When I was younger and naive to the extent of flavors and ingredients in the culinary world, I thought there was only one type of salt- iodized table salt that people needed in their diets to prevent goiters.

Then I grew older and wiser, a natural progression. In fact, there are numerous varieties of salt available today for culinary uses, and they are deliciously different from table salt in their size, crystal shape, and taste. I highly encourage you to experiment with them.

One of my favorite salt varieties is fleur de sel. Of course it is also the most expensive of all salts, but this is due to the fact that it is hand-harvested under precise conditions. It is a moist, flaked salt that dissolves beautifully and is free of that sharp salt flavor, if that makes any sense. Forgive me, as savory flavors are more difficult for me to describe.

Anyways, I recently replenished my fleur de sel stock, and was inspired to bake with it after coming across this recipe. If the name is any indication, these cookies have three main flavors: peanut butter, salt, and toffee. The peanut butter flavor is dominant, but there are hints of salt and toffee which make them perfect. Add a little crunch from the toffee peanuts and peanut butter lovers are bound to find themselves in heaven.

Salted Peanut Butter Toffee Cookies (Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich)

• 1 1/3 (6 ounces) cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fleur de sel
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) firmly packed brown sugar (light or dark)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup natural chunky peanut butter (not unsalted)-stir well to blend the oil before measuring
• 1 cup (5 ounces) toffee peanuts or coconut toffee peanuts, very coarsely chopped

Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together thoroughly in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter with both sugars. Whisk in the egg, vanilla, and peanut butter. Add the flour mixture and mix with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until just evenly incorporated.

Cover the dough and refrigerate for an hour or two, or up to 2 days. This will make it easier to handle.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour the chopped nuts into a shallow bowl. Scoop about 2 level teaspoons of dough for each cookie, shape into a 1-inch ball and coat heavily with the chopped nuts, pressing in any pieces that fall off, so there are no bald spots. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheets.

Bake the cookies until they are lightly colored on top, 15 to 18 minutes. The cookies will seem very soft to the touch, but they will firm up as they cool. Set the baking sheets on a rack to cool completely. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for at least 2 weeks.

Yield: About fifty-six 1 1/2-inch cookies