Oatmeal Lace Cookies are light, crispy, and extremely moreish. And, you can bake them in just 15 minutes from start to finish!
Reader Review:
This is my third year coming back for this recipe. It’s my go-to cookie now, that the entire family loves! Delightfully thin and crispy with a delicious taste (and I’ve forgotten the AP flour before with good results!). I make batches (and 1 batch makes a lot!) to give away at Christmas and now people look forward to getting them! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Danielle
The first time I tried Swedish oatmeal lace cookies, I instantly knew I had to reverse-engineer the recipe and make a homemade version! After lots of delicious testing, I came up with this version that will knock any store-bought cookie out of the park. This recipe is so quick and easy to make, and it bakes the most delightfully crispy oatmeal cookies. I have to warn you, it is almost impossible to only eat one!
My oatmeal lace cookie recipe is totally foolproof and will give you the most perfect delicate cookie to serve up to last-minute guests or to enjoy all by yourself with a coffee!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Oatmeal Lace Cookies Recipe
- What Are Oatmeal Lace Cookies?
- Ingredients for Oatmeal Lace Cookies
- How to Make Oatmeal Lace Cookies
- Video of Oatmeal Lace Cookies Recipe
- Troubleshooting
- Lace Oatmeal Cookies Variations
- How to Store Oatmeal Lace Cookies
- Crispy Oatmeal Lace Cookies FAQs
- More Easy Cookie Recipes
- Recipe
Why You'll Love This Oatmeal Lace Cookies Recipe
- It only takes 15 minutes, including baking time.
- Homemade cookies that outshine the store-bought version every time.
- Perfect snack to go with tea and coffee.
What Are Oatmeal Lace Cookies?
Oatmeal lace cookies - also known as Havreflarn in Sweden- are super thin, crispy oatmeal cookies that spread out as they bake into delicate, lacy rounds with golden caramelised edges and the perfect crunch. So you can see little holes of light shining through the cookie.
The pattern reminds me of brandy snaps, but the flavor is more like sweet oatcakes. They were made popular by IKEA who often sell them in their stores, dipped in chocolate.
Ingredients for Oatmeal Lace Cookies
- Sugar - Regular granulated white sugar is great for these cookies. You could use brown sugar instead if you want more of a caramel taste to your cookies, or a mixture of the two.
- Egg - You'll need a large egg for this recipe, and always use free-range if you can.
- Vanilla - Vanilla extract rounds out the flavor of these oatmeal cookies. Try to use a good-quality brand of vanilla as you will really taste it with such few ingredients.
- Butter - Use unsalted butter, or use salted butter and leave out the extra salt. No need for it to be room temperature as it will be melted.
- Oats - I used quick oats, but you could also use rolled oats for chunkier cookies and more visible pieces of oat flakes. Alternatively, you can use instant oats for finer cookies. If you're unsure about the different kinds of oats, basically anything but steel-cut oats will work. You could also ask in your local natural foods store or check out this article about the different kinds of oats.
- Flour - All-purpose flour is best here. The flour just helps with texture and to form a usable dough, but if you wanted to you could leave it out to make these gluten-free, or you can replace with oat flour.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Oatmeal Lace Cookies
These are seriously the easiest cookies to make - this process is so fast, you won't even feel like you were baking! There is no need for any mixers or fancy equipment, just a bowl, a whisk, and a spoon.
Whisk the Eggs
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 320°F / 160°C.
Combine sugar, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk together until pale and foamy. This should happen pretty fast, you'll see the color change as you are whisking, it should take about 20 seconds of vigorous whisking.
Butter and Dry Ingredients
Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave, then pour the melted butter into the egg/sugar mixture and whisk it a little bit more, just until combined.
Add the remaining dry ingredients to the mixture; this includes the oats, flour, baking powder, and salt.
Stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
Prepare Cookies
Scoop a heaped teaspoon of oat mixture onto your cookie sheet to make small balls of dough. It doesn't have to be neat or perfectly shaped as the cookie batter will spread out into nice circles as it bakes.
