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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 taste amazing! The only problem I did have though is I had an excess of melted butter when stirring the ingredients together, making the dough rather oily. The dough was actually sitting in a pile of butter. Any suggestions here?
Hey Julianna,
So sorry about this, was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? Please let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Hi! I tried this recipe today and it was delicious! The cookies did not turn out “lacey” for me. What could’ve been the issue?
Hey Ace,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? Was the batter to thick? If so try adding 1 tablespoon of cream to help achieve the lacey look. I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other question. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
If I am trying to prep earlier can I freeze the dough and bake later?
Hey Pri,
I have never frozen this dough, if you want to can make the cookie, freeze those, and then add the chocolate filling once thawed. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other question. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Love these! I actually made a few changes that I wanted to let people know about!
First, I used leftover almond pulp from making homemade almond milk as the almond flour. I just did a 1 to 1 substitution with the almond flour. I was looking for recipes to use the leftover almond pulp and this seemed perfect.
Secondly, I browned the butter and added a tablespoon of water to replace the evaporated water. I’m clearly obsessed with brown butter.
All in all, it was DELICIOUS as per usual. I will say my cookies didn’t spread much, which is due to the two substitutions I made, but they were still crunchy and chewy and delicious.
Thank you so much Breanna! I am glad you enjoyed these and shared what worked for you! xTieghan
I made these and they tasted amazing! but sadly, they didn’t lace. Could my mixture have been too hot when I added the egg white? They looked like sugar cookies, but we still ate them all 🙂
Hey Melissa,
So sorry you had issues with the cookies! Was there anything you may have adjusted? If the batter was thick try adding 1 tablespoon of cream to help get the Lacey look. I hope this helps for next time, please let me know if you have any other question. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hi! I used almond flour and everything but my cookies didn’t flatten at all (they actually kind of puffed up!). Any idea what I did wrong?!
Hey Jordon,
So sorry you had issues with the cookie. Was there anything that you adjusted? Was your batter thick or thin? If the batter is thick try adding 1 tablespoon of cream to help thin the batter out, this will help the cookies to spread. I hope this helps for next time. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
These are just as good as they sound! I would definitely recommend either halving whichever type of chocolate you choose (if doing both, maybe quarter the amount of each) or double the cookies 🙂 also idk what type of person can make these in just 30 minutes but I’m not that type lol. They took much longer in the over for me but can’t complain cause they’re so worth it
Hi Alex! Thank you for trying these! I am really glad they turned out so amazing for you!! xTieghan
Are these gluten free cookies?
Hey Julia,
Yes, these cookies are gluten free. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I made these tonight and they taste amazing! But they definitely look nothing like yours. Mine resemble regular cookies like a made a chocolate chip. What did I do wrong? Either way they’re really good thank you!
Hey Taylor,
Thanks for trying the recipe. Was there anything you could have adjusted? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
I loved these! Truth be told, the only lace cookies I’ve ever had were from TJ’s. They’re delicious, by the way. But when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it for our family. My daughter has allergies, so I subbed the butter for soy free earth balance, and used enjoy life chocolate chips with Ripple half & half. They turned out great! The only suggestion I have is to use 1.5-2 tsp per cookie when dropping the dough for baking. 🙂
I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Jess! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Hi!!
Love this recipe! I was having similar issue that other people were. That they were not expanding/it not being as crispy and flat as the photos.
I went ahead and tried the recipe again, What helped was watching her IG video. I melted butter in cast iron and added ingredients into cast as well. I also did not let it sit for 10 mins after egg white. About 3-5. For me FIXED my issue!
The IG step by step videos are so HELPFUL!
Thanks so much for sharing such a yummy recipe!
I am so happy this turned out so well for you, Anna!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! xTieghan
Just tried to make these twice. Both times my caramel didn’t come together and crystalized, causing the dough to seize when I put the almond powder in. I tried to bake my first batch but the cookies didn’t spread and burned around the edges. Any tips?
Hey Sydney,
So sorry you had issues with the recipe! So you aren’t really making caramel here, you only want the butter and sage to boil for 1 minute and then pull it from the heat. Also, what do you mean by almond powder? It is key to make sure you are using almond flour here. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
I made these today, I followed the recipe exactly and they are really yummy but the cookies don’t look “lacy” and bubbly like they do in the pictures. Not sure what I did wrong 🙁
Hey Alex,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, I am sorry they did not turn out as you would have liked. Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? Was your batter thick? If so, try adding 1 tablespoon of water or cream next time. I hope this helps! xTieghan
Hello!
Just baked these and had a problem with them settling down into a thin cookie. They sort of kept their shape so I used the back of a spoon to flatten them out a bit. The tray on the bottom third of the oven burned on the bottom. I’m wondering what I did wrong? Nonetheless the top tray with the melted hot chocolate was delicious!!
Hey Elizabeth,
I am so sorry you had issues with the recipe! Was there anything that you adjusted? If your batter was on the thicker side next time add 1 tablespoon of cream to the batter. I hope this helps! xTieghan
Is instant coffee the same as espresso powder? And how long do they stay good for?
Hey Samantha,
Espresso powder is made from darkly roasted coffee beans that have been ground, brewed, dried, and then ground to a very fine powder. It’s much more concentrated than instant coffee, which means you only need a teaspoon or so in your chocolate recipe to do the trick. Just check the expo date on your jar:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan