Soften the butter in a microwave. FYI - I like to semi-melt the butter for better "mixability".

Mix the milk, butter, granulated white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to mix these ingredients together. Mix until creamy.

Then stir in the flour, baking soda and salt. Use an electric mixer to mix all of the ingredients together. Mix until ingredients are completely blended and cookie dough looks creamy. FYI - Read the tips section below to find out why using an electric mixer results in a much better cookie than mixing by hand. However, don't overmix. Only mix for 1-2 minutes with an electric mixer.

Add the chocolate chips chips. Stir in with a wooden spoon until the chocolate chips are evenly mixed throughout the cookie dough.

Optional (but recommended) - Chill the dough in a covered bowl in your refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This helps to prevent the cookie dough from spreading in the oven and reduces the potential for overly thin/flat cookies.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. FYI - Preheat your oven about 15-20 minutes before you place the cookies in the oven. Make sure your oven is fully preheated before baking.

Scoop the dough with a tablespoon and place this dough "ball" onto a non-stick baking sheet. You will need at least 2 baking sheets in order to bake all of the cookies at the same time (if they can fit in your oven) or you will need to bake each batch separately (one after the other).

Leave space of roughly 2-3 inches between each dough ball because the cookies will spread as they bake.

Bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 F or until golden brown.

Remove baking sheet from the oven. Wear oven mitts. Leave the cookies on baking sheet to cool for 2-3 minutes. Otherwise, the cookies might break when removed from the baking sheet.

Use a spatula to remove the chocolate chip cookies and place the cookies on cooling racks in order to cool down completely.

Please read Bread Dad's tips section below for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully & to avoid common cookie problems.