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
Would this recipes work with sugar substitute? I am type 2 diabetic and have made this the regular way with sugar and oatmeal but hard to find cookie recipes for diabetics. I am definitely a cookie monster.
Hi Beverly, We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. 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 sugar substitutes. Thank you!
Can I use Golden Syrup (Cane sugar syrup) instead of corn syrup?
Hi Tristan, we haven’t tried this recipe with golden syrup, but let us know how they turn out if you do!
Could I use a cookie scoop?
Thanks
Yes, you can use a small cookie scoop. This should help make them uniform in size.
How do you get the cookies to come out in circles? Every time I’ve made these types of cookies, they always come out as mis-shapen blobs.
Hi Courtney, 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.
It’s difficult to find gluten-free desserts that are good enough that they can be thoroughly enjoyed by all, without tasting second-rate. This recipe is fantastic – delicious to those who tolerate gluten and those who are gluten-free, alike.
Havn’t made it yet but any suggestions or changes, someone said it was a bit greasy, what do you think?
Hi Sam! Usually greasy lace cookies are caused by slightly under-baking. Make sure to bake until golden brown around the edges.
I made these with my 3 grandsons and we loved them. However, they were very greasy.
Do you recommend using less butter? Maybe 3/4 stick rather than a full stick?
Hi Felicia! I wonder if they weren’t done in the oven? A couple extra minutes could help for next time.
Hi would love to try this recipe but I can’t eat chocolate can I use caramel instead or do u have any ideas of something else I can u in between these cookies
Hi Jackie! Lace cookies can be enjoyed plain without any filling. Caramel could definitely work too!
Sally, perhaps a silly question. I’m would like to make 36 – 40 cookies, 18 – 20 sandwiches, but I’m not sure how to change the quantities of the ingredients used. Yes I’m lazy, but thought you might help me out here. Thanks
can you freeze these cookies to enjoy later? I made a batch and they were delicious.
Hi Lisa, 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. Glad you enjoyed them!
How do you get perfectly round cookies? Mine spread into irregular shapes!
Hi Carla! 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.
I love lace cookies but never knew how easy they are to whip up. Would I be able to add chocolate chips to these? The ones I’ve eaten included chocolate chips.
Hi Sue, we love to use melted chocolate chips as a filling!
These are delicious and so easy! I was looking for GF recipes and am so glad I found this one!
This was an adventure great fun! I don’t know what magic Sally used to make these shaped so uniformly, but mine were a little less circular, even with using a teaspoon to measure. I read Sally’s suggestions carefully and the reviews ahead of time and had little or no trouble. I heated the butter a little too fast and it separated, so I took it off the heat and whisked it by itself until it was still liquid, but had a uniform color. I put in the brown sugar first, whisked it completely, THEN added the syrup, mixed completely, THEN the dry ingredients all at once until completely mixed, THEN the vanilla, and the dough came out beautifully, grainy like her picture. After letting the dough rest, it turned smoother and thicker and very silky. All ovens are different so I experimented with times, and 8 1/2 minutes worked perfectly. Spreading melted chocolate on the smooth side one cookie with a knife was effortless, and they cooled off perfectly, and weren’t so fragile. DELICIOUS! Amazing. LOVE this website.
You a your team are the best, I can always count on you for any occasion!! I am part Dutch, still looking for a recipe for agar/agar/with egg nog recipe. Help!
Thank you so much! Are you looking for a vegan eggnog recipe? I don’t have many drink recipes on my website, but here are a few. I don’t have an eggnog recipe.
Can I make these savoury or do they need the sugar to the magic?
Hi Sukhie, the sugar is a key and necessary ingredient in these cookies. We don’t recommend skipping it.
I have followed many of your recipes in the past, wuth great success. I did have issues with this one I’d like to solve. I followed the steps exactly as described. I could not get all the butter to assimilate back into the dough and actually drained off 1/4 cup. Any tips?
I hate rating recipes before I bake them, but this looks like one I lost long ago. My question is can you substitute molasses for the corn syrup? Or would the honey be better. ( a question you answered that you said it should be ok.)
I love all your recipes, and haven’t been disappointed with any of them yet! Thank you!
Hi Patti, thank you so much! Molasses would be a fine substitute. You will taste its flavor, though, so keep that in mind. Honey is also a great sub, and its flavor isn’t as strong in a baked cookie.
Loved how easy this recipe was. Honestly I was very intimidated by some of the comments I read but I decided to go for it regardless. I think having my heat very low for step one was crucial because my “dough” turned out just right. The first ones I put in the oven turned out to be bendable so I put the rest in the oven for longer and that solved that issue. Thank you so much for the recipe, i just love your stuff!
I love all your recipes
These were delicious. I used salted butter so I just added a pinch of salt. I undercooked my first batch so I just put them back in a 350⁰ oven, kept a close eye and let the bubble up some more. They were perfect after about 2 minutes. So delicious and EASY.
It’s easy and tasty. Found it spread too much and cookie was too thin and delicate to hold any chocolate. Where did I go wrong?
Hi Joy, these cookies are meant to be very thin and crisp. They are delicate and crumble easily. If they become too difficult to handle, it’s possible that they were over baked and need a minute or two less in the oven next time.
Wow, my family loves them and I had fun making them today. I used a Silpat mat and clean up was a breeze. I will be making these again and might even gift some to loved ones that I believe will enjoy them. Thank you for sharing your delightful recipe.
This recipe is awesome! Although the first batch came out a little dark (I baked it for 6 minutes and then another two, should have baked for 7 minutes in my oven). Filled them with espresso chocolate and they were delicious!
These turned out very good. I added toasted and ground pecans. 7 minutes bake time turned out to be perfect. Those that had butter separation, just melt the butter slowly and don’t heat it until clarified (separating from the milk solids). Then add your ingredients and that should keep the “batter” together.
I bet they’re delicious, but my dough seized up and all whisking/mixing/stirring did was send hot butter everywhere.
Wow these cookies turned out amazing! I used your salted caramel recipe for the inside and it was awesome!
It worked!!! Taste great!
The recipe is great but I took out first batch top early. They weren’t as crispy as 2nd batch. Let me get more dark brown on edges before taking out if oven.
Perfection!
Some of these comments had me wondering if it was worth a try, and I am so glad I didn’t let them scare me off. This recipe *truly* is that easy. I followed the recipe (used milk), didn’t make any changes, and they are PERFECT. Just like my favorite ones I used to buy. THANK YOU!! I was able to suprise my mom with them for Christmas. I am thrilled!
My first batch bombed but I believe it was because I didn’t use a wisk (too much separation)&I used butter that had been stored in freezer (not sure if they played a role). Second batch was perfect!!! Great recipe!!!!!!
First batch seized right up when I added the almond flour and I was left with a glob and some butter slashing all over the place. The more I whisked the more butter came out.
second time I incorporated all the sugars first then slowly added the almond flour. The batter still came out a little firmer than expected but cooked up perfectly.
Thank you.