Search
by Ingredient

French Lace Cookies

Empty starEmpty starEmpty starEmpty starEmpty star

Submitted by ace

French lace cookies bake corn syrup, shortening, brown sugar, flour, and pecans into thin, delicate, caramel-toffee disks. Optional chocolate drizzle. Five ingredients, holiday tray classic.

YIELD

48 servings

PREP

10 min

COOK

20 min

READY

45 min

French lace cookies are the kind of delicate-looking cookie that makes a tea tray feel suddenly elegant. Five ingredients (corn syrup, shortening, brown sugar, flour, and finely chopped pecans) cook into a hot, pourable batter that spreads dramatically on the cookie sheet, dries into thin, lacy disks edged with golden caramel, and shatters into sweet, toffee-like pieces with each bite.

The boiling-syrup step is non-negotiable. Bringing the corn syrup, shortening, and brown sugar to a boil dissolves all the sugar crystals fully, which is what allows the cookies to spread paper-thin and crisp into that signature lacy structure. Skip the boil and you’ll get thick, undercooked cookies.

Keeping the batter warm over hot water (a ‘bain-marie’ approach) is the second critical move. As the batter cools, it thickens, and cool batter spreads into thicker, less lacy cookies. Hot batter spreads paper-thin.

Pro Tips

  • Don’t bake more than 8 or 9 cookies at a time as instructed. The cookies spread substantially during baking, and crowded ones merge into one giant lace sheet.
  • Use a true cookie sheet, not a rimmed pan. The flat surface is essential for even spreading; rimmed pans can create uneven heat distribution.
  • Cool the cookies on the sheet for 3 to 5 minutes (per the recipe). Lifting them too early shatters them; waiting too long and they cement to the pan.
  • Use a thin, flexible spatula to lift the cookies. Stiff spatulas crack the delicate lace structure.

Variations

Serve with coffee, tea, or alongside ice cream for a textural contrast against creamy desserts.

Ingredients

½ 118
½ 118
158
CUP ML BROWN SUGAR
packed *
1 237
1 237
CUP ML PECANS
finely chopped

Directions

Heat oven to 375℉ (190℃).

Grease cookie sheet lightly. Heat corn syrup, shortening and brown sugar to boiling in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly; remove from heat.

Gradually stir in flour and pecans.

Drop batter by teaspoonfuls about 3 inches apart onto cookie sheet.

(Keep batter warm by placing saucepan over hot water; bake only 8 or 9 cookies at a time.) Bake about 5 minutes or until set. Cool 3 to 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheet.

Drizzle with melted chocolate if desired.

* not incl. in nutrient facts Arrow up button

Comments


 

 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 8g (0.3 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 35 43% from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 2g 3%
Saturated Fat 0g 1%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 2mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 2g 2%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Sugars g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 0% Iron 1%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?
Low Fat, Low in Saturated Fat, Low Cholesterol, Cholesterol-Free, Trans-fat Free, Low Carb, Sodium-Free, Low Sodium
 

Email this recipe