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.
Robin
Sam !!! Guurrllllll!! these cookies are fire!! I am a baker so I don’t mind the 30 min wait! I have tried several chocolate chip cookie recipes and this is the one!! 100% my one and only now!! thank you !! keep cooking !!
Robin ~
Kristen Culpepper
I make these for every Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I call them my appetizer cookies and have people eat them before the meal! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Robyn
Wow!!! These are glorious! Thank you for sharing these. How long does the raw dough last in the fridge?
Sam
I’m so happy you enjoyed, Robyn! The dough will keep covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Enjoy!
Carol Boehm
I want to make these for Christmas – the recipe I use now calls for a box of vanilla pudding to keep them soft. Will these cookies stay soft and chewy if made ahead of time? thank you. they look awesome!
Sam
Hi Carol! These should stay soft for several days in an air tight container at room temperature. That being said, of course there’s nothing like a fresh cookie. You could always make the dough in advance and bake them the day you need them. 🙂
Tam
How long should the cookies stay on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack or earing them? Do you mean they should stay there a whole half hour to completely cool?
Love these cookies. 😊
Sam
These cookies should cool completely on the baking sheet. No need to transfer them to a cooling rack. 🙂
Norman
Another holiday, another Sam Sugarspunrun recipe. or in this case at least 4. What can I say but all your creations get the best compliments. Other than the extra work they cause me every family get together because everyone wants all their favorites made. Keep the ideas and helpful hints coming! Yay!
Sam
Thank you so much for this sweet comment, Norman! I’m thrilled to hear that everything has been such a success, thank you so much for trusting my recipes, it means so much to me!
Renae
These cookies are amazing! I froze the cookies dough for postpartum so I could have fresh cookies whenever I wanted. Best treat ever!!
Mark
Hi Sam
Love your recipes
Can I make this into a cookie cake in a 9 inch pan if I halve the recipe?
Sam
Hi Mark! I’m not sure that you’d need to halve the recipe to make it into a cookie cake. I haven’t tried it personally, but I know others have done so with success. 🙂
Danielle
I love these cookies! They turn out so good. One question – is there a way to make them healthier, such as cutting down on or substituting the sugar and butter?
Sam
Hi Danielle! You could do a few things like use organic ingredients, swap the granulated and brown sugar for coconut sugar and reduce to 1 1/4 cups. Swap the flour for Sunrise Mills heritage flour. Swap the chocolate for Hu chocolate gems. I hope that helps! 🙂
Sharon
I tried this. I was a little leary at first but the cookies are delicious.
Mike
Sam,
I have to make sure that I make these cookies when no one is around because if I don’t they never make it to the completely cooled stage because they get eaten before they get that far. They get cool enough to be able to pick up and they just seem to disappear off the baking sheets.
Kristi
These cookies are the worst, so best keep them hidden from other family members. I substituted coconut oil for the butter (I did NOT warm it up before mixing) as a personal preference and cookies are perfect! Thank you!
Sharon
Do you really get 32 large size cookies from one batch of dough? It doesn’t look like that much dough in the video.
Sam
You do get about 32 cookies out of the dough. 🙂
Angela
Hello, I want to know how much should I bake if I make 32 smaller cookies instead of 16 large cookies for New Year’ s Eve. I baked the first batch (16 large cookies), but most of the guests thought these cookies are too large. I personally think that they’re delicious. Also, how much can I cut the amount of sugar in this recipe? I think that it’s sweet enough, but some guests thought that it’s too sweet (Asian taste buds).
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Angela! We’re not sure how long they will take to bake at that size, so just keep an eye on them and take them out when the edges just start to appear golden brown. Others have reduced the sugars with success, but without having tried it ourselves we can’t advise on exactly how much to reduce them.
Angela
Thank you. I’ll try that.
Denise Eichner
Never turn back on a Sugar Spun Run recipe of any kind no matter how crazy it sounds… like maple syrup in a chocolate chip cookie???? Absolutely hands down “ The Worst Chocolate Chip Cookie “ ever!!!
😉😆🤣
Thanks again, Sam 🩷
Laura Feyh
So I’ve been thinking about using brown butter in this recipe. Maybe they could be a hybrid/combo of your Brown Butter Choc Chip Cookies & these? “The Worst Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies”. What do you think?
Sam
Hi Laura! I’ve had a few people comment that they have made this recipe with brown butter (just browning the butter called for in this recipe) and that it’s worked wonderfully, so I think that will be just fine. Enjoy! 🙂
Tammy
Absolutely the “worst.” Having to wait to try each batch was pure torture. 😂
My fella is allergic to eggs, so I needed to substitute a quarter cup of unsweetened apple sauce per egg. But, with the combined techniques of chilling the dough throughout and making the dough balls higher than wider, they came out perfect without the usual spreading problem with eggless cookies. I had to hide them because he wouldn’t stay out of them! Thank you!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Tammy! I appreciate the feedback making them eggless. 🙂
Anne Richardson
These are my go-to cookies. I get raves every time I take them places. They are even good if one accidentally omits 1 cup of flour (oops). Just flatter.
Maggie B.
I love this recipe and so does my family (especially my mom 🙂). I was wondering if it would work the same with organic syrup? I tried it with butter syrup and it was nowhere near as good. Thank you!
Sam
Hi Maggie! Organic syrup will work here. 🙂