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.
Naomi
Love the recipe! I substitute the maple syrup for honey and I also brown my butter for a richer flavor. Is it possible to use this recipe to make a cookie cake? Thank you!
Sam
Hi Naomi! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it! I haven’t personally tried making it a cookie cake, but I know several other commenters have done so with success. 🙂
Nancy
Amazing. AMAZING. Did I say amazing? I have been making these for years, and I’m pretty sure if my husband had to choose between losing the cookies or losing a leg, he’d say: “who needs two legs? Not this guy!”. People will BE ADDICTED to your cookies.
Cathy
Can the dough be shaped and frozen then baked?
Sam
Hi Cathy! If freezing I do recommend rolling the dough balls, wrapping individually, and storing in a freezer bag. 🙂
Gayla Tincher
I have so far made your banana bread and potato candy and now your Worst chocolate chip cookies. Everything is soooooo delicious and boy, those chocolate chip cookies are seriously the best cookies I have ever made! Thank you for the recipie! Can’t wait to try more of your recipies! Anytime I hear of somebody needing a good recipie for something I tell them about Sugar Spun Run!! I can always count on you! 🍁🍂
Sam
Thank you so much for your support, Gayla! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed everything so much. 🙂
Bryan Colbert
This is a great recipe. But more than that, this entire website is easily the best I have ever come across. The entire recipe is organized; its easy to see what is needed, the video are clear and concise and it is set up in such a way to make it so easy for a 73 year old man who prolly has ADD to follow it.
And the cookies? Awesome.
Sam
Thank you so much, Bryan! I’m so glad you enjoy everything so much! 🙂
Jaclyn Seymour
Our favorite cookie recipe!!
Madel Graham
Best recipe ever. You are also very funny. Don’t eat them hot. The taste improves once they get cold. I will reduce sugar a bit. I found them too sweet.
Valerie Burke
I also love the way you add the ingredients to the recipe portion, saves going back and forth. brilliant idea!
Geri
This is a game changer for me!
Terri White
I made these cookies and enlisted my husband to stir the dry ingredients into the wet. When it was time to stir in the chocolate chips, he told me it was my turn.
My chef’s hat is off to Sam’s upper body strength! I had to come up with another plan.
Plan 1: mix the chips into the individual cookies. I baked one and it worked.
Plan 2: roll dough into a round, then dip the top of the cookie dough into a bowl of mini chocolate chips. Then place them chip side up on the cookie sheet. They turned out so pretty! I did them all that way. Pretty and delicious! Pix on Instagram @eatgr8food
David Alvarado Sebastian
Love your videos
Maggie
I’ve been making the same chocolate chip cookies for 50 and they’re good, but these are better.
Thanks!
Honey
It was absolutely delicious
Jessica
My favorite go to recipe for cookies!! I’ve run into a problem, can I use margarine sticks instead of butter? Not ideal but unfortunately all I have.
Thanks!
Kelsey T
This is literally what I do in a pinch – if the “worst” cookies as written are a 10, the ones with margarine are a 9.99 and are just as addictive
Alexis Wolgast
This is more of a nail biting story than a recipe!
Cheryl
I love your recipes. I especially love the way your recipes read. Thank you for putting the measurements in the instructions so I don’t have to keep going back and forth.
Thank you
Elle
These are amazing. But how do I get the cookies not to flatten out so much? They are ADDICTING. My oven isn’t too hot (i have a thermometer I place in). I tried to chill longer, make the ball into a tower (they come out too small due to very little speeading but a little thicker). I want them to have a normal spread while still having the depth. I know the wet ingredients are technically more in this recipe with the added maple syrup and butter to flour ratio. But I want to have an average spread with good depth without having to omit the maple syrup (I know you have other recipes for thick chocolate chip cookies but I really want to use this one). The oreo cookie recipe is the perfect example of depth and spread that I am looking for. Please help! Thank you
Sam
Hi Elle! You could try adding more flour or cutting the sugar or both, but that will change the taste a little bit.
Valerie Burke
I also love the way you add the ingredients to the recipe portion, saves going back and forth. brilliant idea!