These Oatmeal Lace Cookies are gluten-free and full of chocolate and dried cherries. Crisp and buttery, they're so delicious that they'll become your new go-to cookie!
These are my favorite gluten-free cookies I've ever made.
Gluten-Free Oatmeal Lace Cookies are easy to make, super delicious and fun.
They are not your typical oatmeal cookies -- their lacy texture makes them extra special. (For a more traditional oatmeal cookie, you'll love chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.)
What are Lace Cookies?
- Lace cookies originated in Italy. (FYI, though incredibly delicious, my recipe is not authentically Italian.)
- They’re very thin and have many tiny holes in them. Much like lace, all of the tiny holes create a very delicate and see-through appearance. This is how they got their name.
- Lace cookies are quite crunchy and have a distinct buttery taste. They will vary in specific ingredients, and are often seen with oats and almond flour.
- Lace cookies are more often than not, made without mix-ins. I however, couldn't resist and with a few additions, every bite has a nutty flavor and chocolate.
- It's common to see two lace cookies sandwiched together with melted chocolate in the middle.
- My Oatmeal Lace Cookies are especially unique because they're gluten-free. (A typical lace cookie involves a little flour.)
Some Ingredient Notes
- oat flour - I make my own, which is quite easy. You just blend rolled oats in food processor.
- almond meal or flour - Almond flour is very finely ground almonds, and almond meal has a bit more texture. Both are great in this recipe.
- xanthan gum - Since these are very thin gluten-free cookies without any gluten-free all-purpose flour, the xanthan gum helps hold them together.
- semisweet chocolate chips
- dried cherries - The sweet and tart cherries are lovely in this recipe, and gives them a bit of a holiday cookie vibe.
How to Make Them
- These delicate cookies are super easy to whip up!
- Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a one bowl, and mix all of the wet ingredients together in another.
- Combine the two mixtures in the bowl with the flour, and then fold in the chocolate, cherries and oats.
- Shape the cookie dough into balls on prepared baking sheets, with enough room between them to spread.
- Bake until the edges are golden and cool on the baking sheet, not on a wire rack.
(More detailed instructions for Oatmeal Lace Cookies are in the recipe card below.)
Can you freeze Oatmeal Lace Cookies?
Yes you can.
Prepare them for the freezer carefully though. It's best to place them in single layers in a large plastic airtight container, with wax paper or parchment paper between them. Be sure the container is sealed tightly. They can be frozen up to a month.
They can also be stored at room temperature. Again, in single layers in a large plastic container, with wax paper or parchment paper between them. (They lose some of their crispness after being stored for a day or so.)
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- You can make these without the chocolate and cherries, though I think these ingredients are part of what make them super delicious.
- If you don't like cherries, try dried cranberries, currants or raisins.
- It's very easy to make your own oat flour by putting oats in a food processor with the blade attachment and blending until you've got a fine powder. You can also purchase oat flour.
- It's important that you leave ample space between the cookies before you bake them. They will definitely spread!
- Let them cool 100% on the baking sheet. Oatmeal Lace Cookies are fragile at first, but once cool, they're easy to lift off the baking sheet.
- While I mentioned that you can freeze them, they are at their crispiest as soon as they've cooled down from baking.
Whether you're gluten-free or not, I think you will really love these Oatmeal Lace Cookie recipe.
More Must-Try Scrumptious Gluten-Free Cookies
- Gluten-Free Chestnut Cookies
- Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Gluten-Free Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gluten-Free Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
These are lovely cookies any time, and they're especially fun for a cookie exchange during the holiday season.
Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour (see notes)
- 1 cup almond meal
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- ¾ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup golden or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1½ cups dried cherries, roughly chopped
- ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
Instructions
- Set the oven and prep the baking sheets. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Make the batter. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oat flour, almond meal, salt, xanthan gum, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.In another large mixing bowl, combine the butter with the vanilla and sugars. Mix until everything is evenly blended. Then add the eggs and again, mix to blend.Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and mix just until you no longer see dry areas.
- Shape. Use a 1¼ inch cookie scoop to shape the cookies into balls of dough, placing them on the parchment-lined baking sheets as you go. There should be about 10 to 12 per sheet, with at least 2 to 3 inches between them.
- Bake. Bake in the preheated 350°F oven until the cookies are golden along the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Let them cool completely on the baking sheets, at least 15 minutes.
