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These delicious yet so easy Hot Chocolate Lace Cookies are the perfect holiday cookie. Made with double the vanilla and sweet brown sugar. These cookies are crisp, buttery, and perfectly sweet with hints of caramel throughout. They’re generously sandwiched with a sweet and creamy hot chocolate ganache that truly makes these cookies roll your eyes back delicious. The secret is in the combination of vanilla and brown sugar, which keep these cookies incredibly flavorful, crisp, and so delicious. Fun and easy to bake, delicious to eat, a great homemade gift, and a festive addition to your holiday cookie box!
Such an easy holiday cookie for you guys today! Sometimes I love a more involved cookie. But come December, I also like to have a few recipes on hand that really take no time at all.
Enter these lace cookies. I’ve literally been dreaming these up since last December. I had every intention of sharing them before the end of the holiday season, but as always December flew by. I never got the chance to share these delicious “hot chocolate” stuffed lace cookies so I decided to save them.
The idea and the inspiration.
Funny enough the idea for these cookies all came from a cookie I shared in 2012, Nutella Oatmeal Lace Cookies. If you love a good trip down memory lane…or just a laugh. Read through this blog post. It’s so crazy to see how much I’ve really grown up over the years!
I remembered those lace cookies as being delicious, especially with that Nutella filling. I wondered if I could create a similar cookie but without the oatmeal and with the addition of a creamy hot cocoa center.
The Details.
I tested them out…several times, and while these cookies took a while to perfect, I finally got them right. Honestly, they’re even more delicious than I had envisioned.
For any of you who might not be familiar, lace cookies are very thin cookies usually made from either nuts or oatmeal. They’re meant to be VERY thin and crisp and are often sandwiched with fillings like chocolate or buttercream.
It’s a classic Christmas cookie and one that’s so easy to make.
First, melt the butter on the stove, then stir in the brown sugar. Cook a minute, then add the vanilla. Stir in a bit of almond flour and a pinch of salt. Let this mix cool, then add an egg white.
And that’s your dough! It’s going to seem runny at first, but let the dough sit for ten minutes and it will stiffen slightly as it cools.
Now, these cookies are not like other cookies. For one, the dough is on the greasy side, so just be aware that a little butter around the sides of the dough is OK.
And second, we are making these dough balls small. One teaspoon dollops of dough to be exact. The cookies will spread a lot in the oven, thus the need for smaller size dough balls.
And lastly, stuff them with hot chocolate!
Well, kind of. Once the cookies cool completely, sandwich them with a thicker, creamier version of hot chocolate. It’s not quite hot chocolate, but all the same flavors.
And it makes for a truly delicious lace cookie filling!! Or keep it simple and spread each cookie with sweet milk chocolate. You can’t go wrong either way!
And trust me, these cookies are GOOD. Crisp and sweet on the outside, but the filling is soft and creamy. There are hints of browned butter and caramel, as well as sweet vanilla and even a touch of espresso.
All together they’re just delicious! Like grab a third…or fourth cookie (my mom says she did) kind of good.
As mentioned, these are the perfect easy Christmas cookie to bake up. You can enjoy them yourself or gift some to friends and family. No matter who you’re gifting them to, they will be loved.
These aren’t your average cookie, but such a nice switch up!
So with that, let’s bake cookies on a December Friday night and enjoy them while watching your favorite holiday movie. Then take the leftovers and share them with friends. You’ll make everyone’s day.
‘Tis the season for giving after all! And let’s be real, there isn’t much else to do these days anyway! Embrace it!
Looking for other holiday cookie recipes? Here are my favorites:
Slice n’ Bake Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Cookies
Chai Spiced Santa Cookies with White Chocolate Frosting
Lastly, if you make these Easy Hot Chocolate Lace Cookies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Hot Chocolate Lace Cookies
Servings: 16 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 317 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg white
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 ounces melted milk chocolate (optional)
Hot Chocolate Filling
- 8 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Once melted, whisk in the brown sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook 1 minute. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Whisk in the vanilla. Add the almond flour and salt mixing until combined. Let cool 5 minutes, then stir in the egg white. Let the dough sit 10 minutes to thicken. 2. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.3. If you can roll the dough into balls, add 1 tablespoons water to thin. The dough should be thiner and look like my photo above. 4. Drop 1 teaspoons size amounts of dough on prepared baking sheet, placing each 3 inches apart. Bake for 7-9 minutes until golden brown around the edges. The butter will be bubbling up around the cookies, this is OK. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cook completely. 5. To make the filling. Combine chocolate and cream microwave-safe bowl and microwave, stirring every 45 seconds, until melted. Stir in the vanilla and coffee powder. Let cool 10 minutes, until slightly thickened and spreadable. 6. Sandwich each cookie with the chocolate filling or melted milk chocolate. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
Nut Free Cookie: try my Oatmeal Lace Cookies.
All-Purpose Flour: I did not have success when I tested all-purpose flour, so I would recommend sticking to a nut flour or using the Oatmeal Lace Cookies.
This post was originally published on December 4, 2020
These are perfection! I’ve made 4 batches already to share with neighbors and friends and everyone has been raving about them. And so easy to make! I’ve also eaten way too many bc they are so addicting! Thank you, Tieghan!
Hey Kristen,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I am struggling with this recipe :(. They don’t look “lacey” at all. I’ve tried twice and both times they look more like a Milano cookie (Pepperidge farms). I keep seeing people test their oven temperature… maybe mine is off. Any recommendations?
