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