- These cookies will become quite flat when you bake them. That's how they should be. Though delicate, they hold together very well, and when you hold them up to the light and you'll see why they're called lace cookies!
NOTES
NUTRITION
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Carol Szafalowicz
Can you make these with just regular flour?
valentina
Hi Carol, I wish I could tell you for sure, but I haven't made them with regular AP flour. I don't think the lace-like texture will be the same. I think it's worth a try, but I would do half of the recipe or less so you don't waste ingredients if they don't turn out. Leave out the xanthan gum if you use regular AP flour. I will try a batch too, as soon as I can, and let you know in case I do it first. 🙂 ~Valentina
valentina
Hi Carol, Today I tried these with the regular AP flour. As I suspected, they don't have the lacey texture -- but, they're delicious! The texture is quite similar to that of a typical chocolate chip cookie. I will send you a photo via email. 🙂 ~Valentina
angiesrecipes
I always adore oatmeal lace cookies...these look so perfectly thin and crisp. Yummy!
valentina
Thanks Angie! Hope you enjoy. 🙂 ~Valentina
Ron
Valentina, your oatmeal lace cookies look wonderful. We have a neighbor who doesn't do glutin so this will be a perfect recipe to make for our next fika (coffee break). Not sure when that'll be as we're self-isolating just now, but I'll keep this one close by so when this pandemic passes (and it will) I can whip up a batch to celebrate with them.
valentina
Thank you, Ron. And I love the positivity you threw in there. It will pass, indeed. I do love the idea of Fika. I think I might have to institute that here at home -- a family Fika during quarantine. I assume the idea is getting together with friends and family, but hoping it's okay to break tradition in this case. 😉 Hope you love the cookies when you get around to them. Enjoy and stay safe and well! 🙂 ~Valentina
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
They look so buttery and crunchy! Love a big stack right now with my coffee! Have a lovely week ahead 🙂
valentina
Dawn, they are SOOOO buttery. Hope you love them. Perfect with coffee. A lovely quarantine snack. 🙂 ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
I am always so impressed by your cookie baking. Really, I am a slacker when it comes to cookies... a couple of times of year, maybe! And I learned something - lace cookies are from Italy. I always assumed they were from France! Thanks for that - it’s my one new bit of knowledge this week!
valentina
Thank you so much, David. I've always loved baking cookies -- since I was a little kid. Hope you are Mark are staying well! 🙂 ~Valentina
Marissa
I forgot all about lace cookies, and I've never had one that was as good as these look! So simple too. Excited to try these, Valentina!
valentina
Thank you, Marissa. Happy to remind you about lace cookies. 🙂 ~Valentina
2pots2cook
Thanks to you, I fell in love with GF ! Must try. Thank you and take care 🙂
valentina
Thanks, Davorka. Hoping you love them! 🙂 ~Valentina
David @ Spiced
Oh man, I haven't had lace cookies in ages! My grandmother used to make a chocolate chip cookie that I swear had to be part-lace. It wasn't quite as airy, but it was more than a regular chocolate chip cookie. Anyways, I love oatmeal cookies, and I could totally go for one of these with my coffee right about now! 🙂
valentina
Thanks so much, David. Happy to remind you of a recipe your grandmother made. Perfect with coffee. 🙂 ~Valentina
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
I love the laciness of these cookies! What a great crispy cookie- and those dried cherries! Double yum!
valentina
Love a double yum. Thank you, Kathy! 🙂 ~Valentina
Jeff the Chef
I swear I have memories of making a cookie like this when I was a kid, in French class. We had to cook from a French recipe, and it was a cookie just like this, and we would roll them up into cigars when they came out of the oven, and dip the ends in chocolate. Or did I dream that? It's such a vague memory.
valentina
Okay, I never cooked in my Spanish class. I got gypped. 😉 How fun that you got to bake in/for French class. I bet your memory is correct because I often see Lace cookies at bakeries half dipped in chocolate. And that sounds delicious. 🙂 ~Valentina
dezi
Hi Valentina, We are eating these cookies right now and I just had to get back to you with a thank you for another good cookie! Thank you so much for developing another good recipe. Love them. Dezi
valentina
Thank you, Dezi! I'm so happy you like these, and so appreciate your note. They are definitely one of our favorites. 🙂 ~Valentina
Christina
I LOVE these lace cookies and your added cherries are a fab idea!! I think I need to bake some, soon!!
valentina
Thank you, my friend! 🙂 ~Valentina