Bet You Can’t Eat Just One
“You are so mean. I can’t stop eating these.” Words every mother loves to hear from her 17 year old daughter, when talking about something her mother made.
In this case, though, I had absolutely zero sympathy for my daughter. Shoshana came in to try the Lace Cookies that I baked and found herself in the challenging position of having to walk away, lest she eat an entire panful on her own. My problem was that I had already beaten her to the punch, having eaten most of the first batch I made. To make things even better, I was stuck in the kitchen with these incredibly addictive cookies, baking the second batch!
The originator of this delicious goodie, that we all got hooked on, was a lovely lady named Sue Bloch who was a friend of my mom. Mom used to make these occasionally when she was entertaining. I usually managed to sneak one or two out of the kitchen without consequences; so I felt pretty darn lucky back then.
Now, I am all grown up and understand why all my Cleveland friends who have made these Lace Cookies tell me that they do not have any leftovers. I am hard pressed to think of another dessert that gets eaten quite so quickly.
Lace Cookies are one of the easiest recipes to make, but also can be a tad temperamental if the directions are not followed. For example, the recipe says that the cookies need to be spaced 3” apart. I, thinking that the itty bitty ½ teaspoon of batter could not possibly spread that far, piled the batter on the baking sheet. Silly me, I ended up with one giant cookie.
I learned that even though I thought the batch was ruined, all that I really had to do was let the cookies cool completely and then break the giant piece apart. The cookies weren’t as symmetrical as they would have been had I believed the instructions, but at least they were still yummy.
Lace Cookies are pliable for a very brief period once they come out of the oven. They may be rolled into a cigar shape with the assistance of a spatula, unless you have asbestos hands. Lace Cookies can also be draped over the bottom of a small glass to become little baskets. Drizzling chocolate over them is another fab option, but don’t go too heavy on the chocolate, because of the delicacy of the cookies. Lastly, crumbling the cookies over an ice cream sundae elevates the sundae to a whole new playing field.
Whether you end up shaping your Lace Cookies or just eating them when they are flatter than a pancake, I lay odds you can’t bake the cookies and put them away without eating a whole bunch of them. If you can, you are much more disciplined than either Shoshana or I!
| Lace Cookies | | Print |
- ⅔ cup pecans
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
- dash salt
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons milk
- For the cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place the pecans in a food processor and process until the mixture is close to a powder consistency.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add nuts, salt, sugar and flour. Stir over low heat until the sugar melts, about 5-7 minutes. Add milk and blend.
- Drop by ½ teaspoon onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Leave 3” in between each cookie as they will spread a great deal while baking.
- Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Rotate the pans front to back and top to bottom after 3½ minutes. Watch carefully after 7 minutes as the cookies can burn easily. You may need to rotate the pans again, depending on oven hot spots.
- Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool completely on pan. Store in between sheets of waxed paper.
- Betsy's tidbits:
- I made the mistake of not leaving 3” between cookies and ended up with a baking sheet of one cookie, one very large cookie. Not a major problem as I was able to break the cookies apart once the cookies cooled, but they do not break apart evenly.
- Once the cookies come out of the oven, there is a very small window of time when you are able to shape the cookies. They may be folded over, bent onto the bottom of a small glass to shape a bowl, or rolled like a cigar.
- Lace Cookies are delicious on their own or use your imagination…crumble some over an ice cream sundae or drizzle them with melted chocolate. Don’t use too heavy of a hand when drizzling as the cookies are very delicate.
I’ll add a few words to your daughter’s remarks: “How could you do this to me?” All I can say is thank goodness I have made them for someone else. Because I could, easily, polish off all five cookie sheets. They’re incredible. They’re buttery; they’re crisp; they’re so fun to look at. As I look at them I can’t help but think, how’d they get to look like lace? So happy I made them. They are special, indeed. Thanks.
I understand why you needed to make them for someone else as I do not think I have the discipline to bake them just for me.