I've been on a baking spree, as I do very little holiday shopping but instead give homemade treats to my friends to celebrate the season. Dozens and dozens of cookies — on average, 15 or so different varieties — plus some fudge and other simple candies make my kitchen feel festive.

And this batch was so easy to make, so fragrant, so tender, and so delicious! Perfect for holiday parties, for gifts or "just because," they were very popular. I hope you enjoy them.

Coffee Caramel Cookies

(adapted from a recipe in The Pillsbury Complete Book of Baking)

1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
pinch of kosher salt
2-1/3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar; stir in coffee and egg. Mix in baking powder, salt, and flour.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Press with a fork to make an imprint.

Bake for 10 minutes until cookies are set. Remove to a rack to cool completely.

Makes 5 dozen cookies.

Mary Bilyeu writes for AnnArbor.com on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, telling about her adventures in the kitchen - making dinner, celebrating holidays, entering cooking contests, meeting new friends ... whatever strikes her fancy. She is also on a mission to find great deals for her Frugal Floozie Friday posts, seeking fabulous food at restaurants on the limited budget of only $5 per person. Feel free to email her with questions, comments, or suggestions: yentamary@gmail.com.

Go visit Mary's blog — Food Floozie — where she enthuses and effuses over all things food-related; and look for her monthly articles in the Washtenaw Jewish News. "Like" her on Facebook, or send a tweet on Twitter, too.

The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.