34 Different Types Of Sandwich Cookies, Explained

There's a certain time of the year that is unofficially cookie season, the holiday season is when even the most amateur baker hears the siren's call of the oven. You don't want to be the person bringing the paper plate of slice-and-bake cookies from a tube. Make this cookie season your year to blow everyone away with the greatest of all cookie formats: sandwich cookies! 

We've compiled a list of 34 different varieties of sandwiched goodies for you to choose from. Some of these cookies are tried-and-true historical favorites, and some of them might be new to you. Many cultures have styles of sandwich cookie to break out for special occasions, while other cookies are common lunch-box staples. Whether it's jam, buttercream or chocolate hugged between two biscuits, you'll be sure to find a new favorite to make you a stand-out at the holiday cookie swap!

While we're on the subject of popular lunch box staples, we would be remiss if we skipped over oatmeal cream pies. Creamy, marshmallow-y filling peeking out from between two soft oatmeal cookies, this treat is more decadent than oatmeal has any right to be! The greatest thing about making homemade oatmeal cream pies is how customizable they are when they're DIY! Throw some butterscotch chips or raisins into the cookie batter! Add cinnamon or strawberry extract to the filling! Dress them up or just enjoy them in their natural state, there really is no wrong way to enjoy them.

If you're not from The U.K., Ireland, Australia, or Canada, you might not be familiar with Wagon Wheel biscuits. Like a s'more, they are chocolatey, graham-y, and marshmallow-y. Some varieties even include a dollop of jam in the middle as well. According to Burton's Biscuits, the UK Manufacturer of Wagon Wheels, 125 million Wagon Wheels are consumed in the U.K. every year! With the average biscuit being 2.95 inches in diameter (per Practically Edible), laid end to end, that number of Wagon Wheels would stretch from Maine to Washington state and back again!

You might be most familiar with tahini as a savory food, found in dishes like hummus and baba ghanoush, but the intense toasty, nuttiness of sesame paste works magic in cookies. The dark chocolate ganache filling compliments the sesame, bringing a more worldly flavor than your standard peanut or hazelnut addition. With toasted sesame seeds dusted over the top, these tahini sandwich cookies will certainly make you the stand-out at the dessert table.

Mint is a powerful flavor that needs to be paired with a strong partner. That's why chocolate and mint cookies are a match made in heaven. Chocolate cookies with a creamy mint filling are a gorgeous combination that harkens to the holidays. Decorate your cookies with crushed candy canes for holiday pizazz, or, if you make them in the spring or summer months, candy some mint leaves for a cool, sparkling garnish. 

Cookies and milk are a classic pairing, but what if you went one step further? What about soft-baked chocolate chip cookies and a creamy scoop of ice cream? You just doubled your dessert in one handy sandwich! Of course, you don't have to limit yourself to just vanilla ice cream and chocolate chip cookies, let your creativity run wild with any unique cookie/ice cream combination you can imagine. The best thing is that you can prep a bunch of these treats ahead of time, wrap them tightly, then store them in your freezer for whenever you might crave a sweet treat.

Is there anything more elegant that a plate of French macarons? With the airiness of meringue fortified by almond flour, and a decadent filling, it's no wonder that macarons have stolen the hearts of bakeries everywhere. According to the BBC, the original recipe for macarons was most likely brought to Italy by Arab traders, then carried on to France by Italian bakers, and it originally consisted of a single cookie. Not until 1930, the BBC continues, did the French baker Pierre Desfontaines fill two of the cookies with ganache and bring us the "Paris" macaron we all recognize. Macaroons are as much at home on a fancy tea-table or on a paper napkin with a glass of milk. Perfecting them is no small task, but once you've mastered the French macaron, you might find it to be your go-to sandwich cookie.

Neither quite cookie nor fully cake, whoopie pies exist in a liminal space between desserts. The origin of whoopie pies is claimed by three separate states: Maine, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. And while their birthright is disputed, their composition is not. The cookies should be pillowy, and the marshmallow filling should be thick and abundant. And they definitely deserve their own place on the list. You can have a whoopie pie for every season! The traditional chocolate and vanilla for winter, carrot cake and cream cheese whoopie pies for spring, lemon cake and strawberry cream for summer, and of course, pumpkin spice for autumn!

