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    You are here: Home / Desserts / Cookies / Vanilla Wafers Recipe

    Vanilla Wafers Recipe

    March 18, 2021 By Sam 58 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
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    collage of vanilla waffers, top image close up of multiple waffers, bottom image of them on gold wire tray

    My homemade vanilla wafers are perfect for enjoying on their own or in banana pudding, can be made in less than 30 minutes with basic ingredients (and there’s no chilling required)! Recipe includes a how-to video!

    Vanilla wafers on a gold rack

    Homemade ‘Nilla Wafers

    Oh the humble, unassuming vanilla wafer. Such a simple little cookie, perfect for snacking on its own or smothered in vanilla pudding and bananas (they also make a great banana cream pie crust).

    If you follow me on Instagram, you got a sneak peek at these cookies a while ago, and you know that despite their overall simplicity, developing a good recipe for them was actually pretty complicated.

    I used this vanilla wafer recipe as an example for how exactly I go through the process of developing a recipe (the stories are still available in my highlights) and I documented about 5 attempts in one day, though ultimately the recipe took me over 10 tries to totally perfect (who would’ve thought!).

    Finally I’m ready to share this perfected sweet and simple recipe. It uses basic ingredients you probably already have on hand, meaning there’s no excuse to buy those yellow-box cookies! Let’s get to it.

    What You Need

    Ingredients for vanilla wafers
    Ingredients

    The main thing that I love about these cookies? They’re easy to make, fuss-free with very basic ingredients. Let’s go over a few of them:

    • Butter. For perfect flavor (and for complete control over that flavor), I use unsalted butter and add salt. If you only have salted butter on hand just reduce the salt that the recipe calls for to ¼ teaspoon.
    • Vanilla extract. You need quite a bit of vanilla for this recipe: 4 teaspoons. Fortunately, if you don’t feel inclined to dip into your stockpile of the “good stuff” (anyone else make homemade vanilla extract?) this recipe works well with imitation instead. In fact, it may even give you a flavor that’s closer to the vanilla cookies sold in a yellow box at the store…
    • Egg. Just one! I tried this recipe with no eggs (too crumbly, dry, and all-around lacking), just the yolk (too tender, didn’t spread enough), just the white (not as good as using both the yolk and egg) and ultimately settled with one single egg.
    • All-purpose flour. I tested this recipe with all-purpose and cake flour hoping for a finer crumb and a slightly more crumbly results with cake flour. To my surprise, the all-purpose flour won every time. Possibly also worth noting: I tried many versions using cornstarch (one of my favorite secret ingredients). I was sure it would help me get the consistency I was looking for, but ultimately that proved to not be the case!
    • Milk. I recommend and personally use whole milk but I suppose 2% would work in a pinch.

    Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

    How to Make Vanilla Wafers

    1. Beat together sugar and butter, then stir in eggs and vanilla extract.
    2. Separately, whisk together dry ingredients. Stir half into the wet ingredients, then stir in your milk, then the rest of the dry ingredients. This just makes a more cohesive batter than if you were to add the milk with the butter mixture (where it tends to separate).
    3. Drop the dough by rounded spoonful onto a baking sheet, spacing cookies 2 inches (5cm) apart. This is a fairly soft dough.
    4. Lightly flatten the dough with dampened fingertips. This encourages them to spread jusssssttt enough and to cook evenly, otherwise they may end up too thick, meaning centers that are softer and chewier than they ought to be (vanilla wafers should be thinner and crisp!).

    When they’re finished baking, the cookies will be pale golden in color with deeper golden edges. If you flip one over, the edge should be deep golden in color as well. If yours isn’t, it may just need more time in the oven.

    Closeup of wafers on a gold rack

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Do these taste just like store-bought vanilla wafers?

    No, they’re much better. The vanilla wafers you can buy in the store are overwhelmed by artificial flavors and some questionable ingredients (I’m clearly no health-food-fanatic, but high fructose corn syrup and unpronounceable ingredients are a turn off for me).
    It’s those artificial flavors that overpower the store-bought cookies and gives them their distinct taste. This taste can’t be replicated by home bakers like us who are using commonly available (and… cough*so-much-better*cough) ingredients.
    My vanilla wafers instead are richly flavored with real vanilla, perfectly sweetened with just the right amount of crunch, and accented with buttery undertones. It’s clear that they’re vanilla wafers, but they’re much better than anything you could buy at the store.

