"All/What I want/hear/see/etc" + plural nouns: is or are?

[cookie201]

Hello!

I've been having some trouble with sentences such as the following:

All I want is cookies.
All I want are cookies.

What I see is roses.
What I see are roses.

I'm asking because I've seen both types before (with 'is' and with 'are') and I'm not completely sure. Which is the correct option when writing sentences with plural nouns such as the above ones, and why? Thanks :-D

 

[Barb_D]

For the first pair, I'd use "are" ( or "a cookie").

For the second, you could use either. "What" takes is, but it's not unusual to be thinking about the plural.
Strict grammar may require "is" but I'd never notice an "error" if you used "are."

 

[cookie201]

Yes, that's what I always use, so that's exactly why I started wondering when I read sentences like those the other day. Thank you