Recipe: Pecan Lace

Pecan Lace
Source: Joy of Cooking
Makes 72

Since much of the appeal of these see-through wafers is in their brittle, caramelized texture, make them on a dry day.

1/2 cup pecans -- finely chopped
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar -- packed
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla

Have all ingredients at room temperature, 68 to 70 F. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease cookie sheets or cover with well-greased aluminum foil.

Toast pecans, stirring constantly, in a baking pan until very lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes the pecans. Set aside to cool.

Increase the oven temperature to 375F.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Adjust the heat and boil the butter gently, stirring occasionally, until the solids on the bottom of the pan turn light brown, 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in until well blended remaining ingredients except the nuts. Stir in the nuts. Drop the batter by scant measuring teaspoonfuls onto the sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart. Don't crowd, as the wafers will spread a great deal. The batter will stiffen as it cools.

Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until the cookies are golden brown all over and slightly darker at the edges, 6 to 8 minutes; rotate the sheet halfway through baking for even browning.

Remove the sheet to a rack and let stand until the cookies firm slightly, about 1 minute. Gently transfer the cookies to racks to cool. If they become too cool and brittle to be removed easily, return them to the oven a minute to soften.