Oatmeal Lace Cookies With Almonds (No Mixer Needed)
A timeless classic, these delicate oatmeal lace cookies with almonds are the perfect balance of buttery, sweet, and crispy. Ready in under 30 minutes, they are perfect for tea, a shower, or a gift.
Prep Time8 minutes mins
Cook Time14 minutes mins
Total Time22 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings (change as needed): 48 -60 cookies
- 1 cup thinly sliced or slivered almonds (or finely chopped walnuts or pecans)
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
- 1/2 cup melted salted or unsalted butter 1 stick
- 3/4 cup white sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1 cup quick cooking oats (or rolled oats)
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional: 1-2 teaspoons lemon or orange zest .
Optional finish
- drizzle of dark or semi sweet melted chocolate.
Preheat the oven to 325F/163C. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper (or prepare two pans to bake at the same time).
TOAST ALMONDS (OPTIONAL): (worth it for a nuttier flavor) Toast the almonds by dry-toasting them in a small pan over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes. Shake the pan often to brown evenly and to make sure they don't burn.
MAKE COOKIE BATTER: Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl, mix oats, beaten egg, slightly-cooled melted butter, sugar and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients and almonds (and lemon or orange zest if using), just until combined.
BAKE COOKIES: Drop teaspoons (not tablespoons) of batter 3 inches/7.6 cm apart on prepared large baking sheets (cookies will spread a lot). Flatten slightly. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. The centres may still look a little soft. Remove from oven. Cool 5 minutes on pan to let cookies firm up a bit. Then transfer them with a thin metal spatula to a cooling rack to cool completely and get crisp. Drizzle with melted chocolate if desired (if you do, let it harden on the counter or in fridge before you store them).
- Variations and substitutions:
- Add chocolate: Drizzle melted semi-sweet or dark chocolate on the cookies. Dip one side of the cookie in melted chocolate on a plate. Or sandwich 2 cookies with melted chocolate in between.
- Nuts: You can replace the almonds with finely chopped walnuts or pecans if you like.
- Replace the vanilla with a few drops of almond extract.
- Add lemon or orange zest to the batter. I often make half with zest and half without.
- Gluten-free version: swap the flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour, oat flour or rice flour. Most oats are gluten-free, but check the package. A good option is Bob's Red Mill oats.
- Make ahead:
- Baked cookies:
- Store in an airtight container for 5-7 days at room temperature.
- May be frozen in airtight container or ziploc bags for 1-2 months.
- To freeze before baking, place teaspoons of dough on cookie sheet, flash freeze for 30 minutes, then transfer the balls of dough to a ziploc bag or airtight container.
Nutrition value estimates do not include the optional melted drizzled chocolate.
Calories: 50kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 43mg | Potassium: 25mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 64IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.2mg