Salt doesn't just amp up a succulent steak or make your popcorn taste like more than cardboard puffs—it can also pump up the volume on sweets, which is why salted caramel is so outstanding. A Brooklyn bakery has harnessed the power of the sweet-savory combination, using a variety of salts—yes, there's more than just Morton's in the world—to kick chocolate, oatmeal and vanilla into the stratosphere.
Aptly named Salt of the Earth Bakery began as a home operation by founder Alexandra Joseph Rabbani. Now, the company ships its cookies and brownies all over the country and can be found in speciality shops and places like Whole Foods and Beecher's Handmade Cheese. Last year, the whole operation moved to a 2,200 square foot space in Williamsburg in the former home of the the Old Pfizer Factory.
Rabbani's cookies and brownies could stand on their own as a testament to what all cookies should aspire to be—buttery, rich and totally addictive. But what truly sets them apart is the liberal use of salt, which adds not only a flavor enhancer to the sweet ingredients, but also a bit of crunch when your teeth bite through the crystals. There are five different types of salts employed in production, from pyramidal Maldon Flake Salt to Hawaiian Kona Deep Sea Salt.
Start with The Cookie—Rabbani's original creation—a decadent cookie that, on the outside, looks to be of the humble chocolate chip variety until the Maldon Sea Salt hits your tongue. Then there's The Mayan brownie, which packs a wallop of cayenne pepper along with chocolate, cinnamon and a scattering of Halmon Mon Sea Salt flakes. They're just the thing to make you start salting your Tollhouse creations.
