Lace Cookies (other people call them Florentines)

I know I should be writing about music a bit more.....but for now I want to talk about these cookies. I have had this recipe for at least 10 years and have no idea where it came from (a recurring theme here, but it's true).

My husband has been traveling for the last week and I wanted to bake some cookies to welcome him home. My first thought was Chocolate Chip Cookies...because they are just so yummy. Then I remembered this recipe and thought, "Well now I have a great excuse to make these again"!

I posted a picture of my creation on Facebook and was so happy when my friend Kellie (see the Immersion Blender blogs....) thought I had brought them home from the store.  hee hee......!

The recipe is super simple to put together  - but trust me on this one point: You MUST use either a Silpat (with butter) or foil slathered in butter or the cookies will cement themselves to your baking sheet and you will probably end up throwing it away. Seriously. I think parchment may work too, but I haven't tried it - I can only vouch for the two previous methods.

So here's the fabulous recipe for Lace Cookies (otherwise known as Florentines)

1/2 C butter (1 stick)
1 C regular oats
3/4 C sugar
1 beaten egg
1 tsp vanilla
3 TBS flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

Line cookie sheets with silpats or foil and lightly butter.

In large saucepan, melt butter. Remove pan from heat and stir in oats, sugar, egg and vanilla. Then add flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well. The dough with be VERY runny and loose.

Use a measuring teaspoon to spoon mixture onto prepared baking sheet, several inches apart (the cookies will spread!), 9 to a sheet.

Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool on sheet, on a wire rack for another 10 minutes (til cookies are set).

Peel CAREFULLY from foil or silpat.

If desired, dip edges in melted chocolate and roll in chopped almonds.

To melt chocolate, chop 1/2 bar of good quality baking chocolate and put in a glass bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until melted.