Make sure your spoonfuls of the batter have enough space between them as the cookie dough will spread in the oven. You may need to do multiple batches.
Bake
Place in the oven for a bake time of 12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies turn golden brown. When you take them out of the oven, the middle of the cookies may still look a little pale and underbaked, but will continue to bake on the baking sheet as they cool.
Cool
Let the cookies cool and firm up on the cookie sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video of Oatmeal Lace Cookies Recipe
See my full video tutorial on how to make these oatmeal cookies:
Troubleshooting
- Why didn’t my cookies spread? - If your lace cookies don't spread, it's usually because there was too much flour added, the batter got too cool, or the oats are extra thick. For accuracy, try to measure your ingredients with a kitchen scale to avoid adding too much flour. If the batter is too thick, you can try flattening it out a little on the cookie sheet before baking.
- Why did my cookies spread out too much? - This can happen if there is too much butter in the cookie batter. Make sure you measure it accurately, preferably with a kitchen scale.
- Why are my cookies chewy instead of crisp? - If you end up with chewy oatmeal lace cookies, they were likely underbaked or weren't left on the tray to cool. The crisp texture develops as they cool - if they’re underbaked, they’ll stay soft.
Lace Oatmeal Cookies Variations
These crunchy oatmeal cookies are perfect as they are, but there's always room for some extra finishing touches!
- Spiced Oatmeal Cookies - Try adding some spices to your cookie batter, like ground cinnamon or ginger to bring some warmth. These make for the perfect Christmas cookies!
- Chocolate Oatmeal Lace Cookies - These oatmeal cookies pair really beautifully with chocolate. Drizzle some chocolate on top or dip half of the cookie into some melted chocolate to make a chocolate-dipped cookie. I recommend dark chocolate to offset the sweetness a little, but any kind of chocolate you like will work.
- Gluten-free Cookies - This recipe is almost gluten-free naturally, except for the flour. To make the cookies gluten-free, substitute the flour for oat flour, or just leave it out entirely. Leaving out the flour will not affect the flavor, it will just make the dough a little harder to handle when you are trying to scoop it out onto the cookie sheet.
- Sandwiched Cookies (IKEA style) - As I mentioned above, I found out in my research that IKEA sells something similar to these oatmeal cookies, but their's are sandwiched together with chocolate. To recreate this, just dip one of your cookies in chocolate, covering the top and sides of the cookie, then flip it and lay it down so the chocolate side is on top. Place another cookie on top of the chocolate and let them set.
- Iced Oatmeal Cookies - Dip or drizzle your oatmeal lace cookies in vanilla glaze for a touch of sweetness.
How to Store Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Your crispy oatmeal cookies should be stored in an airtight container or a cookie jar, and will stay good for a week. Do not keep them in the fridge as the humidity will make them go soft.
Lacy oatmeal cookies also make for a perfect edible gift - you can package them up in a cellophane gift bag and seal with a ribbon.
Crispy Oatmeal Lace Cookies FAQs
If you have a question about this recipe that isn't answered here, feel free to write it in the comment section and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Yes! Oatmeal lace cookies make for perfect gifts. They are the perfect Christmas cookie too. Put them in a cellophane bag tied with a ribbon to make the ideal edible gift.
I used quick oats, but you could also use rolled oats for chunkier cookies and more visible pieces of oat flakes. Or you can use instant oats for finer cookies. If you're unsure about the different kinds of oats, basically anything but steel-cut oats will work. You could also ask in your local natural foods store or check out this article about the different kinds of oats.
Yes you can, I regularly use salted butter in my bakes. Just omit the extra salt you would have put in the recipe.
