhaps your baking soda has not been properly stored or is old? This can also effect the cookies as well. Lastly, if you have not tested your oven temperature for accuracy I highly reccomend doing so. I recently purchased a new oven and found that it was running hotter than what was indicated. You may need to make adjustments there or your cookies may just need another minute or two in the oven. I hope that this helps! If you try it again, I’d love to know how they turn out! 🙂
Kate
Hello! Apologies if this has been asked before, but I’m dairy free and have to use non-dairy butter. Do you think that would still work with this recipe? Or what ingredients/fat contents to look out for in types of dairy free butters that would work?
Thanks!!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Kate! I have not tried it personally and looking back through my comments no one has mentioned it. Since I have not tried it myself, I am not certain how it will do. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out. 🙂
Gina
Most out of control, delicious cookie Ever. Yum!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you think so, Gina! I am so happy that you loved them! 🙂
Ki
Ok Sam!! We’re two for two!! I tried, baked, reviewed the amazing pound cake recipe you have and received rave reviews and the other day I tried these cookies….SMH…..they ARE THE WORST (BEST) chocolate chip cookies ever!! Again, I followed your recipe and tips to a T even down to taking the cookies out when slightly browned around the edges and not removing them from the cookie sheet until fully cooled. I really appreciated that tip as I’d attempted to achieve fully baked cookies that are soft and chewy but always fell short…but not this time!! Sam, Sam, Sam…these cookies are soo flavorful, soo soft, soo yummy! I can’t believe that I made them. I’d taken a batch to my parent’s house today for a visit. My sister and nephew were there. They were all gone before I’d left to go back home!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Sugar Spun Run
HOORAY! I am so happy that you LOVED the cookies, Ki, and from the sound of it, everyone else did too. I glad to hear that you have found the tips helpful and the recipe(s) easy to follow. I can’t wait to see what you try next! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Amelie
oh…my…gosh. Sam, these just came out of the oven 10 minutes ago (and are cooling) and I already ate 2. These are HEAVEN. I swear I think I need to lock these up or something.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you LOVED them, Amelie! They never last more than a day in our household either. lol. Enjoy!!! 🙂
mes
tried this.. when i say that they were demolished within the time span of 10 minutes i mean it. i had to use cream of tartar since i ran out of baking powder and it still came out awesome the amount of sweetness was perfect although at first i thought that it might be too sweet having maple syrup but that is what gave the cookie a kick.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that everyone enjoyed the cookies, Mes! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
JAMIE
balled them up and froze…..any tips on the best way to bake them from frozen
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Jamie! You will simply place the frozen, pre-scooped cookie dough balls onto a baking sheet and bake for 2-3 minutes longer than the recipe recommends. Enjoy! 🙂
Dana
Wow these were just delicious!! I’ve been searching for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe and my family said these were it! So thankful I found this site and all these amazing recipes.. looking forward to trying more! Thanks so much!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Dana! I am so happy that your family loved the cookies and that you now have a new go-to recipe. I am excited to see what you try next! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Ben
Just made them, and they turned out perfect! The tips were very helpful, and I never formed cookie dough in an egg shape before, but it actually worked really well.
Thanks!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies, Ben! 🙂