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. This recipe also joins 30+ others in my collection of Quick Dessert Recipes—ready in 1 hour or less!
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) almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) 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: 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.
Sally these cookies are a big hit with my extended family. You do have to be patient when mixing the ingredients on the stove and I find that I need to use a low heat, however they are certainly worth the time and effort. Thanks for this recipe!
My lace cookies are not crisping as they cool. Can I save them? They taste great though!
Hi Kathy, they should be crispy AND chewy! You can bake them slightly longer if you want them a little more crispy. Glad you enjoy them!
These cookies are delicious. They smell amazing. The only downsides are they are very delicate to work with and even after cooling they seem greasy. When I pick one up, butter residue Lisa on my hands. But I made them for my son and he really likes them.
Hey! How can I sub brown butter in place of butter in this recipe? I know that browning the butter will reduce some of the moisture so not sure how it might impact the cookie, but think it would give it a great flavour. Any tips?
Many thanks!
Hi Dani! Usually it’s not a problem to use browned butter, but the butter takes on a slightly browned butter flavor already so it’s not necessary to brown beforehand. (It could also burn since you are cooking it again.) We hope you enjoy the cookies!
I was wondering if I can use anything non dairy instead of butter in this recipe?!?!?
Hi Caryn, we haven’t tested a completely dairy-free version of these cookies. You can use corn syrup in place of the milk, but we haven’t substituted anything for the butter. You could try a plant-based butter, but we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you give anything a try!
“Best cookies in the world!” according to my 94 year old mom (and she has had a lot of cookies in her life!). I have made these several times. They’re easy and always turn out. A half recipe also works well. I melt a 60% chocolate bar to sandwich the cookies together and they are always a huge hit!
This recipe is excellent like all that I have tried
This recipe did not work for me at all! It’s the first time I’ve made one of your recipes and it was a complete and utter fail. I melted the butter but when I added in the flour and the sugar and the corn syrup everything went to a block and the butter totally separated. I tried to get the butter to go back in. I used an immersion blender. I use my mixer. All I ended up with was cement and I had to throw the whole thing out. I have no idea what I did wrong but if I ever try these again I will melt the butter with the sugar like for caramel and then maybe I’ll add the flour. It was a loss of some very expensive ingredients. Very sad. As I said it’s the only time I’ve made one of your recipes and it just didn’t work at all
Hi Marci, I missed this comment the other week! My team leaves comments they cannot reply to for me, and I missed yours. My apologies! Are you using a nonstick pan? I have seen similar issues making caramel sauce in a nonstick pan; mixture hardening, butter separating. If you happen to have a stainless steel pot and want to try the recipe again, use that instead. I’m sorry you had trouble with this one.
These taste great but mine were NOT crispy, I had to use a brown sugar replacement, could that be why?Bummed but gonna add to ice cream as a topping
Hi Lisa, what type of replacement did you use? Using a substitute could be the culprit here. They are a bit sticky—that is the nature of these cookies—they may become a little sticky as they sit.
Why do they become sticky after cooling? They’ll be perfectly browned & crisp but after completely cooled they stick together when stored in anything.
Hi Julie, that is the nature of these cookies—they may become a little sticky as they sit. When storing, you could place a sheet of parchment paper between the cookies to prevent sticking. Hope this helps!
Been wanting to try this for some time. I am visiting a friend tomorrow whose husband is gluten-free so I tried them!
I used a melon baller to get the right amount and checked them after 6 mins – needed more time. They came out perfectly after 8 mins. Made 16 cookies. Continued putting out the second batch and realized that I was going to have more than 32 cookies – so I made them a bit bigger. Big mistake! They browned round the edges way more quickly so I took them out after 7 mins. They don’t look as good but they still taste good. I will give my friend the nice ones and my hubby and I will eat the rest! Another great recipe! Thanks!
I love this recipe so much; they turned out perfect and delicious. I did use all-purpose flour and I think they taste amazing 11/10 would recommend.
Thank you so much for this recipe! It is nearly identical to a British recipe for Florentines which I adore. Now I can make them GF at last and enjoy them. To turn Lace Cookies into Florentines, use Lyle’s Golden Syrup in place of corn syrup. I can find this at Fred Myers in the section with International foods or at World Market. After removing the pan from the stove add in 1oz dried cranberries finely chopped, 1¾ oz candied orange and lemon peel finely chopped,
1 oz. sultanas, 1 oz slivered almonds, and 1 oz of finely chopped hazelnut pieces. Once the cookies cool and set, melt 7 oz. of chocolate and drizzle a Teaspoon on the back of each cookie, spreading it over the entire side of the cookie. Take a fork and run it through the chocolate in a zig-zag motion and allow to cool and set.
Love this! Definitely had to whip it up several times but I cooled it a bit in the fridge. For a nice size I scooped 1.5 teaspoon loosley.
