Vanilla Wafers are one of those cookies that consumers take for granted. They are sold in cardboard boxes (we know the color,) they have the texture of the cardboard box (kinda tough,) and they have the flavor…well, you know. Vanilla Wafers from a box are probably the least exciting cookie ever eaten.
A Recipe from 1985
I decided to sleuth out an old-fashioned recipe for Vanilla Wafers. Finding the right recipe wasn’t that easy. The recipes I found on Pinterest were bad. But then I remembered one of my favorite books which is a source of inspiration for many of the recipes that I write. “Better than Store Bought” was published in 1985 by Helen Witty and Elizabeth Schneider Colchie. Super sleuths in their own right, their book features recipes of the products that we take for granted at the grocery store: Marshmallows, orange jelly candy, chestnut puree…the homemade recipes they share work every time.
Of course, Colchie and Witty had the best recipe for Vanilla Wafers. I wanted to bring this recipe to you from 1985. It’s an absolute classic!
Use Parchment Paper for Quick Baking
I recommend using parchment paper for this recipe. Your batch of baked cookies will slide off the cookie sheet very quickly. Just remove the cookie sheet from the oven, pull the sheet of parchment off of the cookie sheet with the baked cookies. Slide a sheet of unbaked cookies on! Parchment paper is always my go to secret weapon in the kitchen for quick, neat baking or roasting.
Vanilla Wafers are good to have on hand for making quick puddings, trifles or my favorite, Classic Banana Pudding. Serve them alongside fresh fruit and whipped cream for a light desert (they are fairly low in calories.) You can make ice cream sandwiches with them. And you can always dunk them in chocolate or fill two of them with a chocolate hazelnut spread for a fancier cookie.
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