15 Holiday Cookies to Make When You’re Sick of Sugar Cookies
Whether you’re into chocolate or ginger, we have a recipe for you.
Holiday season is practically synonymous with sugar cookies—but if you’re tired of your recipe, know that the cookie universe is vast and plentiful.
Ginger! Coconut! Cranberry! Chocolate! Some of our current favorites are riffs on classics, like S’mores Linzer Cookies and Cardamom Thumbprints, and we’re not opposed to maximalist recipes, either. (Once you try our Triple Chocolate-Peppermint Cookies, you’ll never go back.) We’ve listed 15 different options below—you just might find a new holiday cookie tradition.
Pecan Sandies
Fans of shortbread will love these cookies, and the sprinkling of sugar on top almost looks like snow.
Get the recipe here.
Triple Chocolate–Peppermint Cookies
Homemade peppermint bark adds a festive touch to these ultra-chocolaty cookies. We’d recommend making a double batch, because they’ll go fast.
Get the recipe here.
Cinnamon Spritz Sandwich Cookies
These buttery cookies are sandwiched with a fluffy meringue, reminiscent of a whoopie pie.
Get the recipe here.
Baby Bûche de Noël Cookies
Jessie Oleson’s adorable cookies are a mini version of the classic French bûche de Noël cake, spread with frosting to resemble bark on a tree.
Get the recipe here.
Walnut Snowball Cookies
Yotam Ottolenghi’s “snowballs” can be personalized with different nuts and aromatic flavorings, like rosewater or cardamom. This particular recipe makes three and a half dozen cookies, so you’ll have enough to feed a crowd.
Get the recipe here.
Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread cookies are a holiday staple; however, Maria Helm Sinskey likes to make her dough with butter instead of shortening and corn syrup, giving a fresher taste.
Get the recipe here.
Chocolate-Mint Cookies
Like sugar cookies, these cookies can be cut into seasonal shapes, but the flavor combination of peppermint, chocolate, and marshmallow crème makes them even more on theme.
Get the recipe here.
Coconut Macaroons
These macaroons only have five ingredients, and yield 40 total, making them an easy option for entertaining.
Get the recipe here.
Cardamom Thumbprints
Adding cardamom to thumbprint cookies is an instant upgrade, giving them a subtle spiced flavor. You can go the traditional route and fill them with jam—Kay Chun recommends, apricot, seedless raspberry, or strawberry—but chocolate is an option, too.
Get the recipe here.
Triple-Ginger Rye Cookies
Rye flour gives these cookies an earthiness, complimented by the punch of flavor from three different types of ginger—powdered, candied, and fresh.
Get the recipe here.
S’mores Linzer Cookies
S’mores in cookie form? Yes, please? To make the Linzer cookies taste like graham crackers, swap in graham flour and hazelnut meal for the typical all-purpose flour and almond meal.
Get the recipe here.
Big White Chocolate, Almond and Cranberry Cookies
Bits of dried cranberries and white chocolate put these cookies right on par with a Christmas color scheme—all you would need is some green.
Get the recipe here.
Chocolate Pretzel Crinkle Cookies
Justin Chapple replaces flour with Glutino pretzels in this riff on a holiday classic, making the cookies perfectly salty sweet. As an added bonus, they’re gluten-free.
Get the recipe here.
Bakewell Biscotti
Dominique Ansel’s Bakewell tart-inspired biscotti are studded with pieces of dried sour cherry, and have a cherry jam and almond cream filling.
Get the recipe here.
Coconut-Pistachio Meringues
Salted roasted pistachios give a nice pop of green to these meringues, making them festive and delicious. For best results, Nick Malgieri recommends baking them on a dry day so they stay crisp.
Get the recipe here.