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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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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