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    Home » Cookies

    Published: Jul 1, 2021Modified: Mar 1, 2024 by Richelle Tucker ·

    Homemade Vanilla Wafers

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Nilla Wafers has a chokehold on the vanilla wafer market. I can’t even tell you another brand that you could buy for Vanilla Wafers.  The real question is why aren’t we making these at home!?!  Vanilla Wafers are so easy to make, just like the homemade graham crackers. 

    Disclaimer!

    Mixing the cookie batter is simple enough, but you will need a piping bag and a Wilton 2A tip to pipe the wafers.  Be warned, this recipe makes 100 wafers! 

    Do these Vanilla Wafers taste like Nilla Wafers?

    No, they don’t taste exactly like the store bought kind.  The key difference is that store bought kind includes shortening (not that there's anything wrong with shortening, it just tastes different) and the homemade Vanilla Wafers are made with butter.  The result is a richer tasting wafer. 

    Recipe Notes

    The Vanilla Wafer  recipe calls for two ingredients to be room temperature: 1 egg and ¼ cup heavy cream.   To quickly bring an egg to room temperature, place the egg in a measuring cup and fill with warm (but not too warm) water.   Let the egg sit in the water bath for about 5 minutes. 

    To bring the heavy cream to room temperature, microwave it in 5 second bursts until it reaches the desired temperature. 

    Special Equipment

    • Parchment Paper.  Using Parchment paper is usually optional, but since we’re using a cake batter-like dough, the parchment paper will allow you to correct mistakes without upsetting the whole tray of cookies AND they won’t get stuck to the pan.  Win. Win. 
    • Piping bag or gallon size ziploc bag. 
    • Wilton 2A (or similar) piping tip. 

    Storing your Vanilla Wafers. 

    Let’s be honest here, shall we?  The wafers aren’t going to make it long enough to store them.  They just aren’t.  Because once you master these cookies, you’re probably going to make a banana pudding immediately. Or any of these recipes that incorporate vanilla wafers.   You might just eat them plain.   

    If for some reason you have an enormous amount of restraint and don’t live with a mini cookie monster child, like I do, you can store the leftover cookies in a Ziploc bag for up to 2 months.

    Print

    Recipe

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    Homemade Vanilla Wafers


    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    5 from 1 review

    • Author: Adapted from BraveTart by Stella Parks
    • Total Time: 35 minutes
    • Yield: 100 wafers 1x
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Classic Vanilla Wafers made from scratch.


    Ingredients

    Scale

    1 ¾ cups all purpose flour

    ¾ cups sugar

    1 stick of butter, softened

    1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

    ½ teaspoon kosher salt

    1 tablespoon vanilla extract

    1 large egg, room temperature

    ¼ cup heavy cream, room temperature


    Instructions

    1. Heat the oven to 350º F

    2. Prep two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside

    3. Measure out the flour and set aside. 

    4. In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, butter, baking powder, salt and vanilla extract.  Mix on low speed for a minute, then increase the speed to medium and whisk until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  

    5. In a measuring cup, whisk together the heavy cream and the egg. our the egg/cream mixture into the bowl in several additions, giving enough time for the liquid to incorporate before adding more. 

    6. Turn the mixer off and add in the flour.  Turn the mixer speed on low and mix until a thick cake-like batter forms.

    7. Fit a piping bag with a medium plain tip (Wilton 2A or similar) and fill the piping bag with the cookie batter. 

    8. Hold the piping bag perpendicular to the cookie sheet and pipe 1 inch cookies, leaving about ½ inch between each cookie.  A full sized baking sheet can hold about 8 rows of 6. 

    9. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.  Cool on the cookie sheet. 

     

    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 20 minutes
    • Category: Cookies

    Did y'all make this recipe?

    I love seeing your bakes in real life.  Make sure y'all tag @southernshellebakes on Instagram.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Melissa says

      June 17, 2023 at 6:08 pm

      Hoping these will taste more like Jackson Vanilla Wafers. My family would rather starve than eat a Nilla

      Reply
      • SouthernShelle says

        August 31, 2023 at 8:33 am

        I've never had Jackson Vanilla Wafers, and now I am intrigued! I hope they loved them.

        Reply
        • Janet says

          March 21, 2024 at 7:45 pm

          Have not tried recipe but will. Was looking for a sugar free recipe, do you think your recipe could be made with Splenda or another sugar substitute. Have diabetic in family.

          Reply
          • Richelle Tucker says

            March 21, 2024 at 9:49 pm

            Hi Janet! I haven't tried this particular recipe without sugar, but I would try it with Allulose. When I was researching my sugar free chocolate cake recipe, the consensus was that Allulose most closely mimicked regular sugar in baked goods. The other thing to know about allulose is that it causes baked goods to brown faster. If you give it a try, please let me know if it works.

            Reply
        • pammaw says

          June 25, 2024 at 3:48 pm

          Jackson has closed down now I am sad to say. that is why I am looking for a vanilla wafer recipe. all other are just plain inferior. will try this and let you know.

          Reply
      • Tammy says

        October 23, 2023 at 8:40 am

        Melissa, did you make them? A Nilla Wafers box has never seen the light of day in my house. We bought several bags of Jackson's and froze them, but I'm down to the last bag. I'm going to try my hand at making them. Thanks for the recipe, Richelle. Melissa, if you made them, let me know.

        Reply
        • Kim says

          May 19, 2024 at 9:01 pm

          I SO wish I had know Jackson’s wafers were being discontinued! I would have stocked up like you! Did you make these? Are they similar?
          Absolutely no Nilla’s allowed here!!

          Reply
      • Cookie says

        December 11, 2023 at 8:07 pm

        Did the taste like Jacksons...1-10

        Reply
    2. Kathy says

      February 17, 2024 at 3:42 pm

      I am hoping to make these for an event in March. I have a Wilton cookie bar wafer baking sheet pan- It's one of those shallow cookie pans to make decorative cookies. I've never used it. Do you think they'd work in something like this?

      Reply
      • Richelle Tucker says

        February 19, 2024 at 5:41 pm

        Hi Kathy-- I had to google that Wilton pan (and immediately added it to my wish list!) I don't think that pan would work with this recipe because the cookie dough is more of a batter. I would be so worried about them getting stuck in the cavities of the pan and I don't think they would crisp up the same as they do on the regular cookie sheet. If you try it and it works, please let me know!

        Reply
    3. Kristopher Gleason says

      May 30, 2024 at 6:48 pm

      Leaving 5 stars because I already know this will be delicious.
      However, I'm curious on what your recommendations are for shaping the cookies without using a piping bag or Wilton tip.
      Thanks in advance!






      Reply
      • Richelle Tucker says

        May 30, 2024 at 7:51 pm

        If you don't have a piping bag, I'd recommend using a gallon size ziploc bag. fill the bag, but leave it open and twist at the top. Snip the corner of the bottom part of the bag to create an impromptu piping bag! The bigger the hole you cut, the larger the cookies will be. Thanks for the review and comment! Happy Baking.

        Reply

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    Hey Y'all. I'm Richelle, the baker behind Southern Shelle! I started this blog back in 2011 while I was awaiting my bar exam results and I wanted a little of piece home [South Carolina!] while we lived in the DMV area. We eventually moved back south, but that's even more reason to celebrate southern baking and plentiful White Lily Flour!

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