More Easy Cookie Recipes
If you loved how quick and easy these Oatmeal Lace Cookies are, you might enjoy baking these easy cookie recipes:
Recipe
Oatmeal Lace Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- Hand Whisk
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Granulated Sugar 150g
- 1 Large Egg
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 stick Unsalted Butter 113g
- 2 cups Oats 200g
- 2 tablespoon All-purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 320°F / 160°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the sugar, egg and vanilla to a bowl and whisk until pale and frothy (about 20 seconds of whisking by hand). There's really no need for a stand mixer or electric mixer for this recipe, as it comes together so easily.¾ cup Granulated Sugar, 1 Large Egg, ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Melt the butter in the microwave in 30-second increments, then add it to the sugar/egg mixture and whisk just until combined.1 stick Unsalted Butter
- Pour in the oats, flour, baking powder and salt and stir everything together. I recommend switching to a spoon for this so the mixture doesn't get stuck in your whisk.2 cups Oats, 2 tablespoon All-purpose Flour, 1 teaspoon Baking Powder, 1 teaspoon Salt
- Scoop a heaped teaspoon of cookie dough onto your baking sheet. It will look more like a blob than a perfect ball, but that's okay as it will spread out into a circle in the oven.
- Bake for 12 minutes. You'll know the cookies are ready as they will have spread out into a thin, lacy cookie and the edges will be golden brown. The middle will still look a little underdone, but they will continue to bake a little as they cool.
- Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
VIDEO
Notes
It really helps and I love hearing all your feedback!
Ranjit Solanki
Can I make this eggless?
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Ranjit,
I haven't tested this recipe without the egg so unfortunately I can't confidently give you an answer for that, I'm sorry.
If you do try it, let me know how it turns out!
Jules
Danielle
This is my third year coming back for this recipe. It’s my go-to cookie now that the entire family loves! Delightfully thin and crispy with a delicious taste (and I’ve forgotten the AP flour before with good results!). I make batches (and 1 batch makes a lot!) to give away at Christmas and now people look forward to getting them! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Jules Grasekamp
I'm so happy to hear this Danielle, thank you for taking the time to let me know you love the cookies!
It brings me so much joy to know they are being baked, shared and enjoyed all around the world 🙂
Jules
LILIANA
Hello Jules. I would like to know if the temperature of the already melted butter influences the result of the cookies. Thanks.
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Liliana,
No the temperature of the butter shouldn't influence the cookies. As the 'dough' cools and you are doing multiple batches of the cookies, it will be at different temperatures anyways and I have never seen any adverse affects from having different temperatures of the butter. Hope this helps!
Jules
LILIANA
I love this recipe. I make them all the time with a few changes. I replace 50 grams of white sugar with brown sugar. I also add 1 tablespoon of oat flour instead of wheat flour. They are delicious . Thanks for sharing
Jules Grasekamp
I'm so glad to hear you like the recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know 🙂
Jules
LILIANA
Hi Jules. I do not know what I did wrong. The cookies did not expand like yours, I used oatmeal copy. The first time I made them they expanded. I used the same ingredients. I offered them in a store and they loved them, now they asked me to sell them. I'm worried that they won't turn out the same. please help me. thank you
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Liliana,
Sorry to hear that! It's hard for me to know what went wrong without knowing if you did anything differently. The only thing I can think of is if some ingredient was measured incorrectly the second time. Did you use a kitchen scale to measure or did you use cups? It's very hard to measure accurately so I always recommend using a kitchen scale to ensure consistent results - especially if you are looking to sell your baked goods!
Amanda
Hi! I’ve made this recipe twice now and I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong 🙁
I’ve been making this exactly as written but they keep crumbling apart. I have to bake them about 5 minutes longer than written as well. They taste amazing but I wish I could get them to stay together!
Marcelia
There was a huge problem with this recipe......I couldn't stop "tasting" while cooling. It is absolutely delish. Idk how many will there be left by the time my family comes home. JK, I'll save some. I did use 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 TBSP of flaxseed meal. Thanks for a great recipe!
mary
WOW! Wish I knew what I did wrong. Followed recipe to a T, only difference I used old fashioned oats, But by the notes it sounds like you can use any kind of oat. terrible results. Cookies spread to the point I had one big cookie sheet cookie. Not making this one again.
Jules
Hi Mary,
I'm sorry to hear your cookies didn't turn out. They are supposed to spread very thin, that's what gives them the lacy texture. All I can think of is maybe your balls of dough were too big so that might be why they all spread into one big cookie sheet? I hope it was still delicious!
