Bittersweet chip cookies

Prep: 15 minutes, plus 2 or more hours to freeze Bake: 16 minutes Makes: About 32 cookies To melt the butter, do not use a pan with a dark bottom, otherwise you will not be able to see the brown bits.

1½ cups dark-brown sugar

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut up

2 whole eggs

1 egg white

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2¼ cups flour

1 bag (10 ounces) bittersweet chocolate chips or disks

1. Prep:

Measure brown sugar into a mixing bowl.

2. Brown:

Settle butter in a medium saucepan. Set over medium heat. Butter will melt, foam and — after another 5 or so minutes — brown. When the bottom of the pan is speckled with brown bits, scrape butter and bits over the sugar in the bowl. Stir.

3. Mix:

Stir in, one at a time, in order: eggs, egg white, vanilla, salt, baking soda, flour.

4. Rest:

Let dough rest until no longer hot (to avoid melting chocolate). Stir in chips

or disks. Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, scoop 32 balls of dough. Line them up, shoulder to shoulder, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze solid, about 2 hours. When frozen, store dough balls in a zip-close bag.

5. Bake:

At cookie time, line a baking sheet with parchment. Choose the optimum number of cookie balls and settle them on the parchment, leaving 3 inches space between balls. Bake at 325 degrees on the center rack until shiny on top and just set, 14 to 16 minutes. Munch warm.