If you were a kid in the 90s, growing up in India, you would remember the candy LactoKing. I think there were other manufacturers who called it Maha Lacto, or Lactocaramel. But it was essentially the same. Hard toffee, sweet, caramel like with a hard bite to it. Yello wrapper. 50 paise each.
After Coffee bite, they were my second favourite candy. And guess what? This cookie, tastes just like that! The same taste, crunch, plus the added nuts. Yumm! They originally come from the Tuscan region of Italy, where they are called Florentines and don’t they look beautiful? See that lovely see-through pattern? Hence the nickname, Lace cookies.
If you weren’t an Indian kid in the 90s, well then these are the Trader Joe’s Lacey cookies – the ones they sell coated with chocolate on one side.
These are deceptively simple to make, needing absolutely no physical exertion. Take the ingredients, let it come to a boil for a minute, stir in the flour, scoop onto the baking sheet, bake and voila! It’s done. No whisking, no rolling, so cutting, shaping, nothing! And it is fool-proof! Perfect for the holidays, or as a hostess gift. Wrap them in a ribbon, or put them in a cute box, and you are all set!
If not, these small wafers will work beautifully as a garnish on a dessert, say a slice of chocolate cake, or a scoop of ice cream.
Optional:
1. You can brush one side with melted chocolate for an added boost of flavour and texture. But the ones brushed with chocolate tend to soften a bit, with no loss in flavour.
2. Add flavouring to the batter, like vanilla essence, aniseed, fennel, citrus zest, etc.
Notes:
1. You could re-use the same tray+ parchment paper. Let the first batch cool, remove and then pour in the next batch. If the batter had solidified a bit, then reheat over medium heat till liquid again, then spoon onto the baking tray.
2. To make clean-up a breeze, soak the pan used to make the batter in water for 15-20 minutes. The sugars will dissolve and rinse right off!
Shana Hammond says
Hello! I would love to make these. However, do you think if I used coconut and/or rolled oats instead of almonds, it would come out right? Thank you!!
Tina Dawson says
I’m not sure, Shana, since I haven’t tried doing that, but why not halve the recipe and give it a try and let me know if it works! Theoretically, it sounds like it should work.
Helene says
Hi! I’m vegan so I tried this recipe previously using vegan butter and it came out amazing but I’m wondering if I could use coconut oil instead of butter all together? Thoughts? Thanks!!
Tina Dawson says
I’m really not sure if coconut oil would work Helene, but I can definitely add it into my veganize+test list. I’m still working my way through the blog archives, veganizing recipes, and I promise, I’ll get to this soon. In the meantime, if you find that it works, will you let me know??? So I can update it in the post so others who wish to veganize it will find it helpful?
Lakshmi VP says
Hi! Must you peel, blanch and grind the almonds?
Tina Dawson says
You could, but I didn’t. I think I enjoyed the extra color the skin gave to the caramelised look.