Sarah Lacey
Too much salt…doubled recipe
JUDY LUCERO
I used gluten free flour and Swerve granulated sugar. The cookies didn’t get thin and crunchy. Could it be the substitutions I used?
Virginia Bivens
Can I substitute Stevie for sugar
Jack
I don't think Stevie would like that.
Bob Loblaw
I’d like to try dunking them in melted chocolate before storing - is it better to use dark or milk? Thx
Sana
Can we substitute sugar with maple syrup?
Hope
These are awesome! Perfect as is. One minor note: the oats piled up a little, creating a bit of a dome with more oats in the middle with few oats toward the edges of the cookies on my first tray in the oven. The next 2 trays had better oat distribution and level tops when I flattened the dough balls a little.
Sandi
Could I use an egg substitute in this recipe?
Jules
HI Sandi, I haven't tested the recipe with an egg substitute but I imagine it would work out okay. The main role of the egg is to bind the dough together, so as long as you use a substittue that will do that it should work out fine. 🙂 Let me know how it turns out!
Vicky
Can I sub maple syrup for sugar?
Jules Grasekamp
Hi Sandi,
I haven't tested the recipe with maple syrup instead of sugar, my instinct says it might make the cookie dough too runny. But if you do give it a try I'd love to know how it turns out!
Jules
E
These are amazing, really good with coffee. I was going to dip half in chocolate but after trying them they were too good plain. My new favorite recipe.
Jules
Yay I'm so glad to hear that! I love them too, they're so easy and SO addictive! Happy you enjoyed the recipe, thank you for letting me know 🙂
David Ewing
I got better results with the second batch of these I made by refrigerating the dough before spooning the individual cookies onto the baking sheet because this reduced the amount they spread a little. I think a little longer baking time also improved the result, but maybe that is a matter of differences in actual oven temp.
Jules
Thanks for your comments David, I'm glad your second batch turned out well 🙂 Refrigerating them is a good call if you prefer them thicker. And it could be that the oven temps are different, or it could also just be that they took longer if they were refrigerated beforehand. Eitherway it's always best to use your baker's intuition to judge when things are baked and look out for that lovely golden brown colour - which it sounds like you did 🙂 Hope you enjoy them!
Sonia
Can you add raisins, pecan pieces or chocolate chips?
Cindy
All& all these turned out good. I added some chopped unsalted almonds. Only thing the recipe called for butter & I used regular butter. It also called for a teaspoon of salt so I suggest you use unsalted butter or omit the salt.
Barbara Donald
I love the recipe I cannot stop making them I'll give it 10 stars. I've been making the Swedish lace oatmeal cookies.
Charl
I add chopped walnuts and chopped cranberries , dried
“crasinis” and brown sugar, 1 T cinnamon & baking soda.in stead of powder Toast the walnuts for a better flavor.! Chill for at least 1/2 hour!! Rolled oats work best for me.
Kimberly A Martin
I'm out of parchment paper♀️
Kathryn Hale
Excellent! They’re everything g you said!
Thank you!
Roberta
These are nice and easy to make. It doesn’t say salted or sweet butter and I did add salt not realizing I used salted butter so they tasted slightly salty. I also used rolled oats and they actually came out pretty tasty! Next time going to try quick oats. Thx for this recipe and I look forward to trying some of your others.
Jules
Hi Roberta,
I'm so glad you enjoyed them! I tend to leave the butter open to preference, but maybe I will update this to state unsalted butter is best. Though I am a bit of a fiend for a salty cookie! Thanks for trying my recipe 🙂
Sarah
Can I substitute part of the butter with oil?
Jules
Hi Sarah, to be honest I have never tried these cookies with oil instead of butter, so I can't speak to how well they would turn out. Theoretically they would be okay, but I suspect they might spread a little too much or have a slightly different texture. The recipe is super quick and easy though so might be worth trying! If you do test this out I'd love to know the results!
Jules