You are wearing dark colors covered with white flour despite a million mental notes to avoid black while baking. A cloud of spices fills the house. Warmth is radiating from the oven. The kitchen counters are topped with baked cookies.The kids  are sneaking in to snatch a cookie or two and you pretend you don’t see them but smile anyway.

You finally manage to clean everything up and set down for a cup of tea and a sample of your baked goodies (quality assurance is essential). Making a mental list of  friends and family who you want to share your homemade cookies with.

Your table top is covered with ribbons and wrapped cookies and half written labels. All you can think of is what would mom think of these or what would your kids teacher think of those and in the back of your mind you picture a certain someone’s face when they see you have perfected the cookie they refused to give you the recipe for last year 🙂

The joys of baking cookies.

I thought I would put together a round up of my favorite cookie recipes for you. Maybe one would inspire you to try something new.

Mum’s persian cookies: cinnamon almond date cookies

If you’re a fan of cinnamon like yours truly, these cookies are for you. The combination of almonds, cinnamon and dates is hard to beat. These particular cookies are soft and chewy with the crunch from the almonds, the sweetness of the dates playing on a background of fragrant cinnamon.

Oats and date ranger cookies

Just the right amount of sweetness, crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside. The texture is really interesting with the oats and coconut, it provides a new twist on oatmeal cookies and stopping at just one is nearly impossible.

Swirl date cookies

These cookies are crunchy, not too sweet, easy to make, they can last for a long time (if you can keep your hands off them) and they make for a wonderful gift for the vegan friends in your list

Checkerboard cookies step by step

A blend of vanilla and chocolate dough formed into these amazing elegant little squares. The technique seemed intimidating at the first look but if you follow the step by step instructions they are really easy to make. They are rich and buttery, the hint of almonds in the chocolate adds a depth of flavor and the combination of vanilla and chocolate is just DELICIOUS

Honey pistachio sesame cookies “Barazek”

Barazek  are cookies topped with a thick layer of sesame that is mixed with honey or simple syrup on one side while the other is dotted with pistachios. They are nutty and addictive. You bite into the sesame layer and feel the little sesame seeds crackle and pop then comes the cookie core, buttery and sweet and you finish with the nutty and pleasant taste of the rosy green pistachios.

Caramel hazelnut chocolate thumb cookies

Soft and chewy cookies, rich with chocolate flavor, the nutty hazelnuts add texture and are the perfect companion to the chocolate flavor. Add a little dose of caramel and these cookies are impossible to resist.

 Chocolate crinkle cookies

What sets these crinkle cookies apart is the hint of spice from the addition of cinnamon and cardamom. If you have never tried adding spices to chocolate, you are missing out!

Oatmeal apple cookies

How about providing  a healthy balance to all that chocolate, sugar and butter. I, personally am a big fan of oatmeal cookies. Add apples, raisins and cinnamon and I could hardly wait for the cookies to cool down. These oatmeal apple cookies are soft, chewy and cake like

Maamoul (Stuffed shortbread cookies)

Maamoul or mamool are small shortbread cookies traditionally filled with dates, pistachios or walnuts. They are popular in Levantine cuisine(Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon)

Biting into one of these cookies, you will first get the slightly crumbly crust with a hint of mastic and mahlab. Next comes the chewy and sweet filling.Be it the nutty pistachios or walnuts or my favorite, the dates with hints of cinnamon and cardamom. The whole thing melts in your mouth playing a melody of textures and flavors. One thing I know for sure about Maamoul, you can never stop at just one!

Chocolate and peppermint swirl cookie

Not only do these cookies look pretty but they are also versatile, you can combine any two flavors you like and you can even decorate the edges with ground nuts, coconuts or sparkling sugar

Orange bar cookies

The hint of spices, the delicious  jam and the crunch of the base and the top sets these cookies apart. You can make them using any jam flavor you like. I happen to favor orange.