After getting a chance to make my own custom blend of cereal at Me & Goji, the New Hampshire artisanal cereal company, I enjoyed the crunchy, varied mix over creamy yogurt and just plain out of hand.

I also adored it in these cereal cookies.

I found this recipe for “Cornflake Cookies” on the wonderful blog, BakingBites, which is all about tantalizing baked goods recipes and the low-down on nifty baking gadgets.

According to Nicole Weston, creator of BakingBites, the use of cereal in cookies originated in the 1930s and skyrocketed in the 1970s.

These cookies have the melt-in-your-mouth quality of Mexican wedding cakes, but are far crisper.

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You will be after getting a gander at these beauties.

But trust me, they only look fancy as if they came fresh from some chic bakery, where you must have paid a fortune for them.

They’re actually quite easy to make in your home kitchen.

“Walnut Acorn Cookies” is from the new “The Gourmet Cookie Book” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), of which I recently received a review copy. The wonderful book spotlights the best cookie recipe of each year, spanning from 1941 through 2009. for a total of 68 recipes in all.

This particular recipe hails from the December 2000 issue of the new defunct magazine. These buttery cookies with a tender, crumbly texture from finely chopped walnuts in the dough, are formed into an acorn-like shape.

Although the recipe says it makes 4 dozen cookies, I found it made more like 2 1/2 dozen.

Once baked and cooled, one end of each cookie is dipped into melted chocolate, then finely chopped walnuts for a beautiful presentation. Take care when dipping the cookies; a gentle hand is needed or else they may break.

Instead of walnuts for a few of the cookies, I decorated them instead with nifty Callebaut Pearls, which come in both dark chocolate and white chocolate. These are small, crunchy spheres that resemble individual Rice Krispies coated in chocolate.  Use them to decorate cakes, cupcakes, cookies and donuts.  Though, truth be told, they’re pretty darn tasty just eaten by the handful straight from the bag.

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When life gives you Meyer lemons, why make lemonade when you can make “Lemon-Walnut Biscotti” instead?

Yeah, that’s what I’m talkin’ about when winter rains give way to a backyard tree full of ripe, juicy, sunshine-y lemons — finally.

Sure, you can make these crisp, crumbly cookies with regular Eureka lemons that have a sharper tang. But make them with the more floral Meyers and you’re really in for a treat. My husband’s colleagues tried some and thought for sure there was rosemary or some other herb in them. But nope, it’s just the complexity of the Meyers coming through loud and clear.

The recipe is from the hefty, new “Bon Appetit Desserts” cookbook (Andrews McMeel) by Barbara Fairchild, former editor-in-chief of that magazine who just stepped down now that the publication has moved its offices from Los Angeles to Manhattan. The 686-page tome, of which I just received a review copy, contains more than 600 recipes to keep you baking to your heart’s content.

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In my world, these cookies are breakfast all in one bite.

After all, you’ve got your whole wheat, your maple syrup, and your coffee — all in one lovely, little package.

“Coffee Chip Cookies” bake up crispy on the edges, cakey-tender inside and with an interior the hue of a barista’s perfectly pulled espresso.

They’re sweetened with one cup of maple syrup (use Grade B for a more pronounced maple flavor). But they sport a subtle bitter, earthy edge from the instant espresso powder that’s stirred into the dough, as well as a heap of semisweet chocolate chips.

The recipe is from the “The Maple Syrup Cookbook” (Storey Books) by food writer Ken Haedrich.

I decided to up the maple factor by substituting half of the 1 1/2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips for King Arthur Flour’s Maple Flav-R-Bites, which I recently got a sample bag to try.  These little, hard pellets (the size of lentils) soften up when baked, but still retain a little toothsomeness. They add a burst of maple goodness every time you bite into one in any kind of baked good.

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If you’re still searching for great holiday cookies that pack a wallop, look impressive and aren’t a chore to bake, look no further than “Brown Sugar and Almond Biscotti.”

These elegant, golden cookies are studded with slivered almonds, along with light brown sugar that gives them a little more tenderness.

With a crunchy texture from twice-baking, they hold up to dunking in a good cup of espresso, too.

The biscotti recipe is from the new “San Francisco Entertains,” a cookbook that celebrates the centennial of the Junior League of San Francisco. It’s the organization’s first book in 11 year.

With nearly 150 recipes, the cookbook is a culinary romp through the Bay Area with the flavors and dishes that make this region the darling of foodies. It features recipes from local foodies, as well as top chefs and restaurants such as Swan Oyster Depot, Gary Danko Restaurant, and Greens Restaurant.

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