Lovely Florentine Lace Cookies - these delicate, crisp lace cookies are easy to make and incredibly delicious! These thin cookies are a holiday favorite and this small batch cookie recipe yields 4-5 cookies.
I love baking during the holidays. It's fun to step out of a "cookie comfort zone" and bake cookies I normally don't bake at other times of the year. Each year these old-fashioned lace cookies are at the top of my Christmas cookie-baking list and with good reason. They're incredibly delicious and so very easy to make.
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What Are Lace Cookies?
Lace cookies are very thin, delicate-looking cookies are also known as Florentines. These crisp cookies are made with sugar, cream, corn syrup, butter, vanilla, flour, or sometimes finely chopped almonds and oats.
They are said to have originated in Italy sometime around the Renaissance period. When researching the origin of oatmeal lace cookies, I discovered that Ireland also claims a lace cookie recipe too. Irish Lace Cookies are made with basically the same list of ingredients.
Looking a little further, I learned that the French also make a similar cookie. I guess that shows that these beautiful cookies are popular all over the world.
Why This Recipe Works
- So easy to make: Lace cookies are surprisingly easy to make - just 7 ingredients are needed!
- Beautiful cookies: They look so pretty on a dessert table.
- Bake quickly: The cookies bake in just 8 minutes.
- Incredibly delicious: Lace cookies are very thin and the longer they bake, the crispier they become. I love the buttery toffee-like flavor and brittle candy-like texture. They're almost too pretty to eat!
RELATED: The Best Cookie Recipes For One
Ingredients & Ingredient Notes
See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
- Oats: For best results, use old-fashioned oats.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is used in these oatmeal lace cookies. To make gluten-free lace cookies, I recommend using King Arthur Gluten Free Measure For Measure Flour instead of all-purpose flour.
- Sugar: Use granulated sugar.
- Heavy cream: Use heavy whipping cream or heavy cream. Both of these ingredients are essentially the same - they both have over 36% milk fat, and the name often depends on the brand.
- Corn syrup: Use light or dark corn syrup
- Butter: Use salted or unsalted butter.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a wonderful flavor.
How To Make A Small Batch Of Lace Cookies
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- The cookie dough is prepared on the stove. I hesitate to call it "cookie dough" as it is more like a cake batter. The sugar, cream, corn syrup, and butter are stirred over medium heat on the stove until the butter has melted and the mixture comes to a gentle boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally for 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Next, stir in the oats and flour.
- Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. There's no need to chill the cookie dough with this recipe. Just letting the dough rest will allow the dough to slightly thicken, making spooning it onto the baking sheet easier.
- Using a medium-sized cookie scoop that holds approximately 1.5 tablespoons of cookie dough or a large tablespoon, drop the batter onto a cookie sheet lined with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie to allow them to spread.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes in a preheated 350° F (177° C) oven. Be sure to watch the cookies closely to prevent the cookies from overbaking. The cookies should be a light brown color.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute, then remove them very carefully with a spatula and place them on a baking rack to cool completely.
This small batch lace cookie recipe will yield 4-5 delicate lace cookies.
RELATED: 15 Easy Dessert Recipes For One
Expert Tips
- Only bake a few cookies at a time on a baking sheet. Lace cookies spread out quite a bit so leaving 2 to 3 inches between each cookie is a good idea.
- Use a nonstick baking liner, such as Silpat. It makes it so easy to remove the cookies from the baking tray. Since lace cookies are very delicate, they break easily.
- After the cookies have cooled on the baking sheet for 1 minute, use a wide spatula to transfer them to a cooling tray. If the cookie bunches or tears when you try to remove it, leave the cookies on the cookie tray and let them continue to cool for another minute.
- Consider spreading a layer of Nutella or melted chocolate over a few of the lace cookies and top them with another cookie to make a sandwich. I have included the instructions for melting chocolate in the "Frequently Asked Questions" section below.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this classic oatmeal lace cookies recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Oats: Butter Pecan Granola, Baked Apples, Baked Oatmeal, Peach Cobbler
- Flour: Apple Fritters, Pumpkin Coffee Cake, Cornbread, Mini Dutch Apple Pie
- Sugar: Zucchini Bread, Caramelized Plums, Blueberry Cobbler, Mini Devil's Food Cake
- Cream: Zuppa Toscana, Crustless Pizza Quiche, Banana Cream Pie, Whipped Cream
- Corn syrup: Pecan Pie
- Butter: Bananas Foster, Apple Crisp, Pasta Primavera, Peanut Butter Pie
- Vanilla: Pralines, Vanilla Pudding, Two Vanilla Cupcakes, Mini Boston Cream Pie
Frequently Asked Questions
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
You can freeze lace cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
The key to melting chocolate in the microwave is to make sure the chocolate is in small, uniform pieces. Use good quality chocolate chips or chopped baking chocolate. I like using Ghirardelli or Bakers brand.
