Coconut Honey Lace Cookies

Lace cookies are sweet, crispy thins all the more enticing because they break so easily. Still pliable when removed from a hot oven, they cool quickly, and some likely won’t survive the first transfer from cookie sheet to plate. That’s the best part, as you get to eat all the coconut cookie shards.

The inspiration for these cookies came while making last week’s custard tart. I wanted to create a topping that would be brittle like the torched sugar coating on crema catalana or crème brûlée. Thin and crispy coconut lace cookies were a satisfying and crunchy topping for natillas, and they are just as delicious on their own.

Ingredients

¼ cup butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
¼ cup flour
⅔ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
¼ teaspoon salt

From brown butter varieties to coconut macaroons, sometimes the only cookie that will match my mood is something without chocolate. These coconut honey lace cookies are the buttery, crispy break you might need too. They are pretty enough to serve alongside festive holiday desserts, with a lacy pattern that emerges as they spread in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the brown sugar, honey, and salt and stir over low heat until fully combined. This mixture provides a sweetness that tends toward toffee, giving the cookies a rich, toasty flavor. Raise the heat and cook until mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Stir in flour followed by coconut.

Scoop teaspoons of the batter onto the parchment paper, leaving plenty of room as cookies will spread. About 6 will fit on a large baking sheet. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking. Keep a close eye on the cookies and remove once they are golden. This is the key to the perfect texture and flavor. If you remove them too early, they will not be crispy, but if they become dark, taste suffers. Fresh out of the oven, the cookies are pliable and should be transferred still on their parchment paper to cooling racks. They will take on a delicate, crispy texture as they cool.