Salts for the Salty

I used Ravida sea salt to top my chocolate and salted-caramel cookies. This is the brand that Jon picked up at the grocery store, but any kind of sea salt or schmancy-ish flaked salt will do. Oddly, sea salt isn't particularly salty--at least not nearly as salty as regular old iodized table salt (the kind from the can with the pull-out spout) or kosher salt (the kind on soft pretzels).

There are loads of different kinds of salt available: Italian, French, gray, green, pink, smoked, etc. If you're going to make my chocolate and salted-caramel cookies, choose a brand that is the right price for you and that you're likely to use again.

My recipe calls for only a pinch of salt per dough ball, so don't feel like you have to buy a huge amount of the stuff. But whatever you do, do not use regular iodized table salt or kosher salt in place of the sea salt. You'll end up with a cookie that is spit-takingly salty.