One of my favorite cookie flavors ever. But I made the recipe twice and both times the butter separated from the batter and was so thick I could not get it mixed together. Too thick to whisk. I also tried my blender to mix it but that was also a fail. Finally poured off the liquid butter and patted the dough dry. Help! What am I doing wrong? Should I be melting the butter andd sugar before I mix in the rest of the ingredients? I am a long time baker so I’m confused why this didn’t work.
We’re happy to help troubleshoot! Did you carefully follow the recipe and ingredients using almond flour? Make sure that your pan is set over LOW heat. Keep stirring until the butter comes together. If you decide to try this recipe again and the butter separates, remove the pan from the stove and whisk vigorously, the mixture will come back together!
Definitely 5 stars from me
Oh my these were delicious, they came out perfectly! Thank you so much the only problem is that we can’t seem to stop eating them!
I don’t have a clue what I did wrong. I tried three straight times in a row – followed the recipe exactly, then tried twice like others and melted the butter then added the sugar and stirred until completely dissolved. But each time when I added the almond flour, it turned into a grainy, gloppy mess. It never was “cake batter” consistency after adding the flour. And the cookies definitely didn’t spread. Some flattend a bit, but some barely did at all. I have pics if it would help, but I don’t see how to attach them. The flour was Nature’s Eats and the ingredients are blanched almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot powder, tapioca flour, xanthan gum.
Hi Sherry, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. Did you make any changes to the ingredients (even something small)? With such a short ingredient list, even small changes can make a big difference. Make sure to properly measure the almond flour as well – a kitchen scale works best. If there’s too much almond flour, the cookies will not spread out into lace.
Lexi, the only variable is the flour, and when I googled Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour, the only ingredient is ground almonds. The flour I used had been “enriched,” and I suspect it was the problem. I threw out the first two batches before even trying to bake them. I had taken the first sheet of batch #3 out of the oven (they didn’t flatten out much at all) when my husband came in and tried one. He said they tasted great, so I flattened the remaining cookies with my finger before baking, and they came out OK, but were only about 2″ (probably less) wide. But they did taste good and were crisp. So I’ll get the RIGHT flour & try again. I’ve been baking for about 50 years, so this was a major frustration. But I’m glad that I think the culprit has been identified!!!!
Can pistachio flour be used?
Hi Corinne, we haven’t tested this recipe with pistachio flour. We’d recommend sticking with almond flour for best results.
Dear Sally, love this recipe and make it often for my gluten free family! Every morsel is devoured, especially by the non gluten free family who claim it is the best cookie ever! I have discovered an easy trick by accident. I let the pan of dough fuse together as one solid piece. Upon removal from oven, I cut perfect circles with the wide end of my emulsifier wand. All the in between pieces get broken, placed on another piece of parchment paper and get drizzled with chocolate too! These “crumbles”are usually eaten first and make a great addition to the cookies gift!
How do I get them round?
Hi Luci, First, you’ll want to make sure they are nice even circles going into the oven. That helps them stay in the round shape. If they’re not even circles, you can use a spoon to help shape the warm cookies back into a circle. Hope this helps!
My cookie dough didn’t spread. They tasted good, they were soft without being doughy, worked great as one-b8te sandwich cookies. But I tried twice and could not make the dough spread for a lace cookie. I have no idea what I did wrong.
Hi MQ, happy to help. Did you make any changes to the ingredients (even something small)? With such a short ingredient list, even small changes can make a big difference. Make sure to properly measure the almond flour as well – a kitchen scale works best. If there’s too much almond flour, the cookies will not spread out into lace.
I had pretty much every problem people mentioned in here combined. The batter came together fine. But the cookies are a lopsided spread-into-each other GREASY mess. I feel like I just made Lacey crunchy caramel? The only things I can think of are maybe overcooking on the stove as it wound up not very runny (but if I overcooked it wasn’t by much). Or that I subbed half of the almond flour with oat flour because I ran out. It says you can use oat flour in the recipe but maybe it’s not a good idea.
Long story short, I’m a decently competent baker – would definitely not call these “easy” as others have said.
Can these be made dairy free – with a plant based butter substitute?
Hi Debbie, we haven’t tried it, so are unsure of the results. If you decide to try it, please let us know how the cookies turn out!
Great recipe! I did what some suggested, and started with butter, then sugar (and milk), mixing them together well before adding flour. Turned out wonderfully crisp and chewy. My oven took only 6 min, so watch carefully!
These are very easy and came out tasty, but mine needed an extra 1-2 minutes in the oven beyond what the recipe calls for. My first batch was underbaked, second batch came out much better and crispier with a longer bake time.
I anyways defer to this site when baking anything, but these did not wake out for need in to the slightest. Really disappointed. A big waste of time and resources.
Hi JC, we’re happy to help troubleshoot if you can go into more detail of what didn’t turn out here!