I originally shared this recipe for perfect chocolate chip cookies over on Spend with Pennies! Well here I am again with another confusingly named chocolate chip cookie recipe.  The second-best?  Who wants to make the second-best cookie? If you’ve tried my “Worst” Chocolate Chip Cookies, you already know that cookies don’t get better than that one.  There’s a reason my video for that recipe has been viewed over 8 million times and I get dozens of e-mails and comments a day about it. There’s simply no substitute for the worst, and since there’s not a cookie out there better (worse? I’m starting to confuse myself here) than that one, I never thought I’d share another chocolate chip cookie recipe here.

But I get a lot of e-mails from those of you who don’t have maple syrup on hand, those of you who want to leave it out for one reason or another (oh, please don’t!) and I finally decided that instead of sending people off to Google different chocolate chip cookies or stick to the back of the Tollhouse bag, I’d offer an alternative. This is that alternative, and while every time I make a batch of these chocolate chip cookies they are devoured and they will definitely be a fast favorite and beloved by everyone who tries them, Im going to be honest and tell you that I still prefer the Worst Cookies. But if you can’t make them, why not go for the second-best, right?  I promise that these are a worthy substitute.

Tips for Making These Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Melt the butter.  As with the “Worst”, these cookies use melted butter.  A lot of people (people who had not yet tried the recipe) have since argued with me that you shouldn’t use melted butter in cookies and I so strongly disagree.  It gives these cookies a great buttery flavor throughout. It makes them nice and chewy.  Melt the butter 😉 But, let it cool, too.  Let your butter cool for at least 10 minutes.  If your butter is scorching hot, it will melt your sugars and you’ll end up with a soupy mess rather than cookie dough. Chill the dough.  Because of the melted butter and the general consistency of the dough, the cookie dough will need to chill for at least 30 minutes before baking.

Yes.  You will still want to chill the dough for 30 minutes to make it easier to portion, first.  I recommend scooping the dough, wrapping each dough-ball in cling wrap, and then placing all wrapped dough portions in a large Ziploc bag and freezing.  The cookies can be baked from frozen, they may just need an additional minute or two of baking.

So that’s how to make these “second-best” chocolate chip cookies.  Don’t get me wrong with the label, these cookies are definitely worth your time and I wouldn’t be sharing them if I didn’t think you would absolutely love them (just check out the rave reviews they’ve received over on Spend with Pennies website!! — link just below the first photo) They’ll still shrink your jeans.  They’ll still consume your thoughts.  They probably won’t steal your boyfriend but they will definitely flirt with him, like a lot. Enjoy!

The Second Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe - 70The Second Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe - 97The Second Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe - 40The Second Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe - 8The Second Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe - 87The Second Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe - 61