Let’s Warm Up With Oat Lace Cookies
New York is freezing this week, and according to my weather app, the entire northern hemisphere is one chilly blue blob. If there were ever a time for a baking project, it’s now. And we have just the thing…
Melina Hammer’s oat lace cookies.
I’ve always loved oatmeal lace cookies but assumed they were too tricky to make myself. Anything that delicate and caramel-y had to be complicated, right? Wrong.
“They’re super easy!” swears Melina Hammer, cookbook author and writer of the newsletter Stories from Catbird Cottage. “Whatever your schedule, there’s room in it to make this cookie.” I can personally confirm the recipe’s doability, having made a batch this past Monday — aka, 72 hours into a long weekend, along with my six-year-old who’d been cooped up with two boring, working parents all day. A more involved recipe could’ve ended in tears and flour all over my keyboard, but these were so quick and delicious that I almost made a second batch right then and there.
Melina’s recipe calls for a few grinds of cracked pepper — to add a little complexity and zing to the straightforward sweetness — but she notes that there are many ways to riff. “You could use your favorite chili powder, or you could try a teaspoon of finely grated orange zest, minced candied ginger, or toasted sesame seeds.” I’m looking forward to playing around with these additions, but for now, I’m enamored with the original recipe. Here it is:
Oat Lace Cookies
by Melina Hammer
Makes 24
3 tbsp salted butter
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp slivered almonds
1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 small egg
1/4 cup cane sugar
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 350F. Add the butter, oats, and almonds to a small saucepan set over medium-low heat. Melt the butter, agitating the pan to incorporate it into the mixture. Add the freshly ground pepper and stir all together.
As the butter melts, whisk the egg and sugar in a medium bowl until pale. Add the honey and vanilla, and whisk to incorporate. Add the butter-oat mixture to the beaten sugar and egg, then the kosher salt, baking powder, and flour. Stir together until uniform.
Place teaspoon-sized portions onto parchment-lined sheet pans, keeping 2 inches between each mound to account for spreading as they bake. You can get up to 12 cookies on a sheet at one time. Bake for 8 minutes or until pale golden at the center and caramelized golden around the edge.
Pro tip from Melina: “As the batter spreads while baking, cookie shapes can go a little wonky. I like to pull them out around the 6-minute mark — when they’ve spread, but not fully caramelized — and nudge them back into round shapes, using a silicone spatula (be mindful not to touch the hot pan). Return them to the oven to bake for the last couple minutes to get them caramelized, and voilà, you have gorgeous cookies!”
Allow them to cool on the sheet pan for 5-7 minutes, until they free easily with a spatula. Store cookies in a parchment-lined sealed container on the counter, up to 5 days.
Melina Hammer is a chef, food stylist, recipe developer, and the award-winning author of A Year at Catbird Cottage. Her recipes have appeared on Bon Appétit, Food52, Cooking Light, and Edible. You can follow her newsletter, Stories from Catbird Cottage, if you’d like.
Thank you so much, Melina! Anyone else in a baking mood this week? What are we making?
P.S. Three-ingredient butter cookies, monster cookies, and morning cookies for the backpack. Plus, Toby’s cookies that blew us all away.
(Photos courtesy of Melina Hammer.)
Comments
69 commentsAlso made these during a snowstorm before kiddos got home from school and the house smelled amazing! So easy and SO quick. Had two extra boys sleeping over and these were loved by all (ages ranged from 6-11)! Didn’t omit the pepper (slightly reduced it perhaps – did just a few good cranks of the pepper mill) and none of the kids complained – I think it just added a little “je ne sais quoi”. Hubby enjoyed his with a special chimay he’d bought himself ;)
Made these today during the snowstorm we are having in Toronto! I made them gluten free and nut free (subbed more oats instead of the almonds, used Bobs Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour and gluten free oats) and I subbed maple syrup for honey. They turned out great!
Awesome! I’ve wondered about doing an all-oat version, and I’m glad to hear it works well that way too.
That is so cool to hear! Nice that they are yummy with all the swaps. (I’ve done maple syrup too and they are so good)
I just made this, avoiding the pepper because of kids. Very easy recipe, as you just melt butter. No need to wait for butter to soften and then cream it with sugar- everything comes together oh one bowl (microwave the butter) in 5 min. Really yummy, but do watch the time as they will very easily burn. My second batch a little more carakemized than I wanted.
