Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and cayenne powder. Mix in the oats. Set aside.

Beat the butter until creamy. Add the vanilla seeds and extract and beat until completely incorporated.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the sugars and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, at least 2 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl again.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition. Scrape the bowl as needed.

Add the oats and flour mixture on the lowest speed (or mix gently). Fold in the white chocolate chunks.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let chill for at least 1 hour (the dough will last in the fridge for 3 days).

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

I used a heaping tablespoon for the pictures I took because hefty cookies are the most attractive. But the majority of my cookies I made with heaping teaspoons for portion control. Small and large both work equally well. Make sure the balls of dough have at least 2 inches around them for better air circulation in the oven.

Sprinkle the balls of cookie dough with the vanilla sea salt.

Bake for 9-15 minutes, depending on the size of the cookie. Just keep an eye on them--the finished cookie will be golden at the edges but still a bit soft in the center.

Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Stored in an airtight container the cookies will last at least 24 hours--they never made it past that point in my house.