French lace cookies are so immediately appealing with their golden, web-like structure. Though they are also known as Florentines, and Honest Cooking states that their French moniker is actually more appropriate since these biscuits more than likely originated in France as a tribute to Italian-born queen Catherine de' Medici. A thick, dark chocolate ganache typically coats the bottom of these crispy cookies, which just naturally invites a second cookie to the sandwich party. A zest of orange in the cookie batter makes for a burst of citrus to cut through the sweetness. These cookies spread a lot during the baking process, meaning that your sandwiches will be impressively large while still retaining their crisp lightness.

Linzer cookies are actually a scaled down version of a dessert called a linzertorte, which comes from Austria (per Eat2Explore). The original tart consists of an almond-meal crust, filled with cooked fruit, then topped with lattice work so the colorful filling shines through. These sandwich cookies embrace their origin by also having an almond base. A window of any design, also called an eye, is carved into the top cookie so that the jam will peek out, much like the original dessert's lattice work (per Food Reference). There are even savory linzer cookies if you're feeling adventurous!

Empire cookies hail from Scotland, which is famous for its buttery, decadent shortbread. Shortbread cookies hug a dollop of jam, then the tops are coated with a simple icing before being crowned with a sliver of bright, sweet candied cherry. The Old Foodie speculates that the name of these biscuits was actually a patriotic rebranding of what was known as a German biscuit during European wartime. These cookie are traditionally reserved for the holidays in their native Scotland, but feel free to enjoy them all year round! Simple and elegant, it's hard not to feel regal while eating empire cookies. 

These nutty tartlets are called dziriat. World Food Guide states that they're incredibly labor-intensive, which is why they're saved for only the most special of occasions, such as weddings in their homeland of Algeria. The filling is made out of zested lemon and chopped almonds nested into a crisp pastry. Once they come out of the oven, they are immediately drizzled in a syrup made out of honey and orange flower water. A romantic celebration in pastry form.

Possibly the most adorable sandwich cookies are the Croatian breskvices. Shaped and colored to resemble miniature peaches, they boast a filling of apricot jam, rum, and finely chopped walnuts. According to Tour Dalmatia, they are doused in peach brandy and rolled in sugar to finish off the gems.  They're most often served at weddings and holidays since they're so labor intensive to make, but the end result, glittering with that dusting of granulated sugar crystals, is a stunner every time.

What exactly is red velvet? A striking red cake with a mild chocolate flavor covered in snow white cream cheese frosting. According to Sunflower Baking Company, it's believed that red velvet cake came about in the Victorian era when cocoa started being added to cakes. The acidity of the cocoa reacted with the flour and the buttermilk found in most cake recipes, creating a reddish hue. So, it only makes sense to turn it into a red velvet cookie and whip up a fluffy batch of cream cheese filling to peek out the edges. 

Bright, citrusy lemon is a stand-out flavor. The sour-sweetness of the lemon is perfectly tempered by a creamy filling. Make lemon cookies filled with sweet cream cheese frosting for your next summer picnic. They're equally delightful with a cup of tea. If you want to boost the lemon flavor of these cookies, zest the citrus rind directly into the sugar that you're going to be using, then massage the mixture together, which helps the oils from the lemon seep into the sugar. This will ensure a heightened citrus flavor in anything you bake!

Gingersnap cookies certainly earn their name with their strong, biting flavor that comes from a mixture of spices and molasses. July 1 is National Gingersnap Day, despite these classic cookies often making their appearance around the winter months. Because the ginger and molasses is such a strong flavor in the cookies, when making them into sandwiches, it's best to opt for a softer filling flavor, like vanilla, to temper the heat of the spices.

There's always been a buzz around matcha, the beautiful, velvety powdered green tea. According to the New York Times, matcha may have several health benefits, including high amounts of antioxidants, which may help the body's cells fight damage from potentially harmful molecules. Health benefits aside, the flavor alone is enough of a reason to make it into a smooth matcha buttercream filling and sandwich it between two cookies.

Mocha is the love-child of hot chocolate and espresso. The components of the drink are simple: espresso, hot milk, cocoa, and sugar. Whether it be dark, milk, or white chocolate used, mocha strikes that perfect balance between two strong flavors. Bakers often add coffee to their chocolate desserts to heighten the flavor. A dark chocolate cookie with a coffee creme would perfectly replicate this popular drink, and make a fantastic companion to your latte.