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These oatmeal lace cookies feature a creamy, chai-infused dark chocolate ganache, sandwiched between a pair of delicate oatmeal cookies. Made with rolled oats, brown sugar, candied ginger, and chai tea bags, this chai cookie recipe offers a spiced autumn twist on the classic lace cookie.
What Inspired These Oatmeal Lace Cookies?
Although they’re both made from oats, lace cookies bear little resemblance to their cousin, the more traditional oatmeal cookie (or its cousin, the oatmeal cream pie!) Unlike soft, bakery-style oatmeal cookies (which often include add-ins like raisins or walnuts), lace cookies are thin, crispy, and a little bit chewy. In fact, oatmeal lace cookies remind me of the brittle, wafer-thin tuiles often found accompanying ice cream sundaes and other plated desserts.
As a child, I always loved these simple lace cookies. They might not be as fancy as some other desserts, but they’re crispy, crunchy, sweet, caramell-y…and oh so good.
In this recipe, I’ve given the basic lace cookie an autumn glow-up. I’ve added bits of fiery candied ginger, and filled my homemade cookies with a chai-infused dark chocolate ganache. (I’ve experimented with adding chai spice to my chocolate ganaches—and my banana bread—in the past, and it’s always a welcome addition.) And in these chai-spiced oatmeal lace cookies, this classic fall flavor does not disappoint.
Ingredients for Making Oatmeal Lace Cookies
To make this chai cookie recipe, begin by gathering the following ingredients:
- Unsalted Butter – You’ll need unsalted butter to make the cookie dough, plus more for the ganache.
- Brown Sugar – I used a mix of light and dark brown sugars. You can use either variety, or a combination of the two.
- All Purpose Flour – Unlike traditional bakery-style cookies, these only contain a small amount of all purpose flour.
- Ground Cinnamon– Along with candied ginger, ground cinnamon gives these cookies their autumn spice.
- Kosher Salt – If you don’t have kosher salt, you can also substitute fine sea salt, or table salt.
- Vanilla Extract – You can use vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste.
- Egg – You’ll need one large egg, at room temperature.
- Rolled Oats – A.k.a. old fashioned oats. Double-check to make sure that you’re using rolled oats or old-fashioned oats for this recipe. It won’t work properly with “quick” oats or steel cut oats.
- Candied Ginger – You can use homemade or store-bought candied ginger, chopped into very tiny pieces.
- Chai Tea Bags – You’ll need 4 chai tea bags to infuse the chai flavor into the whipping cream.
- Whipping Cream – Or heavy cream, if you’re in the US.
- Dark Chocolate – Choose a high-quality chocolate for this recipe, rather than grocery store chocolate chips. I often make my ganaches with Callebaut 54.5% dark.
Oatmeal Lace Cookie Tips and Tricks
Do not skip the parchment in this recipe, or you’ll find yourself trying in vain to pry your lace cookies away from the tray. If you don’t have parchment on hand, you can bake these on a silicone mat instead.
If you aren’t a fan of chai, you can make the ganache without infusing the cream. Or you can substitute another tea of your liking, such as Earl Grey. Similarly, you can omit the chopped ginger from the cookie batter, or replace it with chopped candied orange peel or lemon peel instead.
Don’t like chocolate? Fill your sandwiches with peanut butter, buttercream frosting, Nutella, or jam. Minimalists might also enjoy these crispy lace cookies all on their own.
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
These chai oatmeal cookies taste best on the day they are made. Layer leftover sandwich cookies between sheets of parchment or wax paper and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Oatmeal lace cookies also freeze well. To freeze, layer in an airtight container between sheets of parchment. Thaw at room temperature.
Other autumn cookie recipes you might enjoy:
Chocolate Molasses Cookies
Oatmeal Cream Pies
Parsnip Cookies
Tahini Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Chai Oatmeal Lace Cookies
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 14 3-inch / 8-centimeter sandwich cookies 1x
Description
Oatmeal lace cookies featuring a chai dark chocolate ganache sandwiched between a pair of delicate, ginger-spiced oatmeal lace cookies.
Ingredients
Oatmeal Lace Cookies:
113 grams unsalted butter (1/2 cup / 1 stick)
225 grams brown sugar* (1 cup + 1 tablespoon packed)
16 grams all-purpose flour (2 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
160 grams old-fashioned oats** (1 1/2 cups)
25 grams candied ginger, finely chopped (2 tablespoons)
Chai-Spiced Chocolate Ganache:
4 chai tea bags
160 milliliters whipping cream, plus more as needed (2/3 cup)
160 grams dark chocolate (5.6 ounces, or about 1 cup)
15 grams unsalted butter, softened (1 tablespoon)
Instructions
Oatmeal Lace Cookies:
Preheat oven to 360° F / 180° C. Line a tray with parchment, and set aside until ready to use.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar melts.
Remove from heat. Stir in flour, cinnamon, and salt, followed by vanilla extract. Set aside and allow mixture to cool for a few minutes at room temperature.
With a wooden spoon or flexible rubber spatula, stir the egg into the sugar mixture. Add the oats and the chopped ginger and stir until fully combined.
Drop batter by the teaspoonful onto prepared tray, allowing 2-3 inches of space between each spoonful. (These cookies will spread!)
Using damp fingers or the back of a metal spoon dipped in water, smooth the batter into thin discs, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until deeply golden brown.
Cool completely on tray. While cookies cool, prepare the ganache.
Chai-Spiced Chocolate Ganache:
In a small saucepan, warm the cream over low heat. Remove from heat, add the tea bags. Cover and set aside to infuse, at least 15 minutes.
With a fine mesh strainer, strain the infused cream to remove the tea bags and any loose bits of tea. Reweigh the cream, and, if necessary, add more cream to make up 160 milliliters (2/3 cup). Return to saucepan and rewarm over low heat.
Meanwhile, melt chocolate over a bain marie or double boiler.
Whisk warm, chai-infused cream into the melted chocolate, followed by the softened butter.
Set aside to cool at room temperature while you prepare for assembly.
Assembly:
Gently peel cooled lace cookies from the baking parchment.
On a clean sheet of parchment, pair each cookie with another of similar size (not unlike finding mates for your French macarons!) Flip one of each pair so that the bottom side of the cookie faces upward.
With a metal whisk, whisk your ganache until thick, creamy, and easy to pipe. (It might take a bit of whisking to reach the desired consistency, but don’t worry–it will firm up eventually!) The ganache should remain fluid enough to flow easily from a piping bag, and spread evenly when sandwiched between two cookies.
Scoop ganache into a disposable piping bag. Pipe a generous dollop into the middle of each cookie. Top with the second cookie and press down gently, allowing ganache to spread to the edges.
Store sandwich cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. Oatmeal lace cookies also freeze well.
Notes
*I used a mix of light and dark brown sugars. You can use either variety, or a combination of the two.
**Make sure you are using old-fashioned oats or rolled oats for this recipe, rather than “quick” or instant oats.
- Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
- Category: Biscuits and Cookies
- Method: Oven + Stovetop
- Cuisine: Dessert