Oatmeal Lacies 1930

These oatmeal lace cookies come from the 1930s, and the recipe hasn’t needed updating since. Seven ingredients, no flour, and they bake into thin, shatteringly crisp wafers with caramelized edges that snap when you bite them.

The trick is what’s not in the batter. With no flour to provide structure, the cookies spread dramatically on the sheet. They puff up first, then flatten into lacy rounds as the sugar melts and the oats toast. That’s exactly what you want. Don’t panic when they look impossibly thin.

Get them off the cookie sheet immediately when they come out of the oven. They’ll feel soft and floppy, almost like they’re not done. They are. As they cool, the melted sugar hardens and they crisp up completely within a few minutes. Wait too long on the sheet and they’ll cement themselves to it.

Use quick or regular rolled oats, but never instant. Instant oats are too fine and won’t give you that lacy, open texture with holes and crispy edges that define this cookie.

Chef Tips

• Space them 2 to 3 inches apart. These spread more than almost any other cookie you’ll bake.
• Grease the sheet well or use parchment paper. The sugar caramelizes directly on the surface and sticks hard.
• Use a thin spatula to remove them quickly. If they cool too much and stick, pop the sheet back in the oven for 30 seconds to re-melt the sugar.
• Store in an airtight container. Humidity is the enemy of lace cookies and will turn them chewy within hours.

Variations

• Chocolate dip: Once cooled, dip half of each cookie in melted dark chocolate and let set on parchment.
• Sandwich cookies: Spread a thin layer of chocolate ganache between two lacies for an elegant dessert cookie.