Oatmeal Lace Cookies Recipe
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Oatmeal Lace Cookies are crisp, delicate, buttery and delicious! This lace cookies recipe is a family favorite and makes a large quantity of cookies!
Oatmeal Lace Cookies have always been one of my husband’s favorite cookies. I’ve known that but quickly forget from time to time as they aren’t a cookie I have regularly made. So, the other night I asked him, “what’s a favorite special cookie that you’d like for me to make for you?”
His immediate reply, “Lace cookies.”
His Mama has always made them, especially at Christmas. And they are amazing!
Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Which isn’t hard to believe, because let me just tell you, I have never, ever, ever tasted one thing that my mother-in-law cooked that was not absolutely out of this world scrumptious.
You know, I have truly been blessed to be surrounded by phenomenal cooks in my life with my Grandmothers, Mama, and aunts. I count myself even more blessed to be able to learn even a little bit about recipes, cooking, entertaining large crowds, and many other life lessons from my mother-in-law. What an honor to learn from all these wonderful ladies!
So, back to these oatmeal lace cookies. Lace cookies get their name because as they bake, they spread and bubble and bubble and bubble and form little holes in the cookies.
There are so many recipes for lace cookies, but my mother-in-law’s recipe actually originated from a local restaurant where special parties and luncheons were often held. They’ve since closed, but thankfully shared this recipe with her before they did so.
This oatmeal lace cookie recipe makes a LOT of cookies. I mean a whole lot of cookies, close to six dozen. That’s what makes this lace cookie recipe so perfect for Christmas cookies, luncheons, showers, parties and more! There are plenty to share and still have a few to enjoy!
Come to think of it, maybe that’s why my mother-in-law makes them each year for her huge family.
Here’s the Oatmeal Lace Cookie recipe my family loves. One warning though, they are buttery and oh so addictive.
Oatmeal Lace Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) butter
- 2 1/4 cups (479 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 1/4 cups (200 g) rolled oats
- 3 tablespoons (23 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt
- 1 large (50 g) egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats. Set aside.
- Heat butter and brown sugar in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently with a wooden or silicon spoon, until butter has melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in oats, flour, salt, egg, and vanilla.
- Drop cookie batter by the teaspoon onto prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie to allow them to spread.
- Bake for 5 -7 minutes, watching closely to prevent them from over-baking. The lace cookies should be golden brown.
- Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 30 seconds and remove onto racks to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container.
Notes
You can prepare the dough and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. When you are ready to bake, drop the dough by teaspoons onto parchment lined baking sheets 2 inches apart and follow the recipe baking instructions. Freezing Oatmeal Lace Cookie dough: Drop dough by teaspoons onto a parchment covered baking sheet. Cover and place in the freezer for 1 hour or until the dough is frozen. Remove from the freezer and place the cookie mounds into airtight containers or freezer bags. Label the bag with the date and name of the cookies. When you are ready to bake the cookies, remove the container from the freezer. Remove the number of cookies from the container that you wish to bake and place them at least 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. You will not need to thaw the dough before baking. Bake as directed in your recipe but you will probably need to add a couple of extra minutes to the baking time. Storing baked cookies: Cool the baked cookies thoroughly. Layer cookies between pieces of parchment of waxed paper and place into an airtight container. These cookies should keep up to 1 week.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
7/25/24 Sorry these were the worst cookies ever. I ended up throwing away batter after baking about 2 dozen. I used all the ingredients you recommended. Are you sure of your measurements? I Followed your instructions. They were way too greasy and they had no oatmeal flavor. Way too much sugar. That’s all you could taste was brown sugar. Not the recipe from my childhood. Total Garbage to say the least. Are you sure you meant 1 cup of butter (226 g) (land of lakes brand). That is 2 sticks of land of lakes butter. Total waste of good ingredients.
I’m so sorry they didn’t work for you, Ellen. I’ve not had that issue and am so very sorry that you did.
I tried this recipe today and though they tasted amazing, they also came out super fragile and broke apart very easily.
Could this be because I used golden yellow sugar instead of light brown sugar?
Thanks
Niyi, I haven’t made these with golden yellow sugar. But the golden yellow sugar has slightly less moisture in baked goods so that may be why the cookies were so fragile. I’m glad the cookies still tasted great.
Can you add Raisins without messing with the crispness of this cookie? If so, how much Raisins for recipe. Thanks in advance!
I have never added raisins to mine, Fay. These cookies are extremely thin, I’m not sure raisins would hold up in the cookie.
Can I make half the recipe? I really want to try these, but don’t want so many.
Thank you.
You definitely can make half this recipe, Elinor. I hope you enjoy these cookies.
I’m a fairly good baker so I don’t know what happened. I followed the recipe to a tee. First batch ran all over the cookie sheet making one big blob. So I chilled it some thinking the batter was too warm same thing. The taste is great, but won’t be using this recipe again. Wasted a lot of good ingredients
Suzanne, I’m so sorry you had problems with these cookies. I’m not sure why your cookies spread so much. Here are some things that might help.
Was the cookie batter really thin or thickened when you dropped it on the baking sheet? The batter should be thickened. If it was really thin, the butter and sugar mixture needed to cook just a little longer.
What brand butter did you use? Some butters have more oil and more liquid than others and will cause the cookies to spread too much just like margarine will. Most of the time I use Land o Lakes salted butter sticks.
What brand of rolled oats did you use? I typically use Quaker Old Fashioned Rolled Oats. Again, some oats can have thinner flakes and not be as absorbent such as quick oats or steel cut oats.
I hope some of this helped and if you do try the recipe again, your cookies will be perfect!