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.
Gabe
Do you think this would be a good present for my mom’s birthday
Sam
Absolutely! 🙂
Susan
I can verify these are definitely the worst. My husband just said “I could eat the whole batch”. Never said that for other cookie recipes. Going shopping today for yoga pants 😂💕
sw
I hate this cookie recipe! it is definitely the worst! aka: the best! they were sooooooooo good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if you have not tried them yet,try it!!!!!!!!!!!
Theresa
I don’t have cornstarch will it still work
Sam
You can substitute flour. Your cookies won’t be quite as chewy. 🙂
Rikookie
The cookies came out delicious but I had a couple problems. The finished dough was a bit thin, but I proceeded with the recipe and chilled it in the fridge for the instructed 30 minutes. I then scooped and baked a few sheets of cookies only to find that they were extremely flat. So I chilled the remaining dough overnight and baked the rest in the morning, but they still came out excessively thin! 🙁 I did use margarine instead of butter, (and yes, I let it cool completely) so perhaps that is what caused the cookies to flatten so much?
Awaiting your reply,
Rikookie
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this! I think the margarine may have been an issue. I would try it again with butter and make sure to weigh your flour if you can to make sure you are getting enough in the dough. 🙁
Malina B
Yes ma’am your 100% accurate with the name of these cookies!! Mannn are they delicious, so soft and chewy and amazing!! I will never make another ccc in my life!! Your cheesecake receipes are phenomenal as well. I love watching your videos!! I try to always try your recepies, One thing I’ve ran into a problem with though is the cake flower I’ve always had a problem with the cake flour not turning out right… But cookies are 10/5!!! Chefs kiss
BJG
I’ve been experimenting with myriad chocolate chip cookie recipes. This recipe is so well written. The outcome: Amazing. I love these chocolate chip cookies.
HK
Hi! I’ve made this recipe quite a few times and its always been a hit so thank you! My question is, have you ever made a cookie cake with this recipe? If so, is there any difference?
Sam
I have not tried this as a cookie cake, but I do have a great cookie cake recipe. 🙂
Ross
I’ve made these a few times now and we love them!
My most recent time though, they came out very flat and I’m not sure where I went wrong. Any suggestions?
Sam
Hi Ross! I’m so sorry to hear this! Was your butter warm when you added the sugars? That can cause them to melt and the cookies to spread. 🙁
JoAnne Balsano
I made the dough and now my oven is broken. How long can I keep the dough in the refrigerator?
Sam
Oh no!! That’s never fun! The dough should be good for 5 days in the refrigerator. I hope you can get the oven fixed soon! If not, you can scoop the dough into balls, wrap the dough balls in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag so it doesn’t go to waste. 🙂 They can then be baked from frozen. I actually keep some in my freezer for any time I’m craving one. 🙂
JoAnne M Balsano
Well, got a new oven and first thing I did was bake these wonderful cookies! Great recipe. They came out so good! Definitely a keeper! Thank you!
María José Ariztia
I’ve made this recipe many times and it’s proven great! They’re the best chocolate chip cookies ever.
PS. Make sure the batter is room temperature
Carissa
These were good but I can’t say I was blown away. The dough was difficult to work with since the syrup made it a softer/stickier dough, and the cookies weren’t any better than other chocolate chip cookies I’ve made in the past- both in terms of taste and texture. I will say they were popular for the people I shared them with though.
Sam
Thank you for trying my recipe, Carissa!
Cheryl
I made these over the weekend and they were so good. I really like this recipe and will definitely be making them again. I tried a lot of chocolate chip cookies recipes and this might be one of my favorites. I agree though the batter was stickier because of maple syrup but it was still worth it
Libby M.
There is no mistaking, these cookies are off the hook awesomely delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Elisa Barrera
The best cookie recipe I have come across! I must say, I first tried this recipe without weighing the flour, etc and they came out very different as opposed to weighing the ingredients. Makes a huge difference and they come out so perfect when you weigh the flour, etc. so perfect they just melt in your mouth. I highly recommend you use a scale for the ingredients because it is a game changer. Chewy and decadent to the last bite!!
Ann
I have a ton of chocolate chip cookie recipes, but would love to try this one. What is the texture? Soft, crispy …
Sam
They are a chewy, soft cookie. 🙂
Kris mee
Tried sub fake syrup, just not the same. Recommend real syrup for a better texture and flavor. Very flat using pancake syrup.
Best cookies ever.
Alex
This has become my go-to recipe for chocolate chip cookies, and I have made it at least 10 times now. Delicious! I also love that it doesn’t require a mixer.