Pistachio lace cookies are a nutty take on a classic and are surprisingly easy to make. Buttery flavor melts in your mouth with every light, flaky bite. Crunchy pistachios add extra deliciousness.
Named for the lacey holes that form as they bake, most lace cookie recipes call for cooking the batter before baking. Then, the batter is spooned onto a baking sheet, hoping the cookies come out somewhat round.
I've simplified the process for making lace cookies, and my tip for freezing the dough lets you slice and bake perfect lace cookies every time.
This is also a bonus because you can keep the dough chilled and bake a few off anytime during the holidays!
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You'll find cookies like this with various ingredients. Sometimes lace cookies are made with almonds or include rolled oats or other nuts. I love the sophistication of pistachios and the color they add.
Lace cookies are similar to Brandy Snaps in that the batter cooks into a thin, very crisp sheet. Brandy Snaps are quickly rolled into a cannoli shape and filled with cream, but lace cookies often stay flat.
Ingredients in This Lacey Cookie Recipe
Simple, pantry ingredients go into making these little wonders. Five, to be exact!
- The butter (plenty of it) gives the cookies great flavor, helps them get golden brown, and causes them to spread to that wonderful thinness.
- I use confectioners' sugar and corn syrup for sweeteners, but they also play a big role in the cookie's structure.
- A bit of bread flour as well as the pistachios gives the lace cookies' batter substance.
Why Use Confectioners' Sugar?
I swapped granulated sugar for confectioners' in my pistachio lace cookies to cut out the step of cooking the batter. Cooking a batter simply helps melt the sugar granules before baking since these cookies don't stay in the oven long enough to do it themselves!
Confectioners' sugar is so finely processed, it blends and melts fast enough in the oven.
Why Use Corn Syrup?
Corn syrup is an invert sugar. That means it prevents sugar crystals from forming. This all happens on a microscopic level, so you don't see that sugar granules have jagged little edges. They like to cling to each other and form bigger crystals.
Corn syrup helps melt the cookies properly when baked and stay nice and smooth. Even with confectioners' sugar, the corn syrup acts as a interfering agent and prevents with the crystallization process.
Why Use Bread Flour?
I choose bread flour because of its high protein content. Not completely necessary with this recipe, but just a little help to make them the most perfect lacey cookies.
If you swap it for all-purpose flour, the batter is more likely to be thin and crispy and darker in color as it bakes.
Can I Use Another Kind of Nut?
Yes! You could use any nut to create Christmas lace cookies. (Almonds are typically used in this recipe.)
However, I love the festive color and killer flavor pistachios have. They let everyone know you think they're special enough to spoil them.
How to Make Lace Cookies
These pistachio cookies are very unique, but are so easy to make! Here's an overview of the baking process:
- In a bowl, beat together the butter and confectioners' sugar. Mix in corn syrup, then add nuts and flour.
- Wrap dough in a sheet of plastic wrap, forming it into a log 1½ inches in diameter. Freeze until firm.
- Unwrap log and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices, rooting after each slice so log retains its shape.
- Place rounds about 3 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake until golden and lacy.
- Slide cookies, still on parchment, onto countertop to cool.
Tips for Making Christmas Lace Cookies
- Be sure to use parchment paper on your baking sheets, or a silicone baking mat. I love pre-cut parchment sheets so much! I stock up on them every few months! Silicone baking mats are so great for avid bakers. They are reusable, so wash them after use.
- I made these as pistachio cookies, but you may use any chopped nut you prefer.
- I do not recommend substituting the corn syrup or confectioners' sugar. Please read the post above to learn why I selected these specific ingredients.
More Unique Christmas Cookies:
- Chocolate Snowman Cookies
- Honey Cinnamon Cut Out Cookies
- Blossom Chai Cookies
- Black Sesame Chocolate Chip Cookies
📖 Recipe
Pistachio Lace Cookies
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons light-colored corn syrup
- ⅔ cup coarsely chopped pistachios
- ½ cup bread flour
Instructions
- In a bowl, beat together butter and confectioners' sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium speed. Mix in corn syrup, then add nuts and flour; mix to combine.
- Wrap dough in a sheet of plastic wrap, forming it into a log 1½ inches in diameter. Freeze until firm, 30 min.
- Heat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment.
- Unwrap log and quickly cut into ¼-inch-thick slices, rolling after each slice so log retains its shape. Place rounds about 3 inches apart on baking sheets.
- Bake until golden and lacy, 9 to 10 min. Slide cookies, still on parchment, onto countertop to cool; repeat with remaining dough.
Notes
Nutrition
Cookie Recipes from Tara Teaspoon
Tara Teaspoon
I’ve been in food publishing for over 25 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television, food brands, & advertising. With two cookbooks under my belt and thousands of my recipes at your fingertips, I hope you'll be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen!
Recipe by Tara Teaspoon, Susan Vajaranant and Sara Kaluzshner. Photographs by José Picayo. Food Styling by Sara Neumeier. Originally published Dec 09/Jan 10 in LHJ.
Mary Bench says
Pistachios! These look fabulous!
Brittany Smart says
Mmmmm they look so crunchy and delicious!
Emilie says
They work perfectly well with gluten free flour! I subbed it in 1:1. They are deliciously light and crispy
Tara Teaspoon says
Thank you for letting me and my readers know about the GF flour Emilie! Tara
Brenda Caldeira says
excellent cookie I did'nt have pistachios the first time I made them so I used chopped pecans instead and they were a good alternative.
Mario says
Hi! I'm wondering if you can help with the issues I experienced with this recipe. I followed everything (and used grams for precise measurements) except I used all-purpose flour (11.8% protein). I baked them for 14 minutes because they weren't brown until that point. Mine were more brown than your photo, but they never got completely crunchy. They can bend a bit. And, they are so incredibly greasy. Like, pools of oil under the cookies. What happened? I want this recipe to work and I'm thinking about reducing the butter, but then I don't think they will spread so thin.
Tara T. says
Hi Mario,
Let's try to troubleshoot. First don't use European style butter or butter with higher butterfat. I know it's tempting to use Kerrygold or Plugra but I tested it with regular butter like Land O' Lakes. Next, I appreciate you used weights, but what was your weight of flour? It may have been less than mine. I would suggest just spooning flour into your cup and leveling off, OR please add 1 to maybe 2 tablespoons more flour. That may help absorb some of the butterfat.
It seems negligible, but the bread flour did make a difference for me. If you don't have it, try the addition of more flour first. If there's still trouble with AP flour move to bread flour.
One other thing is, it is summer, and depending on where you live, there may be excess humidity that causes the cookies to stay soft. Lace cookies are quite finicky in general and they love a nice dry winter (thus being a holiday cookie).
Lastly, I test with an oven thermometer. While you can adjust your cooking times, it may be of help to see what temp your oven sits at.
I sure hope these things might help. It's all I can think of without being there to see them. Thanks for reaching out.
Tara
Thank you for the really quick response, Tara!
I'll reply as concisely as possible!
1) I'm using Anchor brand butter from New Zealand
2) For flour I always follow 1 cup = 130 grams and scale accordingly
3) I live in Taiwan, which is extremely humid! Especially now!
4) I always use an oven thermometer and it was at 180 C (a little higher than 350 F)
5) I will definitely try it with more flour, unless the humidity is going to be a problem no matter what :-/
-Mario
Yes with that butter you’ll probably have a bit more fat to contend with. More flour should help.
And yes, the humidity may make them tricky.
Could you try half a batch with the extra flour so it’s not a waste?
It sounds like you’re spot on with everything else, and getting actual bread flour is probably not an option.
I hope it works better!!