Lace cookies are delicate, crisp cookies filled with chewy oats and buttery toffee flavor. This classic cookie gets its name from its thin, lacy appearance.
Heather's recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Lace cookies are sweet, buttery, and crisp rounds of toffee filled with oats.
Quick and easy: Made with a few simple ingredients. No chilling. Just portion onto cookie sheets and bake!
Yield: About 66 cookies
Similar to: Ranger Cookies, Chai Oatmeal Cookies
Jump to:
Ingredients and substitutions
- Oats - Quick cook oats work best in this recipe. While old fashioned oats can work, they add a more substantial chewy texture to the finished cookie.
- Sugar - Granulated sugar is a must for this recipe. Brown sugar doesn't work as a substitute because it creates a chewy, sticky texture that doesn't quite crisp up like granulated sugar does.
How to make lace cookies
- Add ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine. Mixture will look wet, this is normal.
- Portion by the teaspoon onto a parchment or foil lined baking sheet about 3 inches apart. I like using rows of 4-3-4 to leave plenty of room.
- Bake until cookies are golden brown across the tops.
- Allow cookies to rest for about 5 minutes. They're very soft straight from the oven but eventually harden into a crisp cookie.
Tips and tricks
Use a teaspoon - These cookies spread a lot while baking. I used a teaspoon to portion dough onto the cookie sheet.
Don't overfill the pan - This can cause your cookies to run together while spreading. I used a 13x18 half sheet pan and made rows of 4-3-4 (shown above) to bake my cookies with plenty of room for spreading.
Use both oven racks for quicker baking - This recipe makes a lot of cookies (about 66). Arrange your oven racks in the center of the oven before preheating, then continually fill 2 to 3 cookie sheets at a time, baking two at once when possible. Rotate cookies from the bottom rack to the top rack for even baking.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, lace cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Layer them between parchment or wax paper, and thaw your cookies on the countertop (uncovered) for best results.
They taste like sweet, crisp toffee rounds filled with oats. The main flavor notes are caramelized sugar and butter.
No. Grease will cause cookies to spread even more while baking and add a layer of grease to the bottom of the finished cookies. They can also stick to the pan after hardening, even with a layer of grease. Lace cookies are best baked on a layer of parchment or foil instead.
I tested this recipe with brown sugar and don't recommend it. While the cookies did turn out, they had a slightly chewy, soft texture and stuck together when stored. Using granulated sugar ensures your cookies turn out crisp, not chewy or sticky.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Lace Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (90 g) quick cook oats
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons (22 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and set aside.
- In a bowl, add quick cook oats, sugar, flour, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract and stir to incorporate.
- Drop by teaspoonful onto prepared baking sheet about 3 inches apart (cookies will spread a lot as they bake).
- Bake for about 6-8 minutes, or until cookies look golden brown across the tops.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before removing from parchment (cookies will be soft straight from the oven, but crisp up after about 5 minutes).
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Storage: Cookies will keep for 5-7 days in a sealed container at room temperature or up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Use parchment, not grease: It's important to use parchment, foil, or a silicone baking mat and not grease. Grease will cause cookies to spread even more than they're meant to spread and cookies can still stick to the sheet pan.
- Can I use brown sugar? No. During testing, brown sugar made these cookies turn out chewy and slightly sticky. Using granulated sugar ensures your cookies turn out crisp.
I had so much fun creating this recipe! I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do. If you have a question, check out the post above, which is packed with information about the recipe. Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts — leave a comment and a star rating to share your feedback!