Description
Delicious and crispy Christmas lace cookies made with almond flour, brown sugar, and butter. These delicate cookies bake quickly and can be enjoyed plain or sandwiched with Nutella or melted chocolate for an extra festive treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup (130g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (75g) almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) light or dark corn syrup or milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Optional Filling
- 1/2 cup Nutella or melted chocolate (6-8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate if melting)
Instructions
- Melt Butter and Combine Ingredients: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Once melted, add the brown sugar, almond flour, salt, and either milk or corn syrup. Cook and whisk continuously for 3-4 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the ingredients are fully combined. If the butter separates, remove from heat and whisk vigorously until smooth.
- Add Vanilla and Thicken Dough: Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. The mixture will be grainy and shiny. Let the dough sit for 5-10 minutes to thicken as the oven preheats.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats for easy cookie removal.
- Shape and Bake Cookies: Drop scant teaspoonfuls of dough (about 1 scant teaspoon per cookie) onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 3 inches apart. Bake for 8 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. The cookies will bubble and sizzle while baking.
- Cool and Crisp Cookies: Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely, letting them dry and crisp up.
- Optional Sandwich Assembly: Once cooled, spread Nutella or melted chocolate on the bottom side of one cookie and sandwich with another. To melt chocolate, use a double boiler or microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Allow chocolate to set in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Storage: Store plain cookies covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. Cookies with Nutella or chocolate filling keep fresh 3 days at room temperature or 1 week refrigerated.
Notes
- Make ahead: Baked cookies freeze well up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Prepare dough up to step 2 in advance, refrigerate tightly covered for up to 3 days, then bring to room temperature before baking.
- If almond flour is unavailable, oat flour can be used as a substitute, but avoid all-purpose flour for texture reasons.
- Corn syrup makes cookies slightly crispier than milk, but both work well.
- For travel or gifting, melted chocolate is a less messy filling option compared to Nutella.
- Use semi-sweet chopped chocolate brands like Ghirardelli or Bakers for melting.
- Chocolate can be sandwiched, drizzled, or used for dipping the cookies as preferred.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 90 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
