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• Sugar to flour is about 3 : 1. At that ratio nothing holds the dough together and it flows into a sheet. That is the intent, not a fault.
• Melted butter, and no chill. Cold dough will not spread far enough to lace.
• Enormous spacing. A teaspoon of batter becomes a 9 cm disc. Four per tray.
• Parchment or a silicone mat, never a bare tray. These weld.
• Cool completely before lifting — a warm lace cookie tears into strands.
• Rolled oats, chopped once. Whole rolled oats make islands in the lace; a rough chop distributes them.

Makes about 30.

• 115 g unsalted butter
• 200 g light brown sugar
• 60 g all-purpose flour
• 120 g rolled oats, roughly chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla — see Pure vanilla extract
• 3 g fine salt
• optional: 100 g dark chocolate, for sandwiching — see Chocolates

Melt the butter and brown sugar together over low heat until the sugar dissolves, then cool five minutes.

Whisk in the egg and vanilla, then stir in the flour, oats and salt. The batter is thin and glossy.

Drop level teaspoons onto parchment, four per tray, 8 cm apart. Bake 175 °C / 350 °F for 8–10 minutes, until the whole cookie is evenly amber and bubbling has stopped at the centre.

Slide the parchment onto a rack and leave until stone cold.

• Sandwich them with chocolate for the classic version: melt 100 g dark chocolate, spread a thin layer on the flat side of half the cookies, and press the rest on. Set at room temperature.
• Curved lace tuiles: drape over a rolling pin in the first 20 seconds, as with tuiles.
• They go soft within a day in any humidity. Airtight, with a desiccant, or eat them the same day.

Method and theory: Cookie recipes · cookies · oats · sugar in baking

Nearby: benne wafers · tuiles · anzac biscuits