"Coquito" Lace Cookies

I promised y’all more dessert recipes so here’s another go at sharing some more sweetness on the blog. Yay! Lace cookies are one of my favorite cookies to snack on when I do happen to have a sweet tooth. They’re incredibly thin, almost see through when held up to the light, and are insanely crispy. I love how simple they are to make, especially since this recipe yields 4 dozen cookies! That’s right, 48 cookies. But since they’re so small and thin, they’re easily stackable and make a great gift (especially during the holidays).

I like using rolled oats for the lace cookies for additional texture and body, which worked with the coquito-inspired flavors used in the recipe. When it comes to baking, I like adapting and tweaking recipes I learned in school and from previous jobs. It was fun combining these different influences to get a new way to enjoy coquito flavors at home. You’ll get the regular players in each bite with the warming spices with the vanilla and coconut extracts without the booze. These came out so great and I can’t wait for y’all to enjoy these with your family. Let’s get baking!

“Coquito” Lace Cookies

Cook time: 20 minutes 

Yield: 4 dozen cookies

1/2 cup (or 1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup and 2 tbsp light brown sugar, packed

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp coconut extract 

1 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 large egg or 2 tbsp, beaten (see note)

1 cup and 2 tbsp rolled oats (not quick oats)

Note: you can read more about how to halve eggs for baking here: How To Halve an Egg for Baking | Kitchn. In culinary school, I always whisked the egg in a small bowl first to combine the white and yolk, and then measured it on a food scale since all eggs vary in size. If you don’t have a food scale at home, simply use about 2 tbsp of beaten egg. For this recipe, I used a heaping tablespoon since my eggs were on the smaller side even though they were sold as large eggs.

Preheat oven to 375º F. Line baking sheets (I used two and worked in batches) with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. If you have a silpat, I’d definitely suggest using that since these cookies slide right off them when they're done baking. Set aside.

Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once the butter is fully melted, carefully remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar, vanilla extract, coconut extract, all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and kosher salt. Stir until fully combined. Then, stir in the beaten egg.

Next, fold in the rolled oats until fully combined. Drop the cookie batter by the teaspoon onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie to allow them to spread. It’s gonna be a little loose but that’s okay. All of the sugar is going to spread out and crisp up while baking and that’s what we want: very thin and very crunchy cookies.

Bake for 6 minutes, watching closely to prevent them from over-baking. The lace cookies should be golden around the edges but slightly lighter in color in the center. They’ll finish cooking once removed from the oven and cooling down due to carryover heat.

Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then remove and place the cookies onto baking racks (I like using my fish spatula to transfer the cookies) to cool completely. If you don’t have a fish spatula, a regular thin-edged one works. Depending on how many sheet pans you have, you can work on the next batch of cookies. I had two half sheet pans and did two rounds of baking which yielded the 4 dozen cookies (a dozen per sheet pan, four times). Once cooled completely, enjoy, pack up in airtight containers, and gift to friends!

¡Buen provecho!