Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Published Dec 03, 2021•Updated Jul 30, 2023
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If you love the taste of traditional oatmeal cookies, you’ll love Oatmeal Lace Cookies. Adored for their thin crispiness and lacy qualities, these lace cookies are the cookie equivalent to a present wrapped in a beautiful ribbon and tied with a chocolate bow!
These are one of my favorite cookies to enjoy around the holidays, because the combination of warm cinnamon spice and comforting oatmeal has such a nostalgic, classic cookie feel. (And if you are loving these oatmeal/dark chocolate flavors, also try these Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies with Toffee.) The dough for Cinnamon Oatmeal Lace Cookies with Dark Chocolate is quick and easy, so making a batch or two of these when the holidays are in full swing couldn’t be easier. Refrigerating the dough (for just an hour) is the secret to achieving an evenly baked cookie that’s thin and crispy around the edges, but tender in the middle.
The thin, delicate shape of these sweet cookies means they are super stackable. If you’re giving cookie boxes to friends and family for Christmas, Cinnamon Oatmeal Lace Cookies with Dark Chocolate are a great choice to include.
DARK, BITTERSWEET, AND SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
There are so many options when it comes to chocolate and for many recipes you can use semisweet, bittersweet, and dark chocolate interchangeably. The key difference is the cacao content in each. Bittersweet chocolate is about 70% cacao, while semisweet hovers around 60% cacao. Anything simply labeled ‘dark’, without any other descriptors, likely falls between 60% and 70%.
I love this This Bon Appetit article has an even more detailed explanation about the many types of chocolate (and baking chocolate), their sweetness levels, and uses.
For Oatmeal Lace Cookies, the higher cacao percentage in bittersweet chocolate balances the sweetness of the cookies so well!
LACE COOKIE SERVING IDEAS
These cookies are great just on their own as a treat, with a glass of milk or a mug of hot tea or coffee. But if you want to mix things up, try them in these unique ways:
- Ice Cream Toppers – Break up a few Oatmeal Lace Cookies and sprinkle them over ice cream for a fun cookie crunch. Or, make a showy ice cream sundae, and garnish with a whole cookie.
- Make cookie sandwiches – Spread a thin layer of homemade Light and Fluffy Vanilla Frosting between two cookies for a sweet cookie sandwich treat.
- Cookie Boxes and Cookie Platters – The thin, uniform shape of lace cookies makes them great for stacking. Lay them on their side, or stack them vertically in a cookie gift box. If you plan on making the boxes ahead of time, it’s a good idea to place some wax paper between each cookie until you’re ready to give them away. This way, the drizzled chocolate tops won’t melt together.
If you need more holiday cookie inspiration for your gift boxes or cookie platters, check out my top 10 Christmas Cookies to Make with Kids!
INGREDIENTS
- Quick-Cook Oats (see note) – Quick oats are whole rolled oats which have been rolled thinner during the milling process and chopped up a bit. These oats are often used in baking because they give baked goods like cookies a nice texture, without large whole oat pieces breaking up the surface of the cookie.
- Ground Cinnamon – Sweet oatmeal cookies benefit from cinnamon’s spiced warmth.
- Unsalted Butter – Using unsalted butter in cookies helps to control the salt content. Be sure to allow the butter to soften at room temperature so it’s easier to work with.
- Sugar, All-Purpose Flour, Egg, Pure Vanilla Extract, Baking Powder, Kosher Salt – The nuts and bolts of cookie dough!
- Dark or Bittersweet Chocolate (I like to use a high quality baking chocolate or baking chips) – Using dark or bittersweet chocolate creates a perfectly balanced cookie flavor.
- Maldon Salt, or other large-flake sea salt for sprinkling (optional) – Sprinkling just a touch of large-flake sea salt over the dark chocolate is optional but really brings out the sweet and chocolatey flavors.
POSSIBLE VARIATIONS
- Add holiday spices – Warm holiday spices like nutmeg, allspice, and ginger go great with oatmeal cookies!
- Add almond flavor – Swap vanilla extract for almond extract, or use a bit of both for a slightly nutty cookie flavor.
More Reader-Favorite Cookies
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Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Stand Mixer
- 2 Half Sheet Pans
- Parchment Paper
- Cooling Rack
Ingredients
- 1 cup Quick-Cook Oats (see note)
- 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, softened (8 Tbsp = 1/2 cup)
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 large Egg
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 4 ounces Dark or Bittersweet Chocolate (I like to use a high quality baking chocolate or baking chips)
- Maldon Salt, or other large-flake sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add egg and vanilla and beat until evenly combined.
- Add oat mixture and mix on low just until combined. (Do not overmix.)
- Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325°F / 163°C.
- Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Use a teaspoon to measure out heaping 1 teaspoon portions of dough. Roll the dough into balls and arrange on prepared sheet pans, leaving about 3 inches of space between them.
- Bake until edges are golden and centers are set, rotating the pans halfway through cooking, 9 to 12 minutes. (Note: Keep a close eye on these and remove them when they are flat and the edges are deep golden brown.)
- When cookies are done baking, carefully lift the parchment paper with the cookies off the pan and set on a countertop to cool completely.
- While they cool, melt chocolate in the microwave, stirring occasionally to avoid burning.
- Use a spoon to drizzle the cookies with melted chocolate. Sprinkle with some salt, if using.
- Give the cookies a couple of hours to cool completely and for the chocolate to firm up. You can put them in the refrigerator to speed things along.
- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I am having trouble with the oatmeal Lace cookies. I went step-by-step and they didn’t turn out. They taste really good but I think I over baked them. I don’t know what centers are set means and they stick really badly to the parchment paper even with spray on top of me. I want you get these right so I can put them in Christmas tins all your other recipes. I’ve tried are amazing so I’m sure it’s just me. Can you help me with this please?
Patty – I’m so sorry but I’m glad you’re willing to give it another try! These are one of my favorites. I honestly have no idea why they would be sticking, but I bet you’re right that maybe they were slightly overcooked. They go from perfectly cooked to crunchy and overcooked so fast since they’re so thin. Maybe I should update the way I worded this because it’s probably better to look to the edges to be able to tell that they’re done. The edges should be golden and look like caramel.
Love these ginger snaps. My 1st attempt and they are crispy and delicious. Great easy recipe.
So glad you enjoyed them!