Thanks for extolling the (many) virtues of these cookies! Glad you loved them too ;)
Dipped half the cookie in melted butterscotch chips. Next time I’ll drizzle. Lovely recipe. Tyou Kelsey.
Just made these, delicious, quick and easy :)
Terrific. That’s always a winning combination!
It looks so yummy!
Serendipitous. I baked these for my book club ladies last night. A resounding hit!
That makes me so happy. Thanks for sharing!
I’m curious about the half teaspoon of honey. Is it really necessary?
You know, normally, I’d say maybe not, but this batter is so low-volume overall that it does. I think it adds both flavor and a little chew.
I was curious about that too.
It isn’t *necessary* but it IS a way to add an earthy sweetness, and also use less sugar. The batter truly is a small volume, so every bit builds its ultimate character. If you don’t have it, just leave it out. You’ll still end up with a lovely cookie!
These remind my of my mom’s “half moon cookies” (half moon because you’re supposed to dip them halfway in melted chocolate but we always just put chocolate chips on top). A crowd fav and SO easy 2 cups oats 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 oil 1 egg 1 tsp almond extract (key!) pinch of salt. They’ll be really loose but get lacey in the oven 350 for 10ish minutes, then several chocolate chips on top of each one as soon as they come out (I prefer dark choc).
Oh wow, these sound so good (I love a cookie with almond extract!). No flour, yes?
No flour! And depending on the types of oats you use, they can be pretty crumbly. I’m not above shoveling them into my mouth with a spoon.
Totally. I’ve saved this in my Notes app for the snowy weekend ahead. Thanks, Rachel! 🥰
These look good! Is that a 1/2 cup of oil?
Yes, sorry! 1/2 cup of oil. I usually use avocado, but anything light/flavorless works! That makes me so happy, Kelsey!
These sound amazing and perfect for the snow we’re about to get! Some of the comments about allergies made me wonder…anyone else have a good sub for oats in baked goods? My son is allergic— which is so odd because most of the “allergy friendly” snacks sold contain oats!
I don’t have any answer, just connection. My husband developed an intolerance to oats (among a few other things – dairy and corn!)… and it is a real struggle to me to navigate. And just sad since I love oats. Several years ago (before my husband’s intolerance), I recall seeing quinoa flakes at a health food store but have never found them since!
I’ve seen buckwheat flakes in health food stores, but haven’t tried it.
Making now! Think I can refrigerate or freeze half of the dough? Thanks!
Hmm, it’s such a low-volume batter (and definitely more batter than dough) that I think it might not keep super well — though perhaps if you put it in a tiny container with a tight lid? If you do try, I’d say definitely fridge and not freezer. If you made these last night then perhaps you’ve already figured this out, and I’d be curious to hear if it keeps!
I agree with what Kelsey said- the batter is so loose, freezing wouldn’t be ideal. Seal it a small container in the fridge, 2-3 days.
As I prep for my annual girls trip, I plan my food to bring. On the list is dad’s spaghetti and now these. Cannot wait!
Aaaah, this made my day! Have a fabulous trip!
Serendipity :D Have a beautiful trip!
Really just a tsp? That seems so tiny… like 6 oats lol. But these sound amazing!
it’s 1/2 cup rolled oats xoxo
This refers to the teaspoon-sized portion for each cookie when baking. I agree it sounds super tiny, even with spreading! The whole recipe seems like a very small batch – 1/2 cup oats is a personal serving for oatmeal! So maybe we can take this as license to eat an entire batch…
Haylie means only tsp size portions are baked… That IS a tiny amount since most are 1-2 tbsp.
Jo, I think they mean a tsp on the baking sheet: “Place teaspoon-sized portions onto parchment-lined sheet pans” But, these will definitely spread so that sounds right to me! haha
Hi Haylie! As others have noted below, it is a teaspoon-sized scoop of batter for each cookie (and a half-cup of oats for the full batch, as Joanna says). It does seem really teeny, but they do indeed spread while baking. The cookies that come out aren’t gigantic, but they’re bigger than you’d think!
PS, thanks for the link to the morning cookies!
While I’ve always preferred a meatier oatmeal cookie over the lace style, you better believe I’m going to try a grind of black pepper in my next batch! Or any of the other addition suggestions. I can attest that ginger is delicious, as is cardamom!
