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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I love my Auntie Stella for many reasons.

For her love of life and contagious laughter.

For the way she can dissect the games of Nadal and Federer with gusto.

For her uncanny ability to spot and pick out every speck of dreaded green onion or cilantro in any dish she eats.

And for her cherished Christmas presents to me when I was a child.

You see, my Auntie Stella used to work for the company that distributed Snoopy and all the other Peanuts characters collectibles.

Every Christmas, I’d find under the tree, something bearing Snoopy’s likeness — sleep shirts, a coin bank, ornaments or a big plush dog, which I carried everywhere for the longest time.

Along with the Snoopy presents, there was also another regular treat from her under the tree.

It was a festive-wrapped cardboard box, which my aunt would dole out to each of her relatives. Inside were freshly baked Danish cookies from a local bakery that were lined up in rows like tiles. There were probably about five different kinds of cookies inside. But there was one that my oldest brother, Alan, and I always reached for first. They were rectangular ones with rounded edges, and a crisp, nubby texture.

I wasn’t even sure what was in them. I just ate them happily, adoring the way they crumbled in my mouth.

When my aunt retired from her company, which had a partnership with the bakery, the cookie box at Christmas time went by the wayside.

I never experienced those particular cookies again.

Until now.

When I baked a batch of oatmeal cookies using a recipe from “The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion” (Countryman Press).

There are many variations of oatmeal cookies in this wonderful cookbook. In the past, I’d often used the one for “The Essential Chewy Oatmeal Cookie.” But this time for a change, I decided to see how “The Essential Crunchy Oatmeal Cookie” recipe compared.

For even more variation, instead of raisins, I substituted dried white mulberries, which I had toted home from Australia. But you also can find them at specialty stores in the Bay Area, including the Spanish Table in Berkeley.  The tiny, dried berries have a wonderful, sweet, date-like flavor.

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