    Can this recipe be doubled?

    Yes, this recipe doubles well. However keep in mind that while it may not seem like very much dough, the cookies are small and this recipe makes quite a few!

    Can I use homemade vanilla wafers for banana pudding

    Absolutely! I just did so with my own banana pudding recipe, which I’ll be sharing on Monday! One batch makes enough for banana pudding (my recipe, anyway).

    How do you keep vanilla wafers fresh?

    The wafers can be stored in an airtight container for 3-5 days. If I’m going to be making banana pudding with them, sometimes I’ll leave them out uncovered overnight, just to make them a bit stale before I use them in the pudding.

    Closeup of wafers showing tops and bottoms

    More Recipes You Might Like

    • Madeleines (the Best, Easiest Recipe, with Video!)
    • Shortbread Cookies
    • Ladyfingers (Savoiardi)
    • Cookie Sticks

    Enjoy!

    Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card! 

    Closeup showing the tops and bottoms of vanilla wafers

    Vanilla Wafers

    These easy to make vanilla wafers are done in under 30 minutes and require no chilling! Recipe includes a how-to video!
    5 from 33 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Cookies, Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 13 minutes
    Total Time: 23 minutes
    Servings: 55 cookies
    Calories: 39kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup unsalted butter softened (113g)
    • ⅔ cup granulated sugar (133g)
    • 1 large egg room temperature preferred
    • 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (190g)
    • ¾ teaspoons baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 Tablespoon milk

    Recommended Equipment

    • Mixing bowls
    • Baking sheet
    • 2-teaspoon cookie scoop
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
    • Combine butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat together until creamy and well-combined.
    • Add egg and vanilla extract and stir on medium/low speed until completely combined.
    • In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
    • Add about half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir on low-speed to combine.
    • Add milk and stir again on low speed until combined.
    • Finally, add remaining flour mixture and stir until combined.
    • Scoop dough into two-teaspoon sized scoops and drop onto prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies at least 2” (5cm) apart. Lightly flatten with damp fingertips.
    • Bake on 350F (175C) for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown around the edges.
    • Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes on baking sheet then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 39kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 23mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 56IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Emily

      December 20, 2022 at 11:09 am

      5 stars
      Yum! Made these with my daughter last night so we can make banana pudding today and they are fantastic! I also used a piping bag, but just cut a hole rather than used a tip and that was perfect. Other than that I followed directions exactly and will be making these again for sure, thank you!

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        December 20, 2022 at 12:41 pm

        Wonderful! We hope you love them in the finished pudding 🥰

        Reply
    2. Gina

      December 07, 2022 at 12:56 am

      5 stars
      I’m an American that has been here 30 years and I think these are amazing. It’s lovely to know that there are not added preservatives when you make it homemade also. I made this in my thermo mix and it was spot on because it gives you weight measurements also. Thanks

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        December 07, 2022 at 8:30 am

        We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Gina! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Laura

      December 05, 2022 at 11:17 am

      5 stars
      Great recipe! I needed vanilla wafers, but didn’t feel like going out to the store. 🙂 I piped the dough onto the parchment paper as well to try to be consistent size-wise (still wasn’t). They taste like store-bought, but not quite as crunchy. I’ll be using them for banana pudding and I think they’ll be even better. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        December 05, 2022 at 1:55 pm

        We’re so happy you found our recipe, Laura! They’ll work perfectly in your pudding 😊

        Reply
    4. Mary

      August 28, 2022 at 10:17 pm

      5 stars
      Super easy to make taste great the only thing I did different was I cut the edge of a Ziploc bag to put them on the cookie sheet (less mess) that’s the only thing I did differently. I followed the recipe exactly and they are fantastic!!! Thank you so much for this recipe.

