I've been waiting for this thread. My contribution for now is the following:
For almost any cookie that you'd like to jazz up BIG TIME, go to your closest candy making supply store (look in your yellow pages for confectioner supplies) and buy a bag or two of dipping chocolate (light or dark whatever your preference). Make the most boring cookies you know, those spritz cookies that you shoot from a gun work very well. Set them aside to cool to room temperature. Take about 3/4 cup of the dipping chocolate discs and melt either over hot water (DON'T get any water in the chocolate) or nuke it low (this chocolate melts very quickly). Have waxed paper covered cookie sheets ready. Take your cookies and dip the tip, or half or even the whole cookie in the melted dipping chocolate and place them on the waxed paper covered cookie sheets. When the sheet is full of chocolate covered or dipped cookies, place the sheet in refrigerator for 15 minutes. NOTE: The chocolate will not set unless it is refrigerated for a short time.
Your friends and family will be amazed and delighted with these delicacies. Most will simply insist you had to have buoght them in the store. Last year I made a simple Lemon Spritz cookie recipe, shot them from the cookie gun in the shape of Christmas trees, dipped the tips of the "trees" in chocolate, and they were a big hit.
For spices, including different varieties of cinnamon and other baking spices, I'd suggest Penzey's .