Bill's Chocolate Chip Cookies - Frugal Hausfrau (2024)

I am a sucker for really good, ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies. In my opinion, just forget the apple pie; there’s nothing that says “American” quite like chocolate chip cookies. And that’s especially true of these Bills Chocolate Chip Cookies.

These cookies are EVERYTHING! I’ve been making these since 1990, passed on to me when I was pregnant with my son! These are the first “gourmet” chocolate chip cookies I ever made & they have stood the test of time. These are super easy, super fast (unless you wish to refrigerate the dough which is optional.)

About Bill’s Chocolate Chip Cookies:

These are big and buttery, lavish chocolate chip cookies positively loaded with chocolate chips! I like to use a mix of standard sized semi and milk chocolate – the best of both worlds, but they’re great with just one kind of chocolate or the other. I also love these with Ghirardelli chocolate chips now and then.

I don’t use nuts, but you sure could – the problem is that the dough is so full of chocolate chips you could hardly put anything else in there and still have it hold together!

When I said these are big, cookies, I mean big. They are a good-sized gourmet cookie. If you want more cookies (and you probably will) you can easily double the recipe and it still bakes up just beautifully. Unless you have powerful biceps you might want to use a stand mixer if you do.

I’d forgotten until recently when I was looking over the recipe measurements that I already doubled this recipe for this post. I do remember it originally made only 9 cookies and well, that’s not enough for us. That’s not even enough for me, lol!

Do you like thin & chewy, thin & crispy, thick & gooey, or thick and chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies?

There are four ways these cookies can be baked, all with different results.

Thinner Cookies:

For a thinner cookie that is still a large bakery-style cookie, bake the cookies as soon as they’re mixed. I like to use a thin standard, not an air bake cookie sheet for this style, Leave a lot of room on the cookie sheet because they’ll spread to about 4 1/2 inches across. These thin cookies can benefit from banging the tray at about 9 to 10 minutes.

To bang, take the tray out of the oven and over a safe surface, hold the tray about eight inches above then carefully let it drop straight down. The top of the oven may work or the open oven door. Most counters won’t stand up to this whether natural or man-made.

1. Thin and Chewy: You can choose to take the cookies out when the edges are barely set up and only slightly browning, and the center is still soft and a looks little underbaked. The chocolate chip cookies will be thinner and chewy. Cool these on the tray for several minutes until fully set.
2. Thin and Crispy: Bake them right away as above, but leave them in longer until nicely golden brown and you’ll have a huge bakery-style thin and crispy “classic” chocolate chip cookie. Leave on the tray for about five minutes then move to a wire rack to completely cool.

Thicker Cookies:

If you’re after a thicker cookie, refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours. It helps to scoop first rather than trying to scoop cold, solid dough. There won’t be as much spread after refrigeration, but you’ll have more height on the cookies.

1. Thick and Gooey: Bake them until the edges are set and the center is still soft and looks slightly underbaked. You’ll have thick cookies with an ooey, gooey almost creamy center. That’s my favorite way to bake these cookies.
2. Thick and Substantial: If you’d like a firmer, thicker cookie with a crispier outside, just bake them a little longer till they are nicely browned.

Extra Hints:

To get the rougher-looking craggy tops, scoop your dough,and roll it into a ball, but right before baking, pull (or if it’s too cold, cut) the dough ball apart horizontally. Turn what was the top upside down and plop it right onto the bottom half.

• When baking the thinner cookies I recommend this, but if you’re baking the thicker cookies with the refrigerated dough, I highly recommend this. It does make for a cookie that bakes up better. That’s not my idea; I stole it years ago from Cook’s Illustrated.
• This way, some of the chocolate chips are exposed during the baking process, while if they’re just rolled into balls, the chocolate chips tend to stay under the dough.

More about Bill’s Chocolate Chip Cookies:

These chocolate chip cookies use melted butter, which helps that chewiness, but it also means they are “stirred together.” No need to wait for room temperature butter, no creaming necessary, and they can be mixed by hand. If you’re lazy like me, or double the recipe, you may wish to use a mixer.

• Think how great that is if you’re someplace without a fully stocked kitchen; maybe you’re on a ski trip, at the cabin or just starting in your first apartment. Just mix these up and look like a hero.
• It’s also a fabulous 1st cookie recipe for a youngster; use your judgment as to whether a child will need help with the hot butter or placing cookies in or out of the oven.

The one drawback of this particular cookie? The ones that are softer and gooey are just not as “pretty” as a bakery-type chocolate chip cookie. A bakery will have to use more flour to ensure their cookies are sturdy so they can travel well. I’ll sacrifice taste over looks every time, but it’s a good thing to know.

Saving Money:

These cookies have a lot of butter and a lot of chocolate for their size. They’re not the cheapest chocolate chip cookie to make.

Butter: Watch for sales on the butter. Stock up and freeze when it’s at a low. Generally, that will be before a major food holiday. You can count the weeks between the holidays (like from Easter to Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving to Xmas & New Year, New Year to Superbowl, and so on) and figure out how much butter to stock up on. Butter is usually at a fabulous price before holidays at Aldi & Lidl.

Chocolate Chips: If you’re a baker and won’t eat them like I do, always keep your eyes open for sales on chocolate chips, especially around holidays when they’re often at a low. Again, stock up. These are an item that I prefer not to buy from a discount store or a generic brand.

Further Reading – Pinterest Hints:

Just a Couple Updates from Pinterest Users: (to save room, I’ll condense & paraphrase & thank you guys!!)

Dirki: “made…two x this weekend. huge success. please weigh flour, 360gr, brown sugar 200gr and white sugar 200gr, 250gr good quality chocolate chips + cup of macadamia nuts. Stir a few times, no beaters. After 10 minutes in the oven, bang-bang the cookie sheet for nice flat cookies. will turn out crunchy around edges and & chewy in centre.

(I think) Todd: absolutely delicious…on 2nd batch in a week! Try this (from daughter’s friend): Take one dough ball, put in oven safe bowl & put in air fryer for 12 minutes @ 320 F. OMG, add ice cream; be careful with the hot bowl! IT IS SOOOO GOOD.

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I’ll be taking this recipe to Fiesta Friday Link Party!

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