These lace cookies are a holiday favorite as they’re thin and delicate, making them perfect for when you’re craving something sweet after a huge dinner. Lace cookies get their name from their delicate and lace-like appearance when the sugar bubbles and creates tiny little gaps in the cookies. They’re so simple to make as the cookie dough comes together in only a few minutes on the stovetop. No need to break out the mixer for these cookies! For another holiday cookie recipe, try my no-bake haystack cookies, Mexican Wedding Cookies, or Snickerdoodles!
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Butter — I recommend using unsalted butter for this cookie recipe as the salt content in salted butter is inconsistent between various brands.
Brown sugar — brown sugar adds a delicious molasses flavor to the cookies. If you don’t have any brown sugar, check out my post on how to make brown sugar.
Corn syrup — standard corn syrup is not the same as high-fructose corn syrup. HFCS is sweeter than standard corn syrup, so make sure to check the label.
Almond flour — almond flour allows the cookie to spread more, for the iconic lace cookies appearance, than if you use regular flour. It also adds a mild sweetness to the cookies.
How to Make Lace Cookies
1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt.
2. Stir constantly until the mixture comes to a simmer, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. Stir in the almond flour, all-purpose flour, and vanilla. Let the mixture cool for 10 to 15 minutes or until it starts to thicken and is cool enough to handle.
4. Scoop 1 teaspoon of batter and quickly roll into a ball in your palms. Place onto lined sheet pans. Bake one sheet at a time for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking, or until the cookies have spread very thin and have mostly stopped bubbling. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet until firm before transferring to a wire rack.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Keep a close eye on the lace cookies as they bake, especially near the end of the baking period. As the cookies are so thin, they’ll burn very quickly if you leave them in the oven for too long.
- Use real vanilla extract instead of artificial extract for the best-tasting almond lace cookies.
- Use real butter and not margarine, as margarine doesn’t brown and caramelize like real butter.
- Make sure to line the baking sheets with just parchment paper. Do not use tin foil or grease your cookie sheet, as the cookies won’t come out thin and lacy.
- Be sure to use almond flour instead of almond meal. Almond meal is more coarse and won’t yield the same results.
- Use a spatula to help transfer the cookies once cooled for minimum breakage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some variations?
Here are a few variations to try on your lace cookies:
- Drizzle some chocolate ganache or caramel over the cookies once they’ve cooled.
- Sandwich Nutella or melted chocolate between two cookies to make a cookie sandwich.
- Mix in orange extract or orange zest for a citrusy flavor.
- Instead of vanilla extract, try almond extract to increase the almond flavors.
How do I store these?
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature in a cool, dry place for up to 1 week. Due to the texture of the cookies, keep them away from humidity, or they’ll lose their crispness. You can place parchment between the layers of cookies to keep them from sticking.
Can I freeze them?
These are delicate cookies, but you can freeze them. Carefully transfer them to a freezer-safe container and freeze them for up to 3 months. Allow them to come to room temperature before serving.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Lace Cookies recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Lace Cookies
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter (113g)
- ¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar (155g)
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup almond flour (75g)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (22g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 to 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Stir constantly until the mixture comes to a simmer, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Stir in the flours and the vanilla. Let the mixture cool for 10 to 15 minutes or until it starts to thicken and is cool enough to handle. Scoop 1 teaspoon of batter and quickly roll into a ball in your palms. Place onto the prepared pans, separating each by about 3 inches. (I bake 5 cookies per baking sheet.) The dough will continue to get firm as it cools which is fine; there's no need to reheat it.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking, or until the cookies have spread very thin and have mostly stopped bubbling. (They should have darkened in color and be only slightly lighter in color at the center than the edge. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet until firm, 10 to 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
Notes
- Keep a close eye on the lace cookies as they bake, especially near the end of the baking period. As the cookies are so thin, they’ll burn very quickly if you leave them in the oven for too long.
- Use real vanilla extract instead of artificial extract for the best-tasting almond lace cookies.
- Use real butter and not margarine, as margarine doesn’t brown and caramelize like real butter.
- Make sure to line the baking sheets with just parchment paper. Do not use tin foil or grease your cookie sheet, as the cookies won’t come out thin and lacy.
- Be sure to use almond flour instead of almond meal. Almond meal is more coarse and won’t yield the same results.
- Use to spatula to help transfer the cookies once cooled for minimum breakage.
Brett says
So amazing! Once I start eating these, it’s impossible to stop. Adding some chocolate ganache drizzle is spectacular.
Christina says
I made these cookies today. They only took 7 minutes to bake, but they came out greasy. Are they supposed to be greasy?
Rosie says
they look beautiful and I would love to try them but we don’t use corn syrup in our family. Can you recommend a substitute for the corn syrup?
Sam Jordan says
These cookies are a delight. I’ve made them quite a number of times. The only problem with them is that I can polish off a whole batch myself in no time flat! They are so good. I use a one teaspoon measure and scoop that up and roll it out. I get 80 cookies per batch doing this.
I saw another recipe elsewhere for these that add almond and honey. Also, you can sandwich chocolate between them, but a warning, the chocolate must be VERY thin if you want to taste the caramel.
Sam Jordan says
OMG, These lace cookies are the BEST! Easy and fun to make. So delicate and elegant. I make them vegan, using plant butter. No discernible taste difference. I am also going to try making a batch chocolate covered. Caramel uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Paul says
Good cookie. Only lacey edge though.
Mama bake says
Made these for the first time and they are amazing! We sprinkled sea salt on top straight out of the oven and it helped balance the sweetness beautifully. Please note that these cookies spread a lot and next time I’ll use a 1/2 tablespoon as my scoop.
L says
I don’t review often just because I’m a busy cook! But these lovely cookies warrant a review. I’ve made one batch and my husband and I loved them. I’ve been hiding them hoping to save when family arrives for holidays. I gave in and made a double batch tonight. They are rich but light, easy to make and attractive on a plate. A little different than the average holiday cookie. Plan to sprinkle some red sugar on these. I wouldn’t deviate from recipe except beware the dough does become harder to mold with too much time. Thanks!
Debbie says
Always a favorite in my cupboard and covers the coffee cup nicely as a warmed treat at break time , light and airy not too filling