Saffron Olive Oil Cookies

This recipe is very easy to prepare, and so is a great recipe for kids. We are also blessed with a healthy amount of saffron, so using this expensive ingredient is not a detraction. We've made these cookies many times. They produce a warm pink-orange colored cookie that smells wonderful, but looks only so-so. Their flavor is good, but their texture is nothing to write home about. Nevertheless, when we make these, they disappear very quickly.

One way I think this recipe could be improved is to do less beating of the saffron. You are instructed to beat them first with the oil, and again after you add eggs. For me, this results in the threads being broken apart. An improvement is to use only a small amount of saffron in the beginning, and add more at the end. If you do this, you can occasionally see the dark red threads, which turns a dull-appearing cookie into something with a more interesting or mysterious look.