Homemade Vanilla Wafers
Homemade Vanilla Wafers, made with real ingredients like butter and milk. Super-simple recipe, with a taste and texture that blows the boxed kind away!
Vanilla wafers are such a classic cookie, and they go so well with just about anything. But have you ever thought about making your own, from scratch?
I have! A lot actually. Vanilla wafers were a huge favorite for my younger son when he was a toddler, and he still enjoys them to this day.
I’ll never forget when he was just a little guy, barely talking. He would wake up in the morning, all tousled hair and rosy cheeks, and toddle straight to the kitchen, where he’d push a chair over to the counter, climb up, and reach for the box of vanilla wafers. All the while repeating, “Googie. Googie. Googie.” The first thing on his mind, from the moment he woke, was cookies.
I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. He’s got a mean sweet tooth, just like his mommy and dad.
I don’t mind indulging it from time to time, but I feel much better about that if I know that what he’s eating was made from wholesome ingredients.
I’ve tried a few different vanilla wafer recipes, but none of them tasted all that much like the original. This one really nails it. It’s got that same crunchy texture, but it’s not at all hard. The cookies practically melt in your mouth, with a rich buttery and intensely fragrant vanilla flavor.
Best of all, the recipe is so simple. Just a handful of basic ingredients in the mixer and you’ve got a big enough batch to make around 65 cookies. Now that’s a lot of toddler snacks!
Got a cookie monster in your house too? Make sure you’re following my “Cookie Recipes Galore” Pinterest board, for lots more awesome cookie recipes!
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Homemade Vanilla Wafers
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, (1 stick), softened
- 1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (61 ml) milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup (156.25 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the butter, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl, and beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy (3 to 5 minutes).
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, then mix in the milk and vanilla until combined.
- Stir in the flour and salt, taking care not to overwork the dough.
- Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1A tip. Pipe 1-inch diameter circles onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottoms and around the edges.
- Cool completely, then store in an airtight container.
Hi Allie,
My daughter has an egg allergy, and finding this recipe really brought a smile to my face! Thank you so much for sharing! I can’t wait to make them for her.
Hi Claudia! I’m so glad you were able to find something here that you and your daughter can enjoy together. That really warms my heart. Have fun making and eating these cookies!
I make cheesecakes and prefer vanilla wafer to graham cracker crusts. Have been looking for an easy to make homemade vanilla wafer recipe so I can stop using the store bought kind full of shady ingredients. Just made these, and after tasting one a few minutes out of the oven I know I will never buy another store bought box of vanilla wafers again. The only problem I will have is not eating half the batch every time. They are potentially addictive! My only change may be to use vanilla sugar next time to enhance the vanilla flavor a bit. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Ooh I love your vanilla sugar idea! And I always have that on hand for my coffee, so I’ll definitely use it next time I make these cookies. Thanks so much for the great feedback; I’m so glad to hear that you were pleased with the recipe. You’re right- it would be fantastic as a cheesecake crust. And you might want to check out this recipe (https://bakingamoment.com/vanilla-bean-cheesecake/), it’s my favorite!
I want to try this cookie recipe but I am glutin free so I’m going to try using my flour and hope it works put ok sure will be nice to have baba a pudding again and PB and Nikka wafers are gtrat!
Hope it works well for you! Good luck!
I don’t have parchment paper. Will it be okay to spray a cookie sheet with butter-flavored spray instead? Also, since finances are limited, I only use salted butter. How much should I cut back on the salt in the recipe? Thank you!
Hey Tammy! I’m afraid if you sprayed the pan the cookies might spread too much. You might be better off just skipping that step altogether. As for the salt- it’s tough to say. You may not need any or you may want to cut it by half. It’s really up to your taste! Good luck!
I just wanted to say that the cookies are great, but the gray and teal text is a little hard to read (especially the teal) on the white background.
Thanks so much Nancy!
Hi Allie!
I apologize if this has been asked before, but I didn’t see a FAQ anywhere.
How do you measure flour? Dip/sweep or lightly spoon into a cup then sweep excess away? Or, if you happen to have a gram weight per cup, that would be even better!
Thanks!
Hey J! Always lightly spoon and sweep. And if you’re looking for a weight conversion chart, I have a free printable. Check out the link in my sidebar. Hope that’s helpful!
Can i use the wafers for the bottom of a cheesecake?
Yes absolutely!
Fantastic, and we made them vegan! Next time I might opt for vanilla almond milk instead as I felt they could have used more vanilla flavor (but Only because I really LOVE vanilla, my husband says they are perfect as is ;)).
The more vanilla the better! So glad you enjoyed. Thanks for the great feedback Michelle!
My mother always made banana pudding with homemade vanilla wafers. It made the pudding so much better. This recipe is excellent. