Vanilla Wafer Recipe: How to Make Vanilla Wafers
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Jul 21, 2024 • 3 min read
Vanilla wafers are a type of disk-shaped buttery wafer cookie with a slightly chewy texture. These subtly sweet cookies make a great addition to creamy desserts, offering a satisfying textural contrast. Read on for a homemade vanilla wafer recipe that will become a welcome addition to your baking repertoire.
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What Is a Vanilla Wafer?
A vanilla wafer is a light, crispy cookie that gets its mild, sweet flavor from using real vanilla. The full recipe for this simple cookie uses only flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. It is a versatile cookie that can be enjoyed on its own or added to a banana pudding recipe, banana cream pie recipe, or a boston cream pie recipe to add some light, sweet crunch. Vanilla wafers have a rich and buttery flavor reminiscent of a shortbread cookie, butter cookie, or sugar cookie. In addition to being a key ingredient in a classic banana pudding, vanilla wafers can also be used in pie crusts and to garnish creamy desserts like ice cream and cheesecake.
4 Tips for Making Vanilla Wafers
Vanilla wafers are almost just as simple to assemble as they are to buy pre-made. Most of the ingredients for vanilla wafers are probably already on your regular grocery store shopping list. However, there are a few rules of thumb you should follow to set yourself up for success when making vanilla wafers.
- 1. Bring your eggs to room temperature. As you’re assembling your baking workstation, set your eggs on the counter and allow them to come to room temperature before you use them in your dough. Adding cold eggs to the wafer batter can potentially cause the mixture to curdle, preventing a smooth texture overall.
- 2. Use high-quality vanilla. Due to the simplicity of this cookie, the quality of the vanilla you use in the recipe will make a major flavor difference. Opt for homemade or high-quality vanilla extract over a cheaper imitation option.
- 3. Chill the batter. Chill your vanilla wafer cookie batter in the refrigerator for at least 15 before you start to form the cookies. This will encourage the wafers to maintain their shape.
- 4. Store your wafers properly. Allow your homemade vanilla wafers to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. Consume wafers that you store at room temperature within a week of baking them. Store the wafers in an airtight zip-top bag in the freezer for up to a month.
Vanilla Wafer Recipe
makes
60 cookiesprep time
40 mintotal time
55 mincook time
15 minIngredients
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 2
Combine the butter, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Cream together the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. This should take about 2 minutes.
- 3
Add the egg, egg white, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Mix it on low speed until the ingredients are combined.
- 4
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- 5
Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- 6
Add the remaining flour to the dough and mix on low speed until fully incorporated.
- 7
Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- 8
Line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper coated with non-stick spray.
- 9
Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator.
- 10
Using a spoon or piping bag, distribute equal-sized dollops of dough onto the cookie sheet (about 2 teaspoons per cookie), leaving at least 1 inch of space between each wafer.
- 11
Holding the sides of the cookie sheet, gently tap it against the counter to settle the cookies.
- 12
Bake the cookies until they reach a golden brown color, which should take about 13–15 minutes.
- 13
Let the wafers rest for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Let your cookies cool completely before you serve them.
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