These Lace Cookies are thin, flat cookies with a toffee-like flavor and a brittle candy-like texture. They’re super simple to make and the dough (batter?) can be prepped in just fifteen minutes. It’s impossible to just eat one!
I ate about 200 of these Lace Cookies while developing this recipe and I’m still not completely decided if they’re more of a cookie or more of a candy.
They look a bit more like cookies (with their round shape and the fact we use a cookie scoop to portion out the batter) but the taste and texture reminds me more of candies like my peanut brittle or toffee recipe. They’re flat and thin with a crisp, brittle texture that shatters against your teeth and the cookie starts to melt on your tongue on contact. The flavor is certainly toffee-like and caramelized thanks to the fact that the base of the cookie dough is made by melting together butter, sugar, and corn syrup.
Essentially they’re like a candied potato chip. Absolutely addictive and neither Zach nor I can stop eating them. I’m not exactly sure yet how baking with a baby will go, but one way or another these are going to have to make an appearance on my Christmas cookie tray.
What You Need:
- Butter.
- Light corn syrup. I’ve mentioned this before in my sugar cookie frosting recipe and my pecan pie, but corn syrup is not the same as high fructose corn syrup and you really can’t leave it out of this recipe.
- Sugar. We’re using granulated and light brown sugar here.
- Salt.
- Vanilla extract.
- Flour. Just a bit (¼ cup) helps bind the cookies together. Make sure to measure your flour correctly or your cookies could come out soft instead of brittle.
- Almonds. You’ll measure these out and then finely chop them. Let’s talk more about this briefly.
Preparing the Almonds
Measure out your almonds and then finely chop them. I’ll usually do this with a large knife the same way I would mince garlic. At least, that’s how I used to do it. Now I just toss the almonds into my food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped (see photo above).
Take care that if you are using a food processor you do not over-process the almonds, or you will end up with a paste or almond butter. That won’t work for your Lace Cookies!
Some people recommend starting with blanched almonds (ones that don’t have the brown skin on them). I tried these lace cookies with blanched and unblanched almonds (as seen here) and couldn’t tell a difference (except that blanched almonds were a pain in the butt to find!).
Is There a (Nut-Free) Substitute for Almonds in Lace Cookies?
I tried this recipe substituting ⅔ cup of old fashioned oats for the finely chopped almonds and had success making them that way! No other substitutions were needed.
How to Make Lace Cookies
Lace cookies are simple to make, and it all starts by caramelizing a few ingredients in a saucepan on the stovetop.
- Melt together butter, sugars, and corn syrup.
- Cook the sugar has melted (stir constantly so it doesn’t burn!). Bring to a boil, then immediately remove from heat.
- Stir in remaining ingredients.
- Allow the batter to cool for about 5 minutes, this will allow it to thicken a bit and will just make it easier to scoop.
- Scoop batter by 1 ½ teaspoon (yes, teaspoon!) sized scoop onto parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 9 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.
Keep an eye on your cookies as they bake (especially the first batch, in case you need to make any adjustments to subsequent batches). As they bake they will bubble, flatten, and spread. They are usually finished when they are a light golden-brown color and the bubbling has stopped.
Be careful, even a minute too long in the oven can end up burning them, and if they don’t bake long enough they won’t crisp up properly as they cool.
How to Store
Store lace cookies in a cool, dry place in an airtight container for up to one week. Because of their candy-like texture you will want to keep away from humidity, and I also recommend separating layers of cookies with parchment paper to keep them from sticking together.
Most importantly you want to store them carefully. Lace cookies are extremely thin and brittle, after all. I took a bag to share to Zach’s softball game over the summer (in preparation for baby Luke I did a lot of the development and testing for the recipes you’re seeing now earlier in the year) and dropped it about 3 feet and every single cookie was completely shattered, so pack with care.
More Recipes to Try:
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Lace Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (90 g) finely chopped almonds¹
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized saucepan, combine butter, sugars, and corn syrup.4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (60 ml) light corn syrup
- Cook over medium heat, stirring contantly, until sugar has melted and mixture just begins to boil.
- Once boiling, remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract, salt, flour, and finely chopped almonds, stirring until completely combined.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup (90 g) finely chopped almonds¹
- Allow to cool for five minutes, then drop by 1 ½ teaspoon onto prepared cookie sheet, spacing cookies at least several inches apart (cookies will spread quite a bit in the oven, so give them some space!).
- Bake on 350F for 9 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. You can usually tell the cookies are finished baking when they stop bubbling and are a light golden brown in color. Keep an eye on them because they can burn quickly.
- Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheet. They won't be crisp until cooled.
- Keep in mind that the lace cookie batter/dough will thicken as it cools, that is completely fine and won’t affect the outcome of the cookies.
Notes
Nut-Free Substitute
I've successfully made these lace cookies nut-free by substituting ⅔ cup of whole oats (I do not put them in the food processor) for the almonds.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Barbra
Sooo good! I was intimidated to try these because they are so different than what I normally bake – but yay!! They turned out great, so simple and Soo good! Thank you again, for another amazing recipe and motivating me out of my comfort zone with these!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you took a chance and tried them, Barbra! Thanks so much for commenting ❤️
Jan
I haven’t made these yet but am planning to make them this weekend for guests. Question: Did you say you can just use the 2 sugars and leave out the corn syrup? Will that change the crunchy texture? I want a crunch, lol. Also, are the almonds you are using raw or dry roasted unsalted? Thanks
Sam
Hi Jan! You can’t leave it out of this recipe. The cookies won’t really turn out. 🙁 I use unsalted dry roasted almonds here.
Jan
Thanks! This is a perfect addition to a chocolate mousse type dessert. The toffee crunch and lacey look will be perfect 👍
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yummm–love that idea, Jan! 🤤
Cathy
have you ever tried to mold it into cups? Like using jumbo muffin tins? Im curious if while they were still warm they could be molded into cups. Thank you!
Sam
Hi Cathy! I haven’t tried it. It could be possible. You would have to do it right away though. Let me know how it goes if you try it! 🙂
Tina Hanney
These are the bomb!!! Thanks for the detailed recipe. A great addition to my Christmas cookie trays. Six batches isn’t going to last long!
Gail Flynn
Can I use dark corn syrup?
Sam
Hi Gail! I haven’t tried it personally, but I think that will be fine. It will just change the flavor a bit. 🙂
Anonymous
Hi! I want to try it, but can I omit the almonds? Or use almond flour(Though I’m not sure if it would count for both flour and almonds) like some other recipes?
Sam
I have a note below the recipe for making them nut free. 🙂
Oopa
Hi,
I was planning to make this but have 2 queries..
1.Can cashew or peanuts be used instead of almonds?
2. I would like to add instant coffee podwer to the flour for the coffee flavoue … so should I decrease the flour amount accordingly?
Thanks & hope you will be able to help me.
Sam
The cashews or peanuts could work, but I haven’t tried it. I also haven’t tried adding the coffee powder. I think adding a little bit should be ok without reducing the flour. 🙂
Tausha Belanger
Can i substitute almond flour for finely chopped almonds?
Sam
Hi Tausha! I haven’t tried it but I think it could work. 🙂
Erica
Just made these! Super easy and a big hit—both my boyfriend and I loved them! I didn’t have almonds, so I used almond flour instead and tossed in some toasted white sesame seeds for some extra nutty texture and flavor, and they turned out great! Sesame works great in this recipe. I’m really curious about it now, so I’m going to be trying to make a black sesame version of this cookie sometime in the future. I’ll let you know how that turns out!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Erica! 🙂
Sean
Thnk you I was wondering if I could use almond flour to make them gluten free, ty!
Melissa
I am going to try with black sesame seeds today for Halloween. Thx for the idea
Sam
I hope everyone loved them, Melissa! 🙂
jeni
hi tried this but the cookie did not flat as expected is not thin .like thin ..a ny tips?
Sam
Hi Jeni! I’m confused as to what could be going on. Normally in a situation like this the problem is over-measuring your flour, but these use very little flour. Is it possible something was mis-measured?
Michelle
Super excited to try these! I want to make them about 4x thicker so they come out like a break apart cookie brittle so I’m wondering if I can just spread the batter on a single cookie sheet?
Sam
Hi Michelle! I’m not quite sure how it would turn out, but I do have a cookie brittle recipe you could try. 🙂
Pauletta Bowen
I made these with my mother at an early age. While warm we would roll them on a small rolling pen, put ice cream on the inside or shake Confectioner Sugar on top. yum yum, thanks
Sam
That sounds awesome! 🙂
Karen
You did what? Need better explanation. Thanks.
Elle
She pretzel dorks it! Lol, love it
Linda P Hansen
I just made these and they turned out perfect. Picture Perfect absolutely fabulous!!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Linda! 🙂
Sandi
Can you freeze these?
Sam
Yup! Just do so in a sturdy container, they’re fragile and even more-so when frozen, so keep them safe!