Lace Cookies

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Bring brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup just to boil in medium saucepan over medium heat, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Off heat, beat in pecans, flour, cream, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
2. Drop 6 rounded teaspoons of batter 3 inches apart on each prepared baking sheets. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies spread thin, turn deep golden brown, and bubbling has subsided, 6 to 7 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking.
3. Let cookies cool and firm up slightly on baking sheet for 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool or shape as desired. Repeat with remaining batter.

SPICED WALNUT LACE COOKIES
Substitute 1 cup finely chopped walnuts for pecans and add 1⁄2 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon and 1⁄4 teaspoon each ground allspice, ground cloves, and ground ginger with vanilla.

SHAPING LACE COOKIES
Until you get the hang of shaping these cookies, we recommend baking only two or three at a time. After making each of the shapes below, gently hold the cookie in place until it is set, about 10 seconds, then let cool on a wire rack. If the cookies cool on the cookie sheet too long and become too brittle to shape, place the entire sheet back in the oven for a minute or two until soft again. If any of the cookies shatter after you have shaped them, save the crumbles to sprinkle on ice cream sundaes.
A. After cooling, slide wide metal spatula under 1 cookie. If it does not bunch or tear, cookies are ready to move.
B. To make “cigarette” place cookie against handle of wooden spoon and roll cookie over itself as quickly as possible.
C. To form tuile, lay cookie over rolling pin or wine bottle set on its side so that cookie forms gentle curve.
D. To form tricornered hat, mold cookie over opening of wine bottle or other bottle of similar shape, then flute edges to form tricornered hat shape. Hold until set.
E. Cones are easiest shaped by hand. Holding both sides of cookie, wrap 1 side over other, overlapping about 1 inch or so.
F. To form bowl, lay cookie over bottom of small bowl turned upside down and gently mold cookie to follow contour of bowl.

DECORATING LACE COOKIES WITH CHOCOLATE
You can melt about 6 ounces of chopped semisweet chocolate over simmering water or use any glaze of your choice. Rewarm chocolate to restore its fluidity. Lay the cookies on parchment paper to set.
A. Cigarette shapes or flat cookies may be dipped halfway into glaze.
B. Flat cookies may be painted with pastry brush or spoon, or you may dip bottom into glaze.
C. Another option for flat cookies is to place them on sheet of waxed paper, and then drizzle chocolate over them with pastry bag.