12 Cookies to Make for the Holidays That Aren’t Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are definitely a popular choice come holiday season, and they’re great, of course! But there are also plenty of other cookies you can fill your tins with this year. Crispy, delicate burnt honey-orange tuiles, made from leftover croissants; shortbreads that get nutty, toasty notes from einkorn flour; thumbprint cookies topped with a light white-chocolate espresso ganache. Love s’mores? We have a linzer-inspired cookie that’s right up your alley. You can find all of those recipes and eight more options below—you just might find a new favorite for this season.

For chocolate lovers, these cookies are it. There’s white chocolate in the homemade peppermint bark, and the cookies are made with semisweet chips, crushed chocolate wafers, and two types of cocoa powder.

These gorgeous Spitzbuben (German for “cheeky boys”) can be filled with all kinds of jam—we recommend apricot, blueberry, cherry, or seedless raspberry.

Thumbprint cookies are definitely popular for the holidays, and these are filled with a homemade white-chocolate espresso ganache.

These shortbreads have “toasty, nutty and caramel-like notes,” and are made with whole-grain einkorn flour.

Merrin Mae Gray’s meringues include a little bit of grappa, as well as ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves for spice.

Finished with a sprinkle of fennel seeds, these bright green macarons would make a festive addition to your holiday table.

Another green option is Molly Yeh’s matcha coconut macaroons, which come together in just 40 minutes and two steps. The slight bitter notes of the matcha contrast nicely with the sweet coconut.

Need a gluten-free option? These crinkle cookies, a twist on the holiday classic, use finely ground gluten-free pretzels instead of flour.

In order to give these linzer-inspired cookies a s’mores-like flavor, Justin Chapple swaps in graham flour and hazelnut meal for the typical all-purpose flour and almond meal. Don’t forget that final drizzle of chocolate on top.

These gingerbread cookies call for butter instead of corn syrup and shortening, and you can cut them into whatever shapes you like (the recipe recommends using a floured three-inch cookie cutter).

If you have any croissants lying around, these burnt-honey orange tuiles (we consider them a cookie-brittle hybrid) would be delicious for the holidays. A sprinkle of black and white sesame seeds adds an eye-catching finishing touch.

Attention, ginger fans: Ground ginger, crystallized ginger, and grated fresh peeled ginger all go into these triple-ginger rye cookies.