Oatmeal Lace Cookies {Florentine}

Old fashioned, quick and easy oatmeal lace cookies recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. These florentines are thin, crispy, delicate, buttery with little bubbles and filled with melted chocolate. A classic Christmas recipe.

These delicious cookies are often referred to as a Swedish treat and are a sight to behold, just like my Fresh Cranberry Cookies (White Chocolate, Orange, Oatmeal) and Jam Thumbprint Cookies (Soft and Buttery). They always stand out on cookie trays and are very popular with our family and friends during Christmas holidays and Thanksgiving. You really need to include them in your Homemade Christmas Cookie Boxes this year.

Jump to:

• Key ingredients
• Variations
• How to make lace cookies recipe?
• Tips and techniques
• Recipe FAQs
• Storage
• More classic cookies
• Recipe

Key ingredients

1. Butter- Use unsalted at room temperature.
2. Brown sugar- Not to be substituted for regular granulated sugar.
3. Almond flour- This is very different from your all-purpose kind.
4. Oat flour- You can use store bought or make your own with a food processor.
5. Milk- Use whole or at least 2 % for best results.
6. Corn syrup- That secret ingredient that contributes to the classic bubbly appearance.
7. Vanilla extract- Pairs well with the brown sugar in warmth and aroma.
8. Semisweet chocolate- Melted and used as a filling.

Variations

• Add mini chocolate chips- Into the batter before baking.
• Almond version- Chop up some whole almonds and mix that into the batter for a nutty crunch.
• Add other nuts- Such as pecans, hazelnuts and walnuts or a mix of all.
• Florentine option- This particular version contains dried fruit and nuts. More specifically, they tend to contain hazelnuts, almonds and candied cherries.
• Try other flavors- By using different extracts such as almond, maple, coconut e.t.c. or even using some citrus zests.
• Drizzle on some chocolate- Instead of sandwiching cookies with melted chocolate, you can dip each cookie halfway in chocolate or simply drizzle chocolate on top of them.
• Use white chocolate- I used semisweet chocolate but you can use white chocolate, too.
• Toss on- Some sprinkles or chopped nuts onto the chocolate before it cools.

How to make lace cookies recipe?

1. Melt butter- In a pan then whisk in sugar, flour, and corn syrup.
2. Turn off the heat- Add vanilla and let mixture cool.
3. Place spoonfuls- Of cookie dough onto cookie tray and bake.
4. Allow cookies to cool- Then, gently remove them from parchment paper.
5. Drizzle melted chocolate- On top of the cookies or spread them on the bottom and make a cookie sandwich.
6. Let chocolate set- And then enjoy.

Tips and techniques

• Use nonstick saucepan- Because this prevents the batter from burning and sticking.
• You must cool the batter- Because the mixture thickens, as it cools.
• Mixture will be thin- It's similar to a cake batter rather than a typical cookie dough. Don't be alarmed and don't thin out the batter with extra milk or water.
• These cookies spread a lot during baking- Therefore, make sure the cookies are spaced out well to allow them to spread while baking without overlapping.
• Use dark or semisweet chocolate for filling or drizzling- Since the cookies are already so sweet, that you need the bitterness to balance it out.
• Don't use all-purpose flour- Because it doesn't allow the cookies to spread thin like they should. The only two options are almond flour or oat flour. I use a combination of both.
• Homemade oat flour- Pulse old-fashioned oats in a food processor until smooth. For this recipe, I prefer it to be roughly pulsed because it adds a wonderful texture.
• No margarine, shortening or coconut oil can be used- Because these will altar the texture of the cookie and make them very soft.
• Don't replace brown sugar with granulated sugar- Because this will not give the cookies that wonderful dark golden brown color and also the lovely toffee-like flavor.
• Use unsalted butter- Otherwise, these cookies would become very salty.

Recipe FAQs

Storage

• Make ahead- These cookies can easily be made in advance if placed in a sealed container. They will last up to 1 week in the fridge and up to 1 month in the freezer.
• Room temperature- These can be placed in a cookie jar and enjoyed for up to 3 days.
• Refrigerate- They can be stored on top of each other, layered with parchment paper in an airtight container for 1 week in the fridge.
• Freeze- Place in an airtight container or ziploc baggie for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.

More classic cookies

• Iced Oatmeal Cookies (Vanilla Icing)
• Best Snickerdoodle Cookies (Soft and Chewy)
• Easy Sugar Cookies (Soft and Chewy)
• Chocolate Sugar Cookies (Cut Out)
• Cinnamon Cookies (Soft and Chewy)

Recipe