Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on low heat. Once it has melted, add the brown sugar, almond flour, salt, and milk. Cook and whisk until sugar has dissolved and ingredients are completely combined, around 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract. If the butter starts separating, just keep whisking. The mixture will be grainy and shiny. Allow the dough to cool and thicken for about 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350oF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mats.

Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of dough 3 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. The dough will melt and spread considerably as it cooks, so plan on multiple batches of six cookies per standard baking sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes until golden brown around the edges. Undercooked lace cookies won’t set up as well so you want to be sure to allow them to brown a little.

Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets. Then they can be transferred to the counter or a cooling rack to finish crisping.

For the optional chocolate coating, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then 10 seconds at a time until melted. Add a tsp of butter and mix completely. Brush the bottoms of cooled cookies with a thin layer of melted chocolate, then place them face down to let the chocolate set. Or stick another cookie on there to make a sandwich. They are best stored covered in the fridge.