Pour the chocolate pieces and ¼ teaspoon of vegetable or canola oil into a glass bowl and heat the chocolate in 15-second bursts, stirring between each. You'll notice that the first time you stir, none of the chips will appear to have melted - that's okay. By the third stir, you will be moving the warmer chocolate chips from the edges of the bowl into the center, thereby helping to melt the chips more evenly and quickly.
I use about 2 ounces of chocolate chips. This is approximately ½-cup.
Sandwich, dip, or drizzle onto cooled cookies. All the chocolate to set completely in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or at room temperature for 45 minutes.
Yes! If you'd like to make extra cookies, just double the ingredients and use a larger saucepan.
Other Small Batch Cookie Recipes
If you like this florentine lace cookies recipe, you might also like to try these small batch cookie recipes:
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
- DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Ginger Cookies
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Mini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
Equipment Needed
For this small batch lace cookies recipe, I use a 1-quart saucepan, a large cookie sheet and a medium cookie scoop.
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If you’ve tried these lace cookies or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
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Recipe
Small Batch Lace Cookies
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons old fashioned oats
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the oats and flour. Set bowl aside.
- Heat the sugar, cream, corn syrup, and butter in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently until butter has melted and the mixture comes to a gentle boil.
- Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Stir in the oats and flour.
- Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
- Using a medium cookie scoop which holds approximately 1.5 tablespoons of dough, drop the cookie batter onto the prepared cookie sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie to allow them to spread.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes, watching closely to prevent the cookies from over baking. Cookies should be a light brown color.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute, then remove them very carefully with a spatula and place them on a baking rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Only bake a few cookies at a time on a baking sheet. Lace cookies spread out quite a bit so leaving 2 to 3 inches between each cookie is a good idea.
- Use a nonstick baking liner, such as Silpat. It makes it so easy to remove the cookies from the baking tray. Since lace cookies are very delicate, they break easily.
- After the cookies have cooled on the baking sheet for 1 minute, use a wide spatula to transfer them to a cooling tray. If the cookie bunches or tears when you try to remove it, leave the cookies on the cookie tray and let them continue to cool for another minute.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Bettie Hammock says
I am happy that you also include recipes for larger quantities. I also am enjoying your Cooking for One Cookbook.
Valerie says
No heavy cream or would have used this recipe tonight.
Love this group and thank you all for sharing your expertise.
Pat R says
First off - thank you very much for your scaled down recipes, it is so appreciated from this empty nester. My question about lace cookies is : at what point would I roll them so that I can fill them with a brandy cream - a cookie I tasted one time while on a holiday. Thank you
Joanie Zisk says
Thank you. I'm so happy you are enjoying the recipes.
To roll the cookies, bake them and leave the cookies on the baking sheet for about a minute or two, carefully tuck the edge of a spatula under the edge of the cookie and roll the cookies around a spoon or other mold.
Enjoy!
JIWA says
I love lace cookies. I am delighted with this recipe. As I only have a toaster oven, I bake 2 at a time on my small cookie sheet. Perfect. If I feel really decadent, when I take them out of the oven, I place a few chocolate chips on one edge to melt. so good.
Joanie Zisk says
I love the idea of adding a few chocolate chips - such a great idea!!
cyd weintraub says
I melt about half a cup of milk chocolate chips then smear it on the bottom of one of the lace cookies and smash it onto the bottom of another one to make little chocolate sandwiches. They are incredible
Punam Cooks says
Your cookies seems yummy and from above comment I also come to know its cosmopolitan recipe. Will surely try this recipe.
Jonathan G Handley-Packham says
Your cookies had their origins in Italy. They traveled through the Catholic Europe, hence the recipes to be found in France and Ireland which are indeed similar. They have a Christmas origin although it is said it is more todo with the First Communion that they young people take hence the reference to lace.
Joanie Zisk says
Jonathan, thank you so much for letting me know. I find the history of foods we eat today so interesting. In fact, now that you mention it the cookies do remind me of a Communion wafer.
Have a great week!
Joanie