Almond-Oat Lace Cookies

Name: Almond-Oat Lace Cookies
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 0.5 cup whole natural unsalted almonds with skins; 2 tbsp old-fashioned oats; 6 tbsp unsalted butter; 6 tbsp superfine sugar; 2 tbsp light brown sugar; 1.5 tsp honey; 1 tbsp all-purpose flour; 0.25 tsp kosher salt; 4 oz bittersweet chocolate; 1 melted

From the kitchen of Carly

Crispy, lacy almond-oat cookies with a delicate crunch and toasty nuttiness. Butter and honey keep them tender inside while the edges caramelize into thin, golden lacework. Dip half in melted bittersweet chocolate for a sophisticated finish.

These are thin, crisp, almost-lacy rounds that lean hard into caramel and butter, studded with toasted almond bits. They spread aggressively in the oven, so the hand-shaping step before baking keeps them from turning into a single giant mess. Half-dipped in dark chocolate, they hit sweet and nutty and sophisticated all at once.

Prep: n/a
Cook: n/a
Total: n/a
Servings: 4
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

4 servings

1/2 cupwhole natural unsalted almonds with skins
2 tbspold-fashioned oats
6 tbspunsalted butter
6 tbspsuperfine sugar
2 tbsplight brown sugar
1 1/2 tsphoney
1 tbspall-purpose flour
1/4 tspkosher salt
4 ozbittersweet chocolate
1melted

Instructions

Position oven racks in the lower and upper thirds and preheat to 350°F. Line 2 rimless baking sheets with parchment paper. In a food processor, pulse the almonds and oats together until a coarse meal forms, then set aside.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add both sugars and the honey, whisking until everything blends and the sugar dissolves, 1 to 2 minutes. Pull the pan off the heat and stir in the nut mixture, flour, and salt until well combined.
Drop the batter by 2-teaspoon portions onto the prepared baking sheets, keeping them about 2 1/2 inches apart. With your fingertips, press each mound down to a 1/4-inch-high round, nudging any jagged edges inward to form smooth circles. Bake, rotating the sheets after 6 minutes, until the cookies are dark golden brown and spread into a thin lacy layer, 10 to 12 minutes total. Slide the parchment with the cookies onto a wire rack and let them cool completely.
Lay the chocolate on in a clean stroke: take a pastry brush and coat half of each cookie with the melted chocolate. Leave them undisturbed until the chocolate sets firm, about 2 hours. Store in an airtight container with sheets of parchment or waxed paper between the layers; they keep well for up to 2 days.

Tips from the kitchen

Spacing matters. Give those batter mounds plenty of room to spread, or you'll bake one large connected cookie instead of individual rounds.
Pat the dough down firmly before baking so it's as even as possible. Thicker edges will overbake while thin centers stay chewy.
Use parchment, not greased baking sheets. The cookies release cleanly and you can slide the whole sheet onto a cooling rack without touching them.

Variations

Swap the almonds for hazelnuts or roasted sunflower seeds for a totally different flavor profile.
Skip the chocolate dip and finish half of each cookie with a light dusting of fleur de sel instead for a sweet-salty play.
Add 1/4 teaspoon cardamom or a pinch of cayenne to the batter for warm spice undertones that let the almond shine.

Make ahead and storage

Keep them airtight between layers of parchment or waxed paper in the fridge for up to 2 days, or freeze (still layered) for up to a month. They don't need reheating.