Description
These Chewy Oatmeal Lace Cookies are thin, delicate, and irresistibly chewy with a perfect balance of buttery sweetness and hearty oats. This easy-to-make recipe uses simple pantry ingredients and involves melting the butter and sugar on the stovetop before baking the batter into beautifully lacy cookies with crisp edges and chewy centers. Perfect for cookie trays, gift-giving, or a sweet snack any time of year.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned oats (96g)
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp all-purpose flour (12g)
- 1/2 tsp fine salt (3g)
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar (200g)
- 1 large egg, room temperature (56g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (4g)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 375ºF (190ºC) and line four large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. This ensures the cookies don’t stick and bake evenly.
- Melt Butter and Sugar: In a large frying pan over medium heat, combine the butter and packed brown sugar. Stir frequently until the butter fully melts and the mixture is smooth without any clumps of sugar. It’s okay if the butter and sugar aren’t fully combined yet, as they will meld when mixed with the other ingredients. Remove from heat.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Stir in the oats, flour, and salt into the warm butter-sugar mixture. Mix until all the oats are fully coated, forming a uniform batter base.
- Incorporate Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract to the oat mixture. Stir well until fully blended. The batter will be slightly thin and soupy, which is perfect for these lace cookies.
- Portion the Cookies: Drop 1 teaspoon sized dollops of batter onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them at least 2 inches apart to allow for spreading during baking.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake two trays simultaneously for 5 to 7 minutes in the preheated oven. A sweet spot is around 6 1/2 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. For chewier cookies, bake towards the shorter time; for crisper edges, bake longer until edges turn golden.
- Rotate Baking Sheets: As soon as the first two trays are done, place the next batch in the oven. Keep a close eye because baking times can vary with batter temperature and portion size.
- Shape Cookies if Needed: If your cookies are not perfectly round after baking, use a large circular cutter or glass to gently nudge the warm cookies into circles before they cool.
- Cool the Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 15 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely. This helps retain their delicate lace texture.
- Repeat and Store: Drop more batter on the cleared baking sheets and repeat the process until all batter is used. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze in airtight containers or freezer bags for up to one month.
Notes
- For evenly baked cookies, bake two trays at a time and rotate as needed.
- Keep at least 2 inches space between cookies on the baking sheet to allow spreading.
- Use room temperature ingredients to ensure smooth blending.
- Cookies become crispier if baked longer; reduce bake time for softer, chewier cookies.
- Reshape warm cookies if they spread unevenly using a circular mold.
- Cookies can be stored at room temperature for 5 days or frozen for up to a month.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes per batch (approximately 31 minutes total for 5 batches)
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop and Baking
- Cuisine: American
