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  • ร—
    Home ยป Desserts ยป Cookies

    The WORST Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

    March 28, 2020 Updated January 9, 2023 BySam 4,907 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Stack of worst chocolate chip cookies

    Go no further! This chocolate chip cookie recipe will ruin your life.

    Consider yourself warned.

    Stack of cookies made from this chocolate chip cookie recipe with melty chocolate chips and a bite missing from the top cookie

    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 cookie recipe”, and dog-eared cookbooks of “award winning” and family favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes, you have somehow found yourself here, face-to-cookie with the actual worst chocolate chip cookie.

    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 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

    chocolate chip cookie broken in half to show the inside, perched on a shotglass filled with the secret ingredient (maple syrup)

    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 best-turned-worst chocolate chip cookie recipe), that will work just fine, too.

    What kind of self-respecting cookie doesn’t demand purity and quality?

    Only the worst kind.

    Ingredients
    Ingredients needed for the worst chocolate chip cookie recipe

    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 to die for.

    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 was. Just that they were enjoying “really, really good cookies”.

    OK, so what’s so bad about really good chocolate chip cookies?

    Overhead of the worst chocolate chip cookie on parchment paper on a wood surface, broken in half

    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 recipe? 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 any other “delicious” cookie. 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

    a glass bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough
    The worst chocolate chip cookie dough

    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 chocolate chip cookie 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 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.

    Two chewy chocolate chip cookies on a dark backdrop

    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 ever” 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.

    Chocolate chip cookie with bite missing

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why did my cookies spread too much?

    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 30ย  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.

    Why didn’t my chocolate chip cookies spread in the oven?

    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).

    Can I substitute something else for the maple syrup?

    Honey or light or dark corn syrup would work instead of the syrup, just note that the flavor will be slightly different.

    Letโ€™s bake together!ย Iโ€™ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe andย videoย below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me onย Instagram, and you can also find me onย YouTubeย andย Facebook

    Stack of cookies made from this chocolate chip cookie recipe with melty chocolate chips and a bite missing from the top cookie

    The WORST Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

    My apologies, it seems you've somehow stumbled upon the absolute worst chocolate chip cookie recipe. Turn back now or you'll end up like all the commenters on this post.
    4.90 from 2324 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Cookies, Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 13 minutes minutes
    Chilling Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 58 minutes minutes
    Servings: 32 large cookies
    Calories: 223kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter melted and then cooled until no longer warm to the touch (see note)
    • 1 ยฝ cups (300 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
    • ยฝ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
    • 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ยผ cup (60 ml) maple syrupยฒ
    • 3 ยผ 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

    • Mixing bowls
    • Cookie sheet
    • 1 ยฝ Tablespoon cookie scoop
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • In a large bowl, stir together melted butter and sugars.
      1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 ยฝ cups (300 g) light brown sugar, ยฝ 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, ยผ cup (60 ml) maple syrupยฒ
    • In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
      3 ยผ 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.)
    • 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

    ยนButter

    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.

    ยฒMaple 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

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 119mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 500IU | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1.3mg

    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.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

    Related Cookie Recipes That are Also Pretty Terrible But Not As Bad:

    • Peanut butter cookies with a criss cross fork design on top.
      The BEST Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe (Seriously!)
    • Stack of oatmeal cookies with pink cloth in background
      Oatmeal Cookies
    • chocolate chip cookie bar studded with chocolate chips
      Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
    • plate of iced and decorated sugar cookies neatly arranged according to type, including christmas trees, gold stars, candy canes, and snowflakes
      Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe (With Icing!)

    I originally published the worst 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.

    « Crazy Cake
    Homemade Bread »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Julie Delpho

      March 17, 2024 at 7:35 pm

      Can I use molasses instead of maple syrup?

      Reply
      • Sam

        March 17, 2024 at 8:40 pm

        Hi Julie! It will change the flavor quite a bit, but it will work.

        Reply
    2. ISADORA ZANON

      March 15, 2024 at 9:12 pm

      So strange – I thought I followed the recipe correctly, but my cookies came out pretty bland and have a crumbly consistency, even when still warm. I’m sure it’s user error, but any ideas of what might have gone wrong?

