Made from only 6 ingredients, these easy lace cookies are ready in 30 minutes and they taste like sweet brown butter and caramel. Sandwich with a little chocolate for an extra special treat. Everyone loves these and they’re gluten free too!
Welcome to day 7 of Sally’s Cookie Palooza! If you’re just joining us, here are all the recipes published so far:
- Peppermint Bark Cookies
- Spritz Cookies
- Christmas Cookies in a Jar (with free printable!)
- Santa’s Whiskers Cookies
- Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- Gingerbread House (December Baking Challenge!)
Day 7 calls for something easy. So easy you’ll think you’re doing something wrong. Made from only 6 ingredients, these lace cookies are ready in 30 minutes and they taste like sweet brown butter and caramel. As if you took caramel, mixed it with brown butter, and made it into a thin and crispy cookie. THEY’RE HEAVEN.
What are Lace Cookies?
Lace cookies are very thin and crunchy cookies made from butter, sugar, salt, and other ingredients. The other ingredients vary depending on the recipe. Some recipes use oats and flour, other lace cookie recipes use nuts. Lace cookies get their name from their delicate and see-through appearance. My mom always used to make these—they’re a beautiful cookie!
They’re also one of my favorite gluten free dessert recipes. It’s nice to have a gluten free option among your spread of Christmas cookies!
How to Make Lace Cookies
In an effort to keep these gluten free AND to add elevated flavor, my lace cookie recipe uses almond flour. In addition to almond flour, you’ll also need: butter, brown sugar, salt, milk or corn syrup, and vanilla extract. That’s it!
- The cookie dough is prepared on the stove. And I use the term “cookie dough” loosely as this is more like a cake batter. All the ingredients, except for the vanilla extract (stirred in later), are cooked for a few minutes in a saucepan before spooning onto the baking sheet. This cooking stage melts the ingredients together, while baking in the oven will create caramelized sugar and brown butter flavors.
- No chilling the cookie dough. But let it rest for about 5 minutes. The cookie dough will slightly thicken, making spooning onto the baking sheets easier.
- Only 1 scant teaspoon of cookie dough per cookie. Because they’ll spread!
- Short baking time – only 8 minutes. The cookies won’t spread out at first, but around the 4 minute mark, they’ll begin their spreading journey! Listen to the butter sizzling around the edges. I love these unique cookies!
Forget everything I taught you about how to prevent cookies from spreading. You want lace cookies to be extra thin and crisp because that’s where all the caramelization happens. 🙂
Be Extra
Though lace cookies have the most interesting flavor and texture, it’s Christmastime which means we can add a little flair. Sandwich your lace cookies with a generous spread of Nutella or melted chocolate and prepare for the cookie sandwich of a lifetime. Can you truly think of a better flavor combination than butter, caramelized sugar, vanilla, almond, and chocolate?! Nutella can get a little messy, so if you’re gifting or traveling with the lace cookies—I suggest melted chocolate. Unlike Nutella, melted chocolate will set. I have instructions for chocolate in the recipe notes below.
If you love adding a little chocolate to your cookies, give your chocolate ginger cookies and pinwheel cookies a dip in chocolate, too!
With an ingredient line up like this, how can lace cookies not taste good?
I just love how quick and simple these are—much appreciated during the busy holiday season and PERFECT if you want a unique cookie recipe to serve alongside the classics like Christmas sugar cookies and shortbread!
Easy Lace Cookies
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 30-32 cookies or 15-16 sandwiches
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Made from only 6 ingredients, these lace cookies are ready in 30 minutes and they taste like sweet brown butter and caramel. Sandwich with a little chocolate for an extra special treat. Everyone loves these and they’re gluten free too!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup (130g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (75g)Â almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml)Â light or dark corn syrup or milk*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional: 1/2 cup Nutella or melted chocolate (see note)
Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan on low heat. Once melted, add the brown sugar, almond flour, salt, and milk/corn syrup. Cook and whisk until sugar has dissolved and ingredients are completely combined, around 3-4 minutes. (Note: If melted butter is separating from the mixture, remove the pan from heat and vigorously whisk until it is all combined again. It will eventually come back together.)
- Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract. Mixture will be grainy and shiny. Allow cookie dough to sit and thicken for about 5-10 minutes as the oven preheats. The mixture will thicken as it cools down.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Drop scant teaspoonfuls (1 scant teaspoon of mixture per cookie, not Tablespoon) 3 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 6-8 minutes until golden brown around the edges. The edges and centers will sizzle and bubble as the cookies bake!
