Lace Cookies

updated Nov 26, 2022
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Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman Food Styling: Jesse Szewczyk

These delicately thin and crispy cookies — made of almond flour, butter, and brown sugar — add elegance to the holiday cookie plate.

Makes40 (2 1/2-inch) cookies

Prep40 minutes

Cook20 minutes to 30 minutes

Jump to Recipe
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Post Image
Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman Food Styling: Jesse Szewczyk

While sugar cookies and gingerbread will always be in my cookie tin, this holiday season I’m adding something new: the delicate lace cookies that always catch my eye in the bakery display. Lace cookies have a crisp texture and toffee-like flavor that is unlike any other holiday sweet. They are as easy as they are elegant, and they freeze well, too (meaning, you can make them now and enjoy them all season long!).

What Are Lace Cookies?

Lace cookies (also known as Florentine cookies) earn their name from their delicate and lacy appearance. These thin and crispy cookies are made of almond flour, butter, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. The butter and sugar sizzle as the cookies bake, transforming the batter into delicate wafers that taste of brown butter and caramel. While they are delightful on their own, they’re also excellent drizzled with or sandwiched around melted dark chocolate.

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman Food Styling: Jesse Szewczyk

How Do You Make Lace Cookies?

It’s as easy as these four simple steps.

  1. Start on the stovetop. Cook butter, sugar, and salt in a saucepan until melted, then add almond flour and vanilla extract.
  2. Portion the dough. Spoon tiny scoops of dough — a heaping teaspoon is all you need — onto a lined baking sheet and bake. Give the batter balls space to spread wide and thin.
  3. Bake. The oven’s heat melts and caramelizes the sugar and browns the butter, giving the cookies their distinctive flavor and see-through appearance. Because of the high proportion of sugar and fat, these cookies need just a few minutes to bake.
  4. Cool. Transfer the entire baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies cool for five minutes on the pan before transferring them to the rack to cool completely. This gives the cookies time to crisp and set their shape.

How Do I Store Lace Cookies?

Store lace cookies, covered, at room temperature, for one week. High humidity can cause the cookies to turn sticky and soften, making them ideal for winter baking.

Lace cookies can also be frozen for up to three months in an airtight container (just be sure to separate layers with parchment paper). Cookies defrost in minutes at room temperature.

Lace Cookies Recipe

These delicately thin and crispy cookies — made of almond flour, butter, and brown sugar — add elegance to the holiday cookie plate.

Prep time 40 minutes

Cook time 20 minutes to 30 minutes

Makes 40 (2 1/2-inch) cookies

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons

    (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

  • 2/3 cup

    packed light brown sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon

    kosher salt

  • 3/4 cup

    superfine almond flour, such as Bob's Red Mill

  • 1 teaspoon

    vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.

  2. Place 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar and butter melt completely and begin to bubble, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Add 3/4 cup almond flour and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and stir until completely incorporated, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

  3. Drop 9 (1 heaping teaspoon) portions of the batter onto each baking sheet, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Flatten each portion with your fingers or the bottom of a flat 1/2-cup measuring cup until 1/8-inch thick or 1 3/4-inches wide. If the dough sticks to the measuring cup, slide an offset spatula between the dough and the cup to release it, and occasionally wash and dry the measuring cup so the dough comes off easily.

  4. Bake until the cookies are bubbling and flat, with golden centers and lightly browned edges, 6 to 7 minutes.

  5. Place the baking sheets on wire racks for 3 minutes. Use a thin spatula to transfer the cookies directly to the rack and let cool completely (they will crisp up as they cool). Repeat baking the remaining dough, no need to cool the baking sheets between batches. If the dough gets crumbly as you reach the end, press each portion together before flattening.

Recipe Notes

Make ahead: This dough is best baked immediately.

Storage: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Freeze in an airtight container separated with parchment paper for up to 3 months.