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 really tasted wonderful, but they did not spread out and get really thin and lacy like the pictures. They stayed perhaps a quarter or 1/ 3 of an inch thick in the middle. Any ideas why mine did not spread way out and become thin?
Sara, I’m not sure why your cookies didn’t spread because these really do spread for me. Make sure you use old fashioned or rolled oats and drop only a teaspoonful at a time.
Your oatmeal lace cookies was a hit in my household good job
Thanks, Debra!
Hello! Can I use instant oats instead? Thanks!
I haven’t tried making these with instant oats, Martha. I believe the rolled oats or old fashioned give the best result in these cookies. Instant oats would not hold up as well in this cookie, in my opinion. Here is a portion of Claudia’s comment who made them with instant oats: Also because I used instant, I think my oatmeal actually cooked a bit… so instead of baking a brittle mixture with oats in it, I was baking little lumps of cooked oatmeal flavored with butter, sugar, and vanilla.
love these cookies! a childhood favorite of mine – my mother used to make them ..and these are just as yummy!
question – can they be frozen after cooking?
thank you! so happy to have just made these with great success! and my husband loves……….them! 🙂
Kate, you can freeze them in an airtight container after they are baked.
They are perfect!
Thanks, Linds.
Good Morning. I want to make the cookies. They look great. Can you tell how much a cup of butter weighs? In my country butter is a 100 gram package. It’s not soft. So please, can you write down how much it should weigh and should it be liquid?
The butter I use, Pnina, is 226 grams per cup. It is a firm butter, not liquid.
I made these cookies. Yum! Beautiful and perfect, every one. I’m just wondering how best to store them. Thanks!
Ann, I’m thrilled the cookies turned out so well for you. I have included this information in the Notes section of the recipe. 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.
Hi Robyn,
I followed your suggestions and made the cookies again and they turned out great!!!! Thank you for taking the time to suggest the changes I needed to make. They made all the difference. My favorite cook, ever!
I’m so glad the suggestions worked for you, Sandy! xo
Perfect french lace…I add 1/2 cup chopped pecans bit I am from Ga so we add pecans to everything!
Thanks for the tip, Julie. Since I’m from Georgia, too, I fully understand loving those pecans. xo
Followed the recipe, some cookies were flat, some weren’t completely. Also I let them cool 30 then tried to move to cookie sheet but they fell apart. What could have happened.
Mary, several people have commented that they moved the parchment onto the wire rack to cool and the cookies were easy to remove without breaking or crumbling.