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
These are amazing! Easy to make gluten free as well, just use certified GF oats and flour. I drizzled with chocolate. They freeze well.
I’m so glad you liked them, Betsy Jane! They are favorites around my house! Thanks so much! xo
Could you tell me an estimate of how many cookies this recipe makes? Thanks so much!
I halved the recipe and made 40 cookies
Do these freeze well?
Hi Amy! Honestly, I’ve not frozen these cookies previously. Thanks!
Amy, these freeze very well. As stated, this recipe makes a lot of cookies and I froze half of the cookies. They still taste sublime and are just as crispy.
I tried to make a half recipe and the cookies wouldn’t spread so I added 1 tbsp vanilla and 1/2 cup shredded coconut and baked in a buttered glass pan for about 15 min until brown and bubbly. Then I cooled, cut into squaresand served in paper candy linerstore. Nice!
Question:
Old Fashioned or Quick Oats?
I use rolled oats in this recipe. Thanks, Kim! xo
Is there a way of coating these, on one side, with milk chocolate?
Hi Barbara,
I have not tried putting chocolate on these cookies. They are very thin and crisp, so I’m not sure how they would hold up. Maybe you could try drizzling them with a small amount of chocolate on a couple of the cookies to see how that works on these? If you do, let me know how that turns out! Thanks!
I made these cookies last year for Christmas. I added chocolate to the back of one and then sandwiched it between another cookie. They were amazing!! I am making them again this year 🙂
Oh those sound delicious, Dana! I can’t wait to try them with chocolate! Thanks so much! xo
Have you tried adding walnuts and cranberries? Curious if this would work.
Hi Amanda,
I have not tried adding either of those to these particular cookies. They are so thin and crisp, I’m not sure how they would turn out with either of those added. I’d love to hear if you try it. Thanks! xo
“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.”
I am a beginner in baking cookies and I am confused. Do I stir in the oats, flour, salt, egg and vanilla in the together with the butter and sugar while in medium heat? Won’t the eggs cook in the saucepan? Or do you mean to just mix together the oats, flour, salt, egg and vanilla in a separate bowl while the butter and sugar are cooking in the sauce pan? Thanks!
Hi Ira,
You will melt the butter, brown sugar mixture over the medium heat as described until melted and mixture smooth. Don’t cook it, just melt and mix until smooth. Then remove from heat and stir in oats, flour, salt, egg and vanilla. It may help you to just stir the ingredients in as the order they are listed.
I hope you enjoy the cookies! Thanks so much! xo
These look delicious!!! I was wondering about whether you used salted or unsalted butter? Thanks!
My cookies ended up one big slab. What happened?
Oh no! I hate that that happened to you, Sue! I can’t really tell you exactly what happened because it could be anything from the type of butter used to the brand of oats. As a reference, I use Land O’Lakes butter and Quaker oats when I make mine. I would recommend that if you try the recipe again, you could refrigerate the cookie dough before baking. That should help some with the amount of spread. I hope that helps!
OMG so very good. Can’t stop eating them