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
These are so simple to make and they are heavenly!
I’m so glad you enjoy them. They have always been a family favorite!
I’ve made these about 5 times and this recipe is absolutely perfect as-is. Sometimes I add some extra Maldon salt to the tops. You can go from “I think make cookies” to ready to eat cookies in 20 min including preheating with ingredients you probably already have. They’re incredible, come out perfect every time and could be called caramel cookies. Parchment paper is 100% necessary, you cannot make these without it, even on the best non-stick pan.
Thanks so much! It’s a family favorite! xo
Can you use steel cut oats? those are the only ones I have
Hi Laasya,
You can not use steel cut oats in this recipe.
Just made these today as a surprise for my gluten intolerant soon to be daughter in law. When you said they really spread….you weren’t kidding lol. I made them about half the size i would normally make cookies and they still spread so much they filled the entire bottom of the cookie sheet! Never one to admit defeat, I just let them cool slightly and then cut into squares. Unconventional shapes…maybe….delicious? DEFINITELY! lol Oh, and the switches I used to make these gluten free were simple – certified gluten free oats and all purpose GF flour. I think next time I’ll use my half teaspoon measure and only do maybe 8 per sheet…fingers crossed!
What a sweet surprise! I’m sure your future daughter in law was thrilled that you baked her cookies! I’m so happy you liked them! xo
CAN I make the recipe with dark brown sugar if I’m out of light brown sugar? I’ve made your recipe many times and love it, didn’t realize I’m out of light brown  sugar till I got home from market
Yes, you can use dark brown sugar. The cookies will have a deeper molasses flavor and will be a bit darker.
These are insanely delicious and so easy. I cut the recipe in half and it took about 8 minutes baking time. New favorite cookie in our house. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed these, Susan! They are a family favorite of ours too! Thanks! xo
Mmmm. Very delicious. I tried some with orange zest and really loved those, too.
I’m thrilled you enjoyed them, Wendy! I bet the orange zest added a delicious flavor! xo
They turned out GREAT! For Valentine’s day, I make Rolo pretzel turtles for my boyfriend. This year I wanted to add something similar and “candy like” with them. I love these and the recipe is so quick and easy, plus it yields a lot of treats..I decided to keep the theme of the salty and sweet with these , so when they were almost done, I topped them with a pretzel and OH my GOOODNESS! it tasted amazzing! Also, they looked very pretty. Try it! You will not regret it! MMmm.
Hi Robyn…I couldn’t find the recipe I’d used to make these cookies previously (just recently saw it as that was the inspiration to make them for today’s guests), so an internet search led me to you. I made a HALF batch of your cookies last night, so I basically had double the amount of egg called for. I stepped away from the stove for a minute while dissolving the butter/brown sugar and came back to find it boiling, so stirred in the oat mixture and portioned out the batter. After removing the baked cookies from the oven, I had to leave them on the baking sheet for a full 10 minutes (I used silpats) before I could remove them without turning them into a blob of caramel. I allowed them to cool fully, then placed them in the cooled oven on the cooling racks overnight. This morning I find that they are still a little more chewy than crispy, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Remind me of the wonderful chewy pralines I always get when I visit New Orleans (these really are more related to a toffee or an oatmeal praline than a cookie, due to the minimal amount of flour used). I’ve now placed them in a glass baking dish with wax paper between the layers….we’ll see what their consistency is like when my guests come this afternoon. When I find the original recipe I used (buried somewhere on my desk), it will be interesting to see the differences. I don’t recall that recipe containing any egg, but it’s been years since I last made it. So far I consider these cookies a huge success. Only took me about a half hour to make 30 cookies I love that your recipe gives instructions on making the batter ahead and freezing it…I may need to try that when I just want a quick couple of cookies for guests the next day. Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Joy,
I’m glad you found this and are enjoying them! They’ve been a favorite for us for many years! Thanks!
Yay, I finally found the recipe that my mother used. She made there for me when I was small( I am 66 yrs old now) My mom did not save this recipe as she always knew the ingredients by heart and I have tried other versions but… Eureka! I believe these are identical to hers! She was Dutch and a wonderful cook. Thanks so much for sharing.
Oh, she also used ground almonds at times and drizzled chocolate over them to change the recipe up but these plain one have always been my favorite.