Adding aromatics are one of my favorite ways to bring new, delightful surprise to many foods!
do these turn out chewy or crunchy? They look delicious
Mine had soft, slightly chewy middles and crisp (very delicate) edges. I can confirm, they are delicious!
For those asking, I’ve made a similar cookie without almonds for the nut-allergic (just add proportionally more oats) and with gluten-free flour, and it works great every time. It’s such a small amount of flour that it doesn’t really matter what kind of GF blend you use. I’ve also used vegan butter. You could probably sub sesame seeds for some of the almonds and they’d be delish, too.
Thank you! I was so excited to see a small amount of flour, assuming that GF flour subbed would work just fine. Happy to have your confirmation!
New York is freezing this week? You’re in the 30s-40s in January! Signed, a Minnesotan currently staring down -20 (that’s NEGATIVE!) degree temps tomorrow and Friday. These cookies do look good….
Hahaha, to be fair, it’s mostly been in the teens this week (in my part of the city at least), but I know that NYC winter has nothing on Minnesota!
it’s all relative babe
Feeling your pain from northern Maine. We’ve got a cold weekend coming. These cookies are being made while I stay inside huddled around my wood stove. Take care!
How perfect for my last bit of rolled oats on hand! Weekend bake for sure. The photo hooked me! I tried out the latest viral hack, Japanese Cheesecake, all over IG. The version that got raves was to include 4 oz of cream cheese, vanilla paste, orange zest to full fat Greek yogurt and then sink as many biscuits as you can fit in the container. Chill overnight. Tasty enuf-But it’s not cheesecake!
Ooh, I saw that! I’m not even a cheesecake person, but I love the idea of an easy icebox cake-ish recipe.
As an adult I developed a nut allergy (not uncommon), and every time I see a lace cookie feel like I am really missing out! I am guessing the nuts add a little bit of structure to this, is there a non-nut alternative that might give it some structure? More oats?
Some nut-free substitute for sliced almonds, I’ve used sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds for similar crunch and size, or try crisp rice cereal.
Pumpkin seeds would be a pretty good approximation for slivered almonds, I think.
You might enjoy Anna Jones recipe for white chocolate rhubarb cookies – they have oatmeal in them and no nuts, highly recommend as they kinda have a similar lacy texture. I think you could also make a version of this recipe on COJ with some type of chocolate to help bind/create more structure.
I have not made these so my comment might be out of line and maybe another reader can comment, but take a look at ANZAC biscuit recipes – it seems like a similar biscuit (rolled oats, flour, sugar, butter, golden syrup, baking soda and desiccated coconut – no nuts). This is a popular Australian & New Zealand biscuit.
Just here to say I also developed an adult onset peanut allergy. I’ve accepted it, but I still maintain uncomfortably long eye contact with chocolate peanut butter cupcakes with peanut butter frosting
100% on the Anzac biscuits (cookies). They’re an Aussie staple and super easy to make, can do vegan and gf versions, too. Very similar to this.
I might try it with tigernuts (which are not a nut, their vibe reminds me of coconut).
Curious if Gluten Free Flour would work?
Yes it would! There is such a small amount of flour here, it will work without issue.
Yummy! If I have a nut allergy, do you recommend any substitutes?
Use pepitas, millet, sunflower seeds, and/or sesame seeds – they each produce yummy results :)
My great grandmother used to make these. When they were still warm she would press them over the side of a rolling pin so they would be curved. She called them little saddles :)
Awww! I love that memory. Thanks for sharing :-)
These sound REALLY good. Thank you!
Always on the hunt for a sweet treat sans chocolate (My five year old hates it, shrug). How does cane sugar compare to granulated sugar? Can I use granulated in this recipe? Looking forward to trying this one out
Hi Katie! I actually ran out of cane sugar while making these cookies, so I can confirm that granulated works fine. Cane sugar usually has a tiny bit more molasses flavor (hence, the light brown color it usually has), but it doesn’t behave super differently in a recipe like this. Enjoy!
Most sugar in the U.S. (both white and brown) is from GMO sugar beets. Anything labeled specifically as cane sugar is from sugar cane. If not labeled as cane it is from beets! Both can be granulated; that’s just the term for its consistency and level of refinement.
Smiling at the 5 year old who hates chocolate! That was me (I grew out of it, chocolate lover over here now) and my mom always and still made me oatmeal cookies!