Hey Sarah,
So sorry you are having issues with the cookies. Is there anything you could be adjusting? Is the batter thick? If so try adding a tablespoon of water or cream, this will help thin the batter to get the lacey look! I hope this helps! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Holy moly these are good and so easy! Right after the first batch came out of the oven, I immediately started again and tripled the next batch – they are that amazing!!!!!! My family’s new favorite and we were blown away by how simple yet delicious these are! Highly recommend!
Hey Sarah,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I love your recipes Tieghan! I am definitely not a baker, but was so inspired by the Santa Clause cookies I made a few for my own cookie box this year! I had trouble with this one – like others, my cookie did not spread and stayed puffy. It was delish, but not attractive enough for my box. After reading a few other recipes, I added more sugar and a tablespoon of cream – they worked great! The dough that ultimately worked for me was much thicker than I expected. I’m so excited I wound up getting these to work – third time is a charm! I will post a picture of my final boxes online. Thank you for always inspiring awesome recipes!
Hey Laura,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
awesome recipe they are so nutty and sweet and unique and EASY! Even so, I came out with a lot of mismatched circles so I only ended up with 8 sandwiched cookies and now have like half a cup of spare filling. Any tips/ideas on what to use the filling for? its basically a lil ganache no?
Hey Raquel,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, yes you could totally use the filling as a ganache. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I baked the cookies and they looked exactly like the photo and were crispy on the outside and tasted great! I decided to wait to do the filling until the next day but by the next day the cookies were very soggy with no crunch. Is there something I did wrong? Should the cookie stay crunchy?
Hey Alexa,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed. I am sorry these turned soft for you, they should stay stay crispy in an airtight container. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Help! Not sure what I did wrong, but my cookies definitely didn’t turn out lacy?? And they barely spread as well. I’m positive that I followed the recipe exactly (triple checked!), and I don’t usually have issues with baking. They maybe grew by 50% and have some small bubbles – but basically just look like a sugar cookie (not exactly but the best description I can think of) Any ideas?
Hey Jennifer,
I am so sorry you had issues with the cookies! If your batter is thick, next time try adding 1 tablespoon of cream or water to the batter to help thin it out, this will help create the lacey affect. I hope this helps! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Would a buttercream filling go well with these in place of the chocolate filling?
Hey Lisa,
Sure that would be great! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I made these last night following the recipe to the T… but mine didn’t get crisp and lacy. The batter looked like your pic but they did not flatten out and they stayed chewy even after baking for 10+ minutes. I used Trader Joe’s almond flour which I find to be finer than others I have tried… could this be affecting the crispness? My GF kiddo still loves them even without the chocolate filling, but I am wondering what could I have done wrong?
Hey Stacey,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so sorry you had some issues! I don’t have a Trader Joes near me so I don’t have any experience with their almond flour. But, try thinning out your batter with water or cream, this will help with the lacey effect. I hope this helps for next time! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Can you use coconut flour? Would it change the texture or flavor?
Hey Paige,
So sorry I would not recommend using coconut flour here. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I have no idea what I am doing wrong. I am in Europe, so I am using mostly metric measurement. 1 stick of butter is suppose to be 113g, but Tiegan you say in the comments we need 85,2g. I tried making it both ways, but when i transfer the sugar/butter mixture to my bowl the sugar starts clumping together (almost looks like a curdled consistency). DOes anyone know what I am doing wrong? Usually I am good with baking haha, but I am definitely doing something wrong here 😀 (ofcourse by the end when i add the almond flour and everything i can pretty much makes balls with the dough-cant thin it enough with water (would need to add 1/4cup probably to make it thin enough)
Hi Marina,
Oh man, I am not sure what is happening, but I’m sure the measurements might be slightly off since you are trying to use metric. I would use 113g butter. Is there anything else you have changed about the recipe? Any details you have will be helpful! Thank you and so sorry for the trouble!
And Happy Holidays!! xTieghan ?
THESE ARE DELICIOUS BUT MY COOKIES DIDNT LOOK LIKE “LACE” AND I HAD ABOUT 3X TOO MUCH CHOCOLATE FOR THE RECIPE. CAN YOU ADVISE? I FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS EXACTLY AS PRINTED. I DID NOT USE THE 12 OUNCES OF CHOCOLATE (OPTIONAL!). …I AM GUESSING THAT WOULD HAVE MADE ALOT MORE DOUGH…
THEY WERE GREAT…AND I WILL MAKE THEM AGAIN…BUT I HAVE SO MUCH CHOCOLATE CENTERS LEFT OVER…WILL TRY TO MAKE THE COOKIES AGAIN THIS WEEK (TO USE UP THE CHOCOLATE).
Hey Gail,
I am so sorry you had issues with the recipe! Was your dough thick? If so try adding 1 tablespoon of water or cream, this should help thin the batter giving them the lace look. I hope this helps for next time! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hi! Are you able to use coconut cream instead of regular cream for the hot chocolate filling?
Thanks so much!
Hey Megan,
Yes, that will work well! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
These were so easy to make and delicious. I meticulously measured but my two separate results (owing to the extra chocolate ganache – I didn’t even make the melted milk chocolate) were chewy, not crisp crunchy as intended. I’m not sure why, but it didn’t matter – my family scarfed them down happily.
Hey Coco,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This recipe does not work! Save yourself the frustration and use Sally’s baking addiction lace cookie recipe instead! I am an avid baker and tried this recipe three times and all were fails.
Hey Nick,
Sorry you are having issues with the recipe, it has worked quite well for others, is there something I can help you with? Happy Holidays! xTieghan