Almost impossibly delicate with a buttery toffee flavor and bejeweled with pecans, these old-fashioned Oatmeal Lace Cookies are an underrated Christmas cookie. Quickly whip up a batch for the holiday party or bake sale – they’re always a hit!
These cookies are one of many holiday treats I’ll whip up for Thanksgiving and Christmas. There’s never a shortage of them in my house, same with my chewy gingersnap cookies and chocolate peanut butter balls!
I can’t get enough of the thin and delicate crunch and buttery toffee flavor that comes with old-fashioned lace cookies. They’re a kind of caramelized oatmeal cookie with tiny air pockets that resemble real lace (hence the name!). Everyone loves these pecan-adorned cookies because they’re almost too easy to eat!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The most delicate cookie: This recipe gives you almost impossibly thin, crisp, and delicate cookies every time. And that’s part of their charm! Their light and crispy bites are what make them so easy to eat.
- Tastes like toffee: This is no ordinary oatmeal cookie recipe. Pecans, melted butter, and two types of sugar in the dough give the cookies an almost addictive toffee flavor.
- Perfect for sharing: Pack stacks of these thin and chewy oatmeal lace cookies into bags with ribbons and gift them to your family and friends during the Christmas season!
Ingredients Needed
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Quick cooking oats – Because it wouldn’t be an oatmeal cookie recipe without the oats! You could use old-fashioned rolled oats instead but the cookies will have a heartier texture.
- Pecans – I love making oatmeal cookies with pecans because they add extra crunch and a decadent flavor.
- White and brown sugar – Together, these two sugars give the cookies a delicious toffee flavor.
- Unsalted butter – If all you have is salted butter, omit the extra salt from the recipe.
- Egg
- Vanilla Extract
How to Make Oatmeal Lace Cookies
For the detailed instructions, please see the recipe card.
- Mix the dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. Next, stir in the oats and chopped pecans.
- Mix the wet ingredients: Stir the sugars and melted butter together in a separate bowl. Stir in the egg and vanilla next, then slowly stir in the dry mixture.
- Form and bake: Drop heaping teaspoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, then bake the cookies until they’re golden brown and crispy around the edges.
- Cool, then enjoy: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack. Enjoy!
5 Star Review
“Easy recipe with very delicious results! Made these 3 times for the Christmas holidays — they are that good!” ~ Will
Helpful Tips
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough: Stir the wet and dry mixtures together until they’re just combined and no dry flour remains.
- Try not to add any extra flour to the recipe or else the cookies will be chewy and soft rather than crisp.
- Always line your baking sheets with parchment paper: Without it, the caramelized cookies will essentially be glued to the naked pan and will break when you try to remove them.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet: After cooling for 5 minutes, the cookies will firm up and be easier to transfer to a wire rack without breaking.
Common Questions
This recipe makes a whopping 66 crisp oatmeal cookies! While you could enjoy them all to yourself, I recommend packing some in gift bags and gifting them to your neighbors, coworkers, family, and friends.
Yes! If you’re craving chocolate lace cookies, swirl ¼ cup of chocolate chips into the warm melted butter until they melt. You could also substitute chocolate chips or chocolate chunks for the pecans.
No, oatmeal lace cookie dough should NOT be chilled before baking because the melted butter helps the cookies spread out and caramelize in the oven.
The baked and cooled cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for around 3 days. They also freeze well for about 3 months.
Recipe Variations
- Brown the butter: If you want to give the cookies a more decadent flavor, simmer and swirl the melted butter in a saucepan over medium heat until it takes on a brown color and nutty aroma. Set it aside to cool before adding it to the cookie dough.
- Instead of pecans: Use another nut, like chopped almonds, pistachios, or walnuts.
- Add spices: A dash of cinnamon in the batter will add a lovely sweet-spicy flavor.
- Experiment with extracts: Customize the flavor of the cookies by swapping the vanilla extract for whiskey, rum, bourbon, or almond extract.
- Nut free: Simply omit the pecans from the recipe if you desire.
More Holiday Treats You’ll Love
Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups quick cooking oats
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1 ½ sticks
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add oats and chopped pecans and stir well to combine.
- Place light brown sugar and granulated sugar in a separate large bowl. Add melted and cooled butter and stir until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and stir to combine.
- Slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture and stir to combine.
- Drop by heaping teaspoons (1 ½ teaspoons of dough per cookie) onto prepared baking sheet approximately 3 inches apart.
- Bake for 7 to 8 minutes (watching closely to avoid over-baking), or until golden brown and crispy around the edges.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Store for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- This recipe yields approximately 66 cookies.
Nutrition
If provided, nutritional info is a courtesy, is not guaranteed and should only be considered as a guideline.
Virginia Frank
Do these cookies break if stored one on top of each other?
Will
Easy recipe with very delicious results! Made these 3 times for the Christmas holidays — they are that good!
Terry Miranda
Holy cow these were so good. Wish I had read the calorie content before I ate 10 of them. These were exactly like the photo. Delicious. Keeper recipe for sure.
Linda
My neighbor made these and brought them over, still warm and fresh. They were soooo good they were gone in half a day. We must have eaten 40 cookies between us! She says she doubled the recipe, and added a tablespoon of cinnamon to the dough. Just sensational! Tonight, I bake! The man of the house has requested some with cashews and some with walnuts, as well as the pecans. Experimenting will be fun!
Schmidt
Exactly like the picture and delicious
Amy @ The Blond Cook
Thank you, Schmidt… so glad you enjoyed the cookies! 🙂
Marsha
Wonderful lace cookies just like my mother in laws! I add semi sweet chocolate chips.
Amy
Thank you Marsha, so glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Jo
My new favorite Christmas Cookie. So light and Yummy, they will definitely be going to many parties with me.
Paula Vicknair
I used this recipe but added raisins along with the pecans. I also went for 8 minutes cooking time with 4 minute interval
rotating the baking sheet at 4 minutes. It worked perfectly. Yum!
Amy @ The Blond Cook
So glad you liked them, Paula! The raisins sound like a great addition. Happy New Year!
Michelle Rittler @ Taste As You Go
Thanks for allowing me to feature your recipe in my round-up of 60 Ultimate Cookie Exchange Recipes on Taste As You Go. Happy Holidays!
Amy @ The Blond Cook
Thanks so much, Michelle! Can’t wait to check out all of the cookie recipes. Happy holidays to you too!
Dina
they look yummy!
Marsha
My family love these! Just like my mother-in-laws used to be, but she would never give me the recipe! LOL!! I’m asked by family to make them all the time !!!