      Reply
    5. Sarah

      June 15, 2022 at 8:33 am

      5 stars
      Thank you so much for this! I moved to Australia about 5 years ago so haven’t been able to get store bought Nilla wafers. This recipe is honestly a godsend. The first time I tried this recipe, I made them way too big to get crispy, but they were still delicious.

      The second time, I made them smaller and also used a cup of sugar instead of 2/3 cup, and added an extra teaspoon of vanilla essence and they taste almost exactly (if not exactly) like store bought. Thank you so so much. I made banana pudding with these and it turned out freaking incredible.

      Reply
      • Sam

        June 15, 2022 at 8:52 am

        I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Sarah! 🙂

        Reply
    6. Jackie

      May 21, 2022 at 5:38 pm

      5 stars
      Love these lil babies they are delicious would love to make them with coco powered and suggestions on how much to put in? Thank u ☺️

      Reply
      • Sam

        May 24, 2022 at 9:27 am

        Hi Jackie! I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t say for sure how you would alter it to make them chocolate. 🙁 If you try it I would love to know how they turn out. 🙂

        Reply
      • Sky

        July 03, 2022 at 8:28 am

        I would add 1 tbsp. And1/2 tsp of expression powder to the milk, And then an extra 1/2 tsp milk

        Reply
      • Jenny

        July 31, 2022 at 5:48 pm

        5 stars
        I made it into a cake, baking it for 20 minutes. Used it as a base under banana pudding. It was delicious.

        Reply
        • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

          August 01, 2022 at 9:34 am

          We’re glad it turned out for you, Jenny–sounds delicious! Enjoy 🥰

    7. Candace Johnson

      May 12, 2022 at 4:38 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely amazing cookies. They are so good. I piped mine out of a pipping bad and 2A Wilton tip. My 2 tsp scoop just wasn’t cutting it for me.

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        May 13, 2022 at 2:10 pm

        We’re so glad you liked them, Candace! Thanks for your review ❤

        Reply
    8. Donna

      April 14, 2022 at 3:14 pm

      Hubby really likes these! I use vanilla almond milk and a bit more extract for a really vanilla flavor!

      Reply
    9. Lori

      March 19, 2022 at 9:26 pm

      I made these today. You have to really flatten them or they don’t come out right They taste really great!

      Reply
      • Gisele

        April 15, 2022 at 12:54 pm

        Hi, I’m just wondering if i can freeze them or will it change the texture.

        Reply
        • Sam

          April 17, 2022 at 9:55 pm

          Hi Gisele! You shouldn’t have any issues freezing these. 🙂

    10. Cheryl

      March 17, 2022 at 8:21 pm

      5 stars
      These are simple and tasty, they reminded me of bite of pound cake. I made w gluten free flour for my grandson to have banana pudding. Worked well.

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        March 18, 2022 at 9:14 am

        Wonderful! Thanks for letting us know how they worked with gluten-free flour ❤

        Reply
        • Denise Post

          April 09, 2022 at 2:28 pm

          I am making the vanilla cookie recipe right now but I am a little confused. The directions say a 2 teaspoons scoop but the video says a 2 tablespoon scoop. Which scoop do I use? Thank you.

        • Sam

          April 10, 2022 at 2:19 pm

          Hi Denise! Sorry for the confusion! I had not caught this prior. You will want to use 2 teaspoons here, or you’ll end up with some pretty big vanilla wafers. 🙂

    11. Miriam

      March 08, 2022 at 3:13 pm

      Can’t wait to try these! I will be making these for banana cream pie for my husband’s birthday! He loves nilla wafers so I know he will love these!

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        March 09, 2022 at 9:17 am

        Sounds delicious! We hope your husband enjoys his birthday dessert 😊

        Reply
    12. Pae

      December 29, 2021 at 8:50 pm

      If one uses vanilla bean paste instead of extract, will it be less teaspoons? It seems like the paste will be much stronger in flavor. Your thoughts?

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        December 30, 2021 at 10:48 am

        Hi Pae! We haven’t tried this substitution ourselves, so we can’t say for sure how it would turn out. If you do try it, will you let us know how it goes for you? 🙂

        Reply
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