      Reply
      • Sam

        March 18, 2024 at 12:07 pm

        I’m so sorry to hear this, Isadora! Did you weigh your flour? If they were crumbly, the most likely culprit would be too much flour in the dough. ๐Ÿ™

        Reply
    3. Catherine B

      March 09, 2024 at 10:12 am

      5 stars
      Iโ€™ve been making your cookies for YEARS for my staff, students and friends. Every time I do, they always ask for your recipe which I happily share. Even clubs/teams at school will ask me to bake some for their fundraising and they advertise them as Ms Bโ€™s cookies which they tell me is a big seller.
      I always have some frozen ones made so I can easily bake them for any occasion. The recipe is easy to follow and gets rave reviews from everyone who eats them. (I know this is odd but I actually donโ€™t like sweets so I probably only ate one or two – hubby is my taster.).
      This is the first time a student offered to buy any extra cookies I make. Theyโ€™re THAT good. I even gift the frozen cookie dough to friends and they act like itโ€™s a bag of gold! Thanks for such an amazing recipe.

      Reply
    4. Tiffany

      March 05, 2024 at 12:45 pm

      5 stars
      These are my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. They are the best ๐Ÿ˜‰

      Reply
    5. Irine Martin

      March 02, 2024 at 11:06 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Sam,

      the flavor is ๐ŸคŒ๐Ÿป. but i melted the butter, and let it sit over night, it solidified.

      i made the dough that morning and was perfect, it looked great. the cookies came out very thin flat and greasy.

      What did i do wrong you think?

      Thank you!

      Reply
      • Sam

        March 03, 2024 at 8:54 pm

        Hmmm that’s very odd, Irine! Letting the butter sit overnight shouldn’t cause any issues. Did you make any substitutions? Is it possible the dough needed just a little more flour? ๐Ÿ™ I’m glad you were still able to enjoy them. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • Irine Martin

          March 04, 2024 at 2:34 pm

          Hi Sam,

          So, I have the exact same scale as you. Iโ€™ve been weighing my flour, I made your banana chocolate chip last night and the same thing happened. The flavors are always on point. Iโ€™ve got to figure out what iโ€™m doing wrong..

        • Sam

          March 05, 2024 at 3:26 pm

          Odd question, I know, but did you make sure to tare the scale after putting a bowl on it. I’ve forgotten before and end up with a lot less flour than I needed. ๐Ÿ™ Other than that, I am just as confused as you are as to why this happened. ๐Ÿ™

      • Ronnie

        March 16, 2024 at 11:23 am

        Is it possible that you didnโ€™t let them cool in the fridge long enough before baking? Or maybe they are not high enough (rolled more tall and oblong instead of a ball) I know this has happened to me before with a different recipe. This recipe works out for me perfectly every single time. They are always a huge hit!

        Good luck and happy baking ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    6. Ana

      February 29, 2024 at 11:14 am

      Hello! Am I able to use a dairy-free butter and still get the same results? would the quantity stay the same?

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 29, 2024 at 4:37 pm

        Hi Ana! Unfortunately, I am not familiar with using dairy free butter so I can’t say for sure how it would work. If you do try it, I would love to know how it turns out. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • Ellen

          March 03, 2024 at 8:28 pm

          5 stars
          Omg the absolute WORST cookies. Eating every single one of them was absolute TORTURE for my husband and I. And with a glass of local milk to go with them? Ew!!! 0/10 will never make again.
          (JK they’re amazing! My forever go to chocolate chip cookie recipe! Thank you!)

    7. DEBRA BENNETT

      February 19, 2024 at 8:16 am

      5 stars
      I rarely post a comment but these are truly the BEST cookies EVER! Great base to build on!

      Reply
    8. M

      February 17, 2024 at 11:55 pm

      Hi am I able to use dark brown sugar instead of light!!

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 19, 2024 at 11:22 am

        That will work. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
      • Shaken

        March 11, 2024 at 10:25 pm

        Use just regular should because itโ€™s all I have what wil happen

        Reply
    9. Kendall

      February 12, 2024 at 3:03 pm

      Hi! Iโ€™m planning on making this recipe and I wanted to know if I could use a hand mixer instead of a spatula?

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 12, 2024 at 3:16 pm

        Hi Kendall! Yes, for sure, I hope you love the cookies!

        Reply
      • Anna

        March 17, 2024 at 9:23 pm

        5 stars
        so good everyone loves them

        Reply
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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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