Delicious Lace Cookies Recipe for St. Zelie Martin

Saints Zelie and Louis Martin are the parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and they were canonized in 2015. They share a feast day, which is July 12. Saint Zelie was a very skilled Alencon lace maker and ran a successful business. These beautiful and traditional lace cookies are the perfect way to remember this amazing saint and her trade on her feast day. 

Further down in this post, I also have an optional printable packet that pairs perfectly with this recipe if you are using it to celebrate the feast day of Saints Zelie and Louis Martin. It includes a decorative recipe card, along with meaningful decorations that can be displayed to learn more about the parents of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. (That means the printable set is also wonderful to use in October for the feast day of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.)

If you don’t want a printable packet but still need to print out the recipe, a free, non-decorative printable recipe option is also available at the bottom of this post.

If you still want to enjoy a fun treat to celebrate the feast day of Saints Zelie and Louis Martin, but you don’t want to bake, don’t worry! I have your back! I have some easy suggestions further down for treats that you can purchase instead.

Delicious Lace Cookies Recipe for St. Zelie Martin

Note: The printable version has been corrected to “Saint Zelie is the mother…” instead of “Saints Zelie…”

Ingredients for Lace Cookies

• 1 Stick (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons almond extract (or vanilla extract)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 and 1/2 cups rolled oats (preferably thick-cut)
• Powdered sugar and/or Nutella (optional) 

Directions for Lace Cookies

1. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat until it’s a thick brown liquid. They need to melt; they don’t need to fully mix together.

3. Remove pan from heat and stir in the almond extract, salt, and flour.

4. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

5. Next, add the egg and incorporate with a fork.

6. Once the egg is mixed in, add the oats. Stir until the oats are covered in the mixture. 

7. When you have your oat mixture ready, it’s time to put the cookies on the pan. Drop a tablespoon of batter onto the parchment paper, leaving at least 2 inches around each spoonful.

8. Use the back of the spoon to spread each cookie into a thin circle with the oats being in a single layer, not piled on top of each other. Spray the back of your spoon with oil between cookies. 

9. Bake for 8 minutes or until cookies are crispy and golden brown around the edges.

10. When cookies are cooled, you can dust them with powdered sugar or use them to make cookie sandwiches with Nutella in the middle. Both the powdered sugar and Nutella are optional. 

If you want to print out this recipe, you can find it in the optional printable recipe and feast day packet. If you don’t want to purchase the optional packet, you can also print this recipe for free at the bottom of this post. 

Easy Treat Options for the Feast Day of Saints Zelie and Louis Martin (No Prep Work Needed)

These lace cookies are a fun and delicious recipe, but there are some years when I have the time and energy for this, and other years when I’m in a more “survival” stage of life, and I just can’t do things like this. 

But celebrating is for everyone, no matter your energy level, so I’ve got you! Here’s a fun alternative.

Just get a pack of Little Debbie Fancy Cakes (or anything else “lace-like”, such as Rice Krispie Treats or pizzelle cookies). Once you combine them with my printables, they have all the same vibes as the homemade cookies, and I can promise your kids are going to love them either way! 

Saints Zelie and Louis Martin Printable Set

If you just want to print this recipe for free, scroll down a little further, and you will get to the free printable recipe section.

However, if you’d like to have the decorative recipe option, along with all the printables featured in the pictures of this post, then you’ll definitely want to purchase the St. Zelie’s Lace Cookies Printable Set. 

This printable set is only a couple of dollars, and it will definitely add to your celebration of the feast day of Saints Zelie and Louis Martin in July or the feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux (their daughter) in October.

The St. Zelie’s Lace Cookies printable packet includes:

• A full-page decorative recipe for Lace Cookies with some information about the feast day
• One page with alternate treats you can use that are store-bought, that can be paired with the decorative printables in order to have an easy option for celebrating
• Display cards about Saints Zelie and Louis Martin, as well as about the recipe and why it is appropriate for the feast day
• Decorative recipe card
• Three decorative pages that include some beautiful vintage journal-style displays with symbols, trinkets, and photographs from St. Zelie and her family. These pages can either be attached to one another and displayed like a triptych (kind of like a science fair display board), or you can leave them separate and display them as flat pages
• One page key to play an “I spy” game with your kids, finding the various pieces of St. Zelie’s life that are included in the three decorative pages display 

Get Your St. Zelie Printable Pack Here Now! 

Note: If you were part of the Catholic Icing Monthly Membership in July 2023, you may already have this printable set, as it was the featured liturgical recipe and printable set that month. Each month, a liturgical recipe with printables is included as part of the membership benefits.

Print Recipe

Lace Cookies Recipe

These lace cookies are perfect for celebrating the feast day of Saints Zelie and Louis Martin, since St. Zelie was an expert lace maker and they worked together on her lace making business.

Course: Dessert

Ingredients

Lace Cookies Ingredients

• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons almond extract or vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1.5 cups rolled oats preferably thick-cut
• powdered sugar and/or Nutella optional

Instructions

Lace Cookies Directions

• Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat until it’s a thick brown liquid. They need to melt; they don’t need to fully mix together.
• Remove pan from heat and stir in the almond extract, salt, and flour.
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
• Next, add the egg and incorporate with a fork.
• Once the egg is mixed in, add the oats. Stir until the oats are covered in the mixture.
• When you have your oat mixture ready, it’s time to put the cookies on the pan. Drop a tablespoon of batter onto the parchment paper, leaving at least 2 inches around each spoonful.
• Use the back of the spoon to spread each cookie into a thin circle with the oats being in a single layer, not piled on top of each other. Spray the back of your spoon with oil between cookies.
• Bake for 8 minutes or until cookies are crispy and golden brown around the edges.
• When cookies are cooled, you can dust them with powdered sugar or use them to make cookie sandwiches with Nutella in the middle. Both the powdered sugar and Nutella are optional.

Other Posts You Might Want to Check Out:

• St. Therese Printable Statue Craft for Kids
• St. Therese for Kids (Crafts, Printables, and More)
• Sacrifice with St. Therese Free Printables
• Little Flower Cookies for St. Therese
• DIY Sacrifice Beads

Be sure to check out all of my other July feast day resources as well!