- Allow cookies to cool for 5 full minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to a rack to cool completely. Cookies dry and crisp up as they cool.
- Once cool, enjoy cookies or sandwich with Nutella or melted chocolate. To sandwich, spread either Nutella or melted chocolate onto the bottom of one cooled cookie and sandwich with another. See recipe note if using chocolate.
- Cookies without Nutella/chocolate filling will stay fresh covered at room temperature for 1 week. Cookies with Nutella/chocolate will stay fresh covered at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions:Â Baked cookies, with or without Nutella/chocolate filling, freeze well up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, if desired, before serving. You can prepare the cookie dough in steps 1 and 2, cover tightly once cooled, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature, then continue with the recipe.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Saucepan | Whisk | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Cooling Rack
- Almond Flour: I like using Bob’s Red Mill brand almond flour, found in the baking aisle of major grocery stores. If you can’t find almond flour in the store, you can make your own by simply pulsing almonds until they reach a gritty and rough flour-like consistency. Instead of almond flour, you can use the same amount of oat flour. (Buy oat flour or pulse whole oats into a flour.) All-purpose flour isn’t ideal because the cookies will not spread or caramelize. Some readers have used coconut flour, but note that the taste and texture is off. I strongly recommend almond flour.
- Either 1 Tablespoon of milk or corn syrup works in this lace cookie recipe. You need a liquid and the resulting cookie tastes exactly the same no matter which you choose. I prefer corn syrup because I find it makes the cookies just a *little* crispier.
- Nutella can get a little messy, so if you’re gifting or traveling with the lace cookies—I suggest using melted chocolate for sandwiching the cookies. Unlike Nutella, melted chocolate will set. Instead of sandwiching, try dunking the cookies in melted chocolate or drizzling the chocolate on top. Whichever way you prefer, use about 6-8 ounces of chopped semi-sweet chocolate. (I like Ghirardelli or Bakers brand, both found in the baking aisle.) Melt the chopped chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave in 15-second increments, stopping and stirring after each until completely smooth. Sandwich, dip, or drizzle onto cooled cookies. Allow chocolate to set completely in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or at room temperature for 30 minutes.
These turned out really great. I packaged them very carefully and froze them several weeks before using for Christmas gift boxes. They did really great. I only had a couple that broke in process.
Mine didn’t get nice and round. Some did, but others spread oddly (more oval) even though I tried to make sure they were round before going into the oven. Any suggestions?
You can use a spoon around the edges to help meld the cookies back into a round shape while they’re warm out of the oven. I do that if needed!
My cookies are cooling as I type this. They smell delicious, look lovely, and were so much easier to make than I could have possibly imagined! I have a bag of espresso chips that I plan on melting to make the sandwiches. I’ve always wanted to try these but never got around to it with all the other baking I do over the holidays. I can’t wait to taste them once they’ve been assembled!
Great recipe, thanks! A tip to those having a hard time using a teaspoon to portion, use a piping bag. Works much better and they come out more uniform.
First time making these. Look yummy, but finished cookies feel greasy. Measured all my ingredients. What happened?
Hi Donna! I wonder if they weren’t baked long enough to bake off that initial grease? Let them cool completely, too. They dry out.
Never made these without oats…nervous to make them but going to try today! You have never disappointed me so I have all the faith they are delicious! Can’t wait to try!
Hmm fresh out of the oven and we’ve already finished half the batch. Clear instructions make this recipe (like all of Sally’s) easy to follow. I had to bake mine slightly longer to get that brown glaze. Highly recommended!
Hello, I have not tried this recipe, but I am going to because I have tried a similar recipe and only have success with it half of the time. The other recipe uses the same method as yours, but my butter always separates and I don’t end up with a cohesive batter. Any thoughts on why this might be happening? I would love to figure this out before wasting more time and ingredients on a failed attempt! Appreciate any advice! Thanks
Hi Stephanie! Happy to help. Anytime you see the butter separating, remove the mixture from heat, grab a whisk, and vigorously whisk until the mixture comes together again. Works every time.
Sally, I made these last year and they turned out perfectly and were delicious! I’ve tried three times this year and the dough is so thick they don’t spread at all. I don’t know what is going on. Any thoughts?
Hi Erin! The recipe is the same as last year. 🙂 I wonder if you’re cooking the mixture too long or letting it cool too long before baking. Try getting that batter on the baking sheets right off the stove. That should help!
Thanks – you are always so helpful !!
