Brown Edge Wafers
Brown Edge Wafers: a light, crisp, buttery vanilla cookie that’s great with a cup of coffee or tea! An easy recipe that’s endlessly versatile.Â
Hey happy Friday! Â Sorry I’m a day late on this post, but it’s been one of those weeks. Â I did some travel last week (which I can’t wait to tell you about), and came home to some renovations on our home, and I’ve been scrambling to keep up ever since. Â But I’m really happy to finally be able to share these brown edge wafers with you, because I have literally been thinking about them for months!
Do you remember brown edge wafers? Â When I was a kid we always had a box in our cupboard. Â It was one of my mom’s favorite cookies. Â I’m sure I frustrated the heck outta her, because I’d come home from school and totally house them while she was at work.
If you aren’t already familiar, they were a light, crisp, buttery vanilla cookie.  So good with a cup of tea or coffee!  They were kind of simple and plain, but they had this completely addictive, slightly caramel quality from the browned edge.  It was the kind of thing where you’d look at the box and think “meh.”  But then before you knew it, you’d devoured half a box.
So many tries for me to get this recipe right! Â Turns out, simple ideas can often be the most challenging. Â Early renditions spread out way too thin and lost their round shape. Then the next round was hard enough to break a tooth… after that it was test after test after test, tweaking the ratios each time, trying to get that perfect balance of thin, crisp, yet easy to work with.
Well, basically I’ve done all the hard work for you. Â I think the final result is a dead ringer for the original, but of course way better because, homemade. Â The buttery vanilla flavor is off the charts, and they’re just as light as air. Â And the best part is, they’re super simple to make, in just one bowl, with no mixer required.
It never ceases to amaze me, all the different things that can be done with just a few simple pantry staples! Â Have a great weekend!
More great cookie recipes on my “Cookie Recipes Galore” Pinterest board!
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Brown Edge Wafers
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, (1 stick), melted & cooled slightly
- 1 1/2 cups (187.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) baking soda
- a pinch of kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place the egg whites and sugar in a medium mixing bowl, and whisk until combined. Whisk in the melted butter. Add the flour and baking soda, and stir until just barely combined. Stir in the vanilla and allow the batter to sit (at room temperature) for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1A tip. Pipe 1 1/2-inch diameter rounds onto the prepared pans, allowing 3 inches in between each, to allow for spreading.
- Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.
I have been looking for these cookies forever (Nabisco Brown Edge Wafers). I didn’t grow up on them, butI was introduced to them when I moved to the DMV area. Everytime I visit another state I always look, especially in the stores that features “RETRO” food and candy. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks
Mary
That’s so nice to hear Mary! We always had a box in our cupboard when I was a child. They were so nice with a cup of tea. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi Allie,
I made these and they didn’t come crispy, they turned out like more cakey, where was I wrong, could it be too much flour?I really want to make them right, thanks for the receipe, I love your blog
Gee Pinar, I’m really not sure? I made them about 7 times just to be sure the texture was spot on. Did yours brown at all? Could they have been underbaked?
Nabisco used to sell these and I have been looking for them. So now I can use your recipe and make them for myself. Thank you Rhonda
My pleasure Rhonda! Those Nabisco Brown Edge Wafers were always a favorite at my house!
Hello, can we use these wafers in Cheesecakes? I mean whenever a cheesecake calls for vanilla wafer crust? thanks
These would be great as a cheesecake crust Hala! I think they’d be especially for this vanilla bean cheesecake: https://bakingamoment.com/vanilla-bean-cheesecake/. Great question; thank you!
we grew up with nilla wafers, but your homemade version is clearly worlds apart. so buttery and good, can’t wait to try!
These cookies look delicious! How much vanilla do I use? Thanks.
Hey Karen! So sorry for the omission. It’s all fixed now! 1/2 teaspoon 🙂
lol these are total mom cookies-my mom was also a fan of them! It’s been forever since I had one but ohhh looking at these pictures I can tell how buttery and delicious they must be!
That is hilarious! They are totally mom cookies lol! I love that you remember them that way too. Thanks Kayle!
Can’t wait to try these!! So disappointed that Nabisco doesn’t make these anymore.
I know! What could they have been thinking, taking them off the shelves???
Allie, These look great but your list of ingredients doesn’t include how much vanilla to use. Please let me know so I can make these soon! Thanks!
Patti I’m so sorry for my mistake! It’s all fixed now- the answer is 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Thanks for the heads up and my apologies!
Likewise for the Pumpkin Spice Coffee cake. It’s missing the measurem nuts for cinnamon.
Sorry. Typo above it’s missing the measurements for the cinnamon.
Sorry about that Wanda! It’s fixed now; thanks for the heads up. 2 teaspoons 😉
Thanks, Allie! I went with 2 teaspoons the day I made it! It was amazing!
Oh awesome! So glad you liked it Wanda- thanks for the great feedback!
Allie, these wafer cookies look amazing! And did you say light, soft and buttery? Definitely making them pretty soon! 🙂
Light, crisp, and buttery! For sure. Thanks Julia, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! 😀
Haha, I meant crisp. No idea why I wrote soft :)!