Do ahead: toast the pecans at 350 F for 10 minutes. Let cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two greased cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the salt, vanilla and baking soda and beat very well.

Crack in the egg and beat for 30 seconds. If the flour or cocoa powder is lumpy, sift them into the bowl, then beat to combine. Fold in the nuts, chocolate chips and dried fruit if using.

Scoop onto prepared cookie sheets, for big cookies portion 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Add additional nuts or chocolate on top of the dough. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired.

Bake for 10-13 minutes (less if the cookies are smaller, more if the cookies are on the large side) until the cookies don’t look wet in the center.