I’d been wanting to try these cookies for a while & I finally got around to it. Obsessed!! They were easy to make & SO SO tasty!! My dough sort of gelled up as it cooled. Not sure if that’s supposed to happen but it was still very soft & made it easy for me to spoon out & shape into little round mounds without sticking to everything. They baked up beautifully round like the pictures here. I sandwiched mine with melted semi sweet chocolate & everyone LOVED them!! Will definitely be making theses often.
Hi
Going to make these today – but only have hazelnut flour – do you think this will work and spread correctly ?
Hazelnut flour should be just fine.
I’m going to make these for my cookie exchange and need 7 dozen (yikes!). Does this recipe make 30-32 sandwiches! Or is it 15-16 because you would uce 2 each for the sandwiches?
30-32 cookies, 15-16 sandwiches. 🙂
Can I use honey instead of corn syrup?
Sure can! Or milk.
I made these recently in a huge batch with Nutella between for Christmas gifts. EVERYONE that has eaten them has asked for the recipe and just love them! Delicious! They remind me of toffee, so so good! I can’t wait to make more year ’round for a crumbled ice cream topping!
These were finicky to get onto the baking sheet! I don’t have round teaspoon measures and the batter was too sticky and thickened to get out of a rectangular measuring spoon. They are not all perfectly round, but still delicious!
Just made these last night and the came out really really thin. Any suggestions on why that might have happened?
Hello Jamie…these are supposed to be very thin. Take a look at the photo. Also, she explains throughout the recipe that these will spread and become thin.
I made these cookies and they turned out great! I used melted chocolate, but its thinness leaked through so instead I half-dipped and drizzled the cookies. Next time I want to use these to make ice cream sandwiches, if I make some vanilla bean ice cream or something.
These turned out sooo good! With my oven I did need to leave them in about 8-9 minutes to get them golden and crisp. I sandwiched them with milk chocolate. I’ve gotten these from world market before and they are pricey! Just as delicious to make them at home now!! Thanks!!
These look amazing! Are there any alternatives to the almond flour? My son is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. Thanks!
Hi Liz, Instead of almond flour, you can use the same amount of oat flour. (Buy oat flour or pulse whole oats into a flour.) All-purpose flour isn’t ideal because the cookies will not spread or caramelize. Some readers have used coconut flour, but note that the taste and texture is off.
Happy to report that these also work with only 100 grams of brown sugar. The key is to only use medium to low heat. Be patient, it will come together eventually.
For my European bakers: ground almonds work just fine.
I filled mine with melted chocolate, yum!
Can I use all purpose flour instead of almond flour?
Hi Lori! No. The cookies won’t spread or have their signature chewy crisp texture because the flour will absorb all the moisture.
Could coconut be added to this recipe? If so, would you need to add a little more liquid? I have a little bit of rough ground coconut (smaller than flakes) that I would like to use up, and I have seen variations on this recipe that incorporate coconut.
Hi Jen! Absolutely. I recommend adding about 1/2 cup of your ground coconut flakes and reducing the almond flour only by a little– remove about 2 Tablespoons.
I’ve been looking for this recipe for years and it gets bonus points because it’s gluten-free! This recipe does not disappoint – buttery and crisp almost like I remember. I just added some chopped pecans and – perfect!!
I had never tried lace cookies until I happened upon your recipe on Facebook. This recipe and cookie has become my all time favorite cookie . I come back to it frequently to make them. I think I have to permanently add it to my recipe book.
I tried making lace cookies years ago and I ended up with them spreading into one big cookie. This recipe came out perfect. Thank you!
WOW! Excellent recipe. I’ve been baking for many years. Never tried to make Lace cookies. Glad I found your recipe. Very easy. I made some on a big baking pan with parchment paper. Couldn’t find my other pan, so I used my muffin top pans! Perfect! They spread but didn’t stick to each other. My cookies were done fast. New oven is hot. I love that the dough just slid off the teaspoon to the pan. I used corn syrup. Will make more. Will make chocolate sandwich next.
These are amazing and super simple. I have never made lace cookies before but I will be making these all the time. Just make them because you won’t regret it!
I am making these for a cookie exchange, they’ve turned out wonderfully and delicious. I’m wondering if you can recommend anything to drizzle on/dip them in to cut the sweetness just a little? I’ll do drizzled on chocolate as you’ve suggested for half, but looking for something for people who like a little less sweet… thanks and happy holidays!
Hi Joanne! How about some bittersweet chocolate and a sprinkle of sea salt.
Hey instead of milk can you use cream or whipping cream or almond milk?
Hi Elizabeth, I haven’t tested with cream or almond milk, but either should work here. Or use corn syrup!