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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I made your Lace Cookies and they are delicious. However, they’re extremely greasy. I followed the easy recipe to the letter, but when packing them in a cookie tin, I had to put parchment paper squares in-between so they wouldn’t stick together. Is this how they’re supposed to be? Thanks.
Hi Martha, usually greasy lace cookies are caused by slightly under-baking. Make sure to bake until golden brown around the edges.
Can you use Almond Meal rather than almond flour?
Hi Emmy, almond meal would be fine here. I wouldn’t make any changes. If you have the choice, though, go with almond flour.
If I was trying to make these low-carb, I could substitute the brown sugar for Splenda brown sugar, right? And then I could use mild instead of the Corn syrup. I’m wondering if sugar-free syrup would work instead — maybe keep them crispier?
Hi Liz! We fear these cookies would not turn out as intended with those swaps. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for low-carb substitutes.
These cookies were delicious. I dipped them in chocolate and sprinkled them with white sanding sugar. They looked beautiful.
But I’m wondering why they didn’t defrost well. I froze them about two weeks ago and took them out to defrost in time for a party yesterday (Saturday). They ended up chewy and pliable and completely lost their crispiness! Is this normal? Thanks 🙂
Hi Monica! Yes, that’s quite normal with any type of crispy cookie. When defrosting, the moisture will soften the cookie.
Thanks!
I’m excited to try these! I was thinking about adding vanilla bean to the brown butter, do you think that would be overpowering or enhancing in these?
I think it would be delicious! You may not taste it too much, however, since the caramelized-like flavor is quite strong.
Has anyone tried freezing these for later?
I did. I just posted a comment to Sally to ask why my defrosted cookies ended up chewy and pliable and not crispy. But they were delicious and people still loved them.
Fabulous. Try Maple Syrup instead of corn syrup.
Awful, I tried multiple different ways to make these work. Waste of ingredients.
After taking them out of the oven could you roll them around a wooden spoon handle? Like tuiles.
When they’re still warm, they’re pretty malleable, so I’m sure you could try it. Let me know how they turn out.
What is the diameter of the cookie after baking?
I’m not sure what happened but these did not work for me. I have 36 cookies spaced out on three cookie sheets but they all ran together and the edges on some are burned. All told I have seven cookies. The other 29 are one giant blob I followed the directions! Ideas?
Hi Melinda, I’m so sorry to hear this recipe didn’t turn out well for you! Are you using silicone baking mats? I find they give the best result for these cookies. When you drop your batter/dough onto your baking mat, be sure you are using just one scant teaspoon and drop it straight onto your mat. I hope the next batch turns out better!
Can this recipe be doubled?
Hi Christine, for this particular recipe, we’d recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling.
Recipe works perfectly! They were a hit at my last work team Christmas party. I have found that if the cookies don’t bake perfectly round, a cookie cutter ring or baking ring can scooch them into a better rounder shape if done directly out of the oven.
This sounds amazing. Can I use salted butter and omit the salt?
Hi Nancy, if using salted butter, reduce the salt to 1/8 teaspoon. Hope you enjoy the cookies!
I just made these and am disappointed after spreading the chocolate. They got soggy and very chewy. I should have left them plain.
Hi Anne, the cookies should remain crisp. I wonder if your cookies could have used a little extra time in the oven? Did you let them cool before adding the chocolate?
I would like to see an overhead view of these cookies.
Hi Dawn, under the section “How to Make Lace Cookies” there is an overhead shot of the unassembled cookies. There is another overhead shot of the assembled cookies at the end of the post, right before the written recipe. Hope this helps!
Could one use dairy free substitute for Buttet?
Hi Wendy, we haven’t tested these cookies with a plant-based butter, so we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you give it a try!
I’m definitely going to try these this weekend. Could corn syrup be replaced with maple syrup? We don’t have corn syrup in my country and I’m having a vegan friend over.
Hi Marge, we haven’t tested it, but many readers have reported success with that swap. Hope the cookies are a hit!
Would you recommend adding sliced almonds as one of the ingredients? If so, how much? And would there be any changes to the bake time or overall recipe instructions? Thanks in advance and everything I’ve ever made from your site has been a hit!!
Hi Kristin, we haven’t tried adding sliced almonds to this recipe.
So good! I shouldn’t have made this while I was home alone. The first pan was delicious. It didn’t even need any chocolate. I’ll save the rest for my hubby and kids. And definitely make this again!
I used my tsp measurer to scoop the dough on to my pan, then quickly rolled each scoop between my hands into a sphere. That helped them stay a little more circular as they baked. But I noticed that one of my pieces of parchment paper was wrinkly, so it consistently turned out misshapen cookies. (Still completely edible, though!) Thank you for this recipe!
I have tried this recipe around 10 times and could never get consistent results. The batter would always separate and I had excess butter in the pan. When it cooled, it would turn hard and crumbly. I believe the problem was not enough milk. I tried to cut this recipe by 3 but 1 tsp of milk is not enough. My guess is everyone else with this problem is cutting the recipe as well.
This reduced recipe works:
45g butter (3 tbsp)
45g sugar (3 tbsp)
1.5 tsp milk, heavy cream, or other liquid
1/4 c (28g) almond flour
Melt the butter and milk on low, add the sugar and cook until it bubbles for a few minutes whisking continuously. Add the flour on the heat and whisk for a minute or so and remove from heat. Add the vanilla and let it cool. I use salted butter so I didn’t add salt to mine. I had to cook them around 9 minutes to get them to flatten out. Makes about 16 cookies using a 1 tsp cookie scoop.
I think you misread the milk…it is 1 tbsp (tablespoon) not tsp (teaspoon) as mine did not separate
my family loves this cookie
why do they stay sticky. Even after refrigerating them, they stick together. How can that be prevented?
Hi Arlene! That is the nature of these cookies. Are they soft? Perhaps they could bake for a bit longer.
Trina, I am confused, are these lace cookies supposed to be sticky? They stick together on a tray.
I even tried refrigerating them and once cooled down, they need to be separated, at this time they are not crisp and stiff. My Granddaughter has voted these her #1 favorite of all she has ever had. I just want them to be perfect.
Hi Arlene! Not sticky, but may become a little sticky as they sit. Refrigerating them will probably make them more sticky. Sounds like you’re making them perfectly!
I’m excited to make this! Wondering if there was some way to add ginger into the recipe, grated fresh or dried, or ginger syrup? Thanks for any advice!
Hi Emily! We haven’t tested adding ginger to this recipe, and with so few ingredients in these cookies, substituting/adding ingredients can get a bit tricky. If you wanted to experiment, you could try adding a very small amount of dried ginger (or even ground ginger) with the almond flour. Let us know what you decide to try!
That is fine. I am making them for a friend who is coming over, and she is not very big on sweets
Love the cookies, only they are very sweet. Could I cut down the sugar?
Hi Yvonne! The sugar is a very important ingredient in these cookies, and they won’t spread/crisp properly with less of it.
I am a huge fan of these cookies! <3
How did you make yours so firm and round? Mine were so delicate and ended up being different different shapes.
Hi Rachel, Are they 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.
With Nutella, it just tastes like toffee to me. Not bad though!
Any chance in being able to use Splenda’s brown sugar? Trying to stay away from heavy sweeteners. (Diabetic)
Hi Terry, unfortunately, we don’t have any experience with it, so can’t say how it would turn out. If you do try it, please report back and let us know how it goes!
What type/brand of chocolate would you recommend? I tried using chocolate chips but it re-melts quite quickly after I put the lace cookies together. Thanks!
Hi Mary, we like Ghirardelli or Bakers brand.