Crispy, buttery, and as rich as toffee, Oatmeal Lace Cookies are a melt-in-your-mouth treat! They’re a traditional holiday cookie in our family and taste amazing with coffee!
What are Oatmeal Lace Cookies?
Oatmeal lace cookies are a crispy, buttery/toffee like cookie that is very thin and elegant. They bake out thin and almost look like lace, with a few holes here and there.
Despite their delicate appearance, they deliver robust flavor and they’ve earned their place as a classic cookie. They are crispy and chewy at the same time and so rich and decadent! I think they actually do melt in your mouth!
I found this recipe over 30 years ago in the newspaper. I recently found the recipe in my recipe box and was excited to give them a try. I remembered them being wonderful.
They were as delicious as I remembered. This recipe makes a lot, about six dozen, so I cut it in half and that make three dozen.
Though each cookie only takes about a teaspoon of dough, it spreads out when baked. You get a generous sized cookie from just a teaspoon of dough.
When cooked just right, you have a crisp, crunchy, caramelized cookie that is a delicate, elegant treat. Go ahead and eat two! These make a beautiful gift to give and they are perfect to have on hand to eat with tea or coffee.
Related: Try our Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Cookies too!
What You Need to Make Lace Cookies
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- 2 sticks of softened butter
- 2 eggs beaten
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ almond extract
- 4 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups uncooked rolled oats
- 4 TB plus 2 tsp flour
Kitchen Tools Used
- Non-slip mixing bowls
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Cookie sheet and cooling rack
How to Make Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Beat together all ingredients except oats in a large mixing bowl. When everything is incorporated, stir the oats into the batter.
Let batter rest for an hour on the counter. You don’t want the batter to be cold, so don’t put in the refrigerator until you are done baking for the day.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with foil.
Drop cookie dough by teaspoon onto pan. Allow for the cookies to spread to about 3 inches around. They get big compared to that little dab you put on the sheet!
Bake for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them to get the right timing for you batter and oven. Remove when they are brown, though the center will be lighter.
Let them cool on the pan for a few minutes, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.
How to Store
Cool completely before putting in airtight container.
They may seem a tad greasy at first, but this disappears later.
Do not store in a container with any other type of cookie. They will lose their crispness if you do.
If you get tired of baking before you get done with dough, cover and store in refrigerator. Let it warm up on counter for an hour before baking with it.
A Few Notes
- Foil works the best for lining your cookie sheet — I’ve tried and tested them all! I tried foil, parchment paper, a plain pan, and Silpat. Only the foil worked. It made a huge difference in how the cookies turned out!
- This recipe takes a little baking practice, but don’t worry! This makes a big batch of cookies so you have time to get it right.
- It may take a batch or two to get placement on sheet right, length of baking, and for me, the right pan liner. If your cookies don’t look the way you want, try lining your pan with something different. For me, foil was the only thing that worked, so start with that.
- Watch them while baking, because you want them to be almost brown all over, without burning. Again, practice makes perfect.
- These are worth the effort because they are so yummy!
More of our favorite cookie recipes
- Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies
- Russian Tea Cakes with Hershey’s Kisses
- Fluffy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pecan Biscotti
Oatmeal Lace Cookie Recipe (Printable Copy)
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Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- Hand mixer
- Sturdy mixing spoon
- Cookie Sheet
- foil
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks
- 2 cups white sugar
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 4 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 Tablespoons flour
- 2 teaspoons flour
- 2 cups uncooked rolled oats
Instructions
- Beat butter, eggs, sugar, extracts, salt, baking powder, and flour together until well combined.
- Stir oats into batter and allow to rest for an hour on the counter before baking. Do not refrigerate.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with foil.
- Drop cookie dough by teaspoon onto pan. Leave about 3 inches of space between each cookie, as they will spread quite a bit during baking.
- Bake for about 10 minutes. Keep a close watch and remove from oven when the edges start to turn golden brown, but the center is still light.
- Allow to cool on the pan for a few minutes, then move to a cooling rack.
- Make sure they are completely cooled before storing in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
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I am about to make these, but want to let y’all know that the printable version of this recipe is missing the two eggs in the list of ingredients.
Thanks Barbara! Great catch.
Sara
Any chance that the 4 teaspoons of vanilla extract is an error. I’ve never seen more than 1 teaspoon for any single recipe.
I have my original recipe and it calls for 4 teaspoons.
I like to sub real maple syrup for white sugar in recipes if possible. Can I do this making your Lacey cookies?
I don’t know. It might change the consistency for the cookie. If you try it, let us know how it goes.