With Santa’s midnight visit only days away, preparations are in full swing for the jolly man and his reindeer. And while store-bought sugar cookies are sure to do the trick, we are in the mood to mix it up this year. We dug through the inRegister archives to find this recipe by Aimee Broussard for a mouthwatering new take on gingerbread–one that isn’t in the shape of stick people. We’ll be whipping these up on Christmas Eve, and you can, too. Check out the recipe below:

White Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1⁄4 cup water
1 1⁄2 tsp. baking soda
3⁄4  cup molasses
4 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄4 tsp. salt
1 1⁄2 Tbsp. ground ginger
1⁄2 tsp. ground allspice
1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon
12 oz. white chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Beat butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, stir together water and baking soda until dissolved, then add molasses.

Combine flour, salt and spices in a large bowl, and slowly add to butter mixture alternately with molasses mixture. Shape mixture into a ball and cover with plastic wrap; chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough ball from refrigerator and roll to about 1⁄4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Use a cookie cutter to cut into desired shapes, and place on parchment paper or silicone baking mat about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Once completely cooled, heat white chocolate in microwave with vegetable oil. Dip each cookie halfway into white chocolate mixture, and allow to set for a couple of hours or pop into refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Makes 36 cookies.

Check out more of Aimee Broussard’s recipes monthly in inRegister magazine, or see more on her website, southernfromscratch.com.