These Swedish Oatmeal Lace Cookies are like nothing I've ever tried before. They are light, crispy, sweet, and lacy - and totally addictive! They are insanely easy to make and the whole process from start to finish takes less than 15 minutes (including bake time!)
Someone gave me one of these thin and crispy oatmeal cookies with my cup of tea, shortly after I moved to Germany. I was blown away and knew instantly that I had to reverse-engineer the recipe and make my own! After a bit of research, I discovered that they are Swedish cookies and that IKEA actually sells something similar in their food section, but homemade cookies are always better in my opinion - so I got to work!
I've had a lot of very good cookies in my time, but these Swedish oatmeal cookies are so different in both flavor and texture. The texture is beautiful, the delicate cookie has the perfect crunch - they kind of remind me of my Brandy Snap recipe, the way the dough spreads out to make lots of little holes in the cookie. But flavor-wise, they taste more like sweet oatcakes.
I love experimenting with a new cookie recipe, such as my Danish butter cookies, or my Coconut Pecan Cookies, but these are so incredibly quick and easy to make I think they will be my new 'go-to' cookie recipe for when I have to whip up some sweet treats fast.
Ingredients
- Sugar - White sugar is best, make sure you use extra-fine sugar (caster sugar in the UK). 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 need a large egg for this recipe, and always use free-range if you can.
- Vanilla - Just a touch of 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 when there are only a few ingredients, like in this recipe.
- Butter - Use unsalted butter. There's no need to bring it to room temperature first because we are going to melt it anyway.
- Oats - 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.
- 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 if you have it.
- Baking Powder - Make sure you use baking powder and not baking soda, and don't add too much.
- Salt - Personally I love when I can taste the salt in my baked goods, but if you prefer less salt you can reduce it to ½ a teaspoon.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
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.
These step-by-step instructions will have you munching on crispy oatmeal cookies in 15 minutes.
- 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.
- 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 spoon until combined. I recommend you ditch the whisk at this stage as the dough will get stuck inside the whisk and it's not fun to pick out!
- 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. If you want to you could use a spring-loaded ice cream scoop instead, but make sure it is a small one that scoops about the same portion of dough as a heaped teaspoon.
- Make sure your spoonfuls of the batter have enough space between them as the cookie dough will spread in the oven. I find I comfortably fit about six oat cookies on my baking trays, and then I just do multiple batches to make a lot of cookies.
- Bake the oatmeal lace cookies for about 12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies turn golden brown. In the oven, the batter will spread out to form beautiful lacy, crisp oatmeal cookies, but this doesn't happen until the last few. minutes of baking, so watch them closely. When you take them out of the oven, the middle of the cookies may still look a little pale and underbaked, don't worry! The cookies will continue to bake a little on the baking sheet as they cool, and if you waited until the center looked baked then the cookies would end up being overdone and too crisp.
- Let the cookies cool and firm up on the cookie sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. At this point, I usually steal one or two off of the cooling rack for munching, but that is at your discretion!
Video
See my full video tutorial on how to make these crispy Swedish oatmeal cookies:
Variations
Add Chocolate Decoration - These oatmeal cookies would pair really nicely with a bit of chocolate. You could 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.
Make them Gluten-free - This recipe is almost gluten-free naturally, except for the flour. If you'd like to make them gluten-free you can substitute the flour for oat flour, or you can even 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 your 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 theirs 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, and place another cookie on top of the chocolate and let them set.
Storage
Store your crispy oatmeal cookies in an airtight container, or in a cookie jar. Do not keep them in the fridge. They will keep for a week, but I highly doubt they will last that long before they are all eaten!
Summary
Quick, easy, and delicious, these thin and crispy oatmeal lace cookies are a perfect sweet snack. They aren't hearty and filling like regular oatmeal cookies, so you can eat two or three of them in a row and still not feel like it's too much! Try them once and I'm sure they will become a new staple in your recipe repertoire like they now are in mine!
Yes! These 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 Cookies
Recipe
Swedish Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Equipment
- Hand Whisk
Ingredients
- ¾ cup White Sugar 150g
- 1 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.
- Melt the butter in the microwave in 30 second increments, then add it to the sugar/egg mixture and whisk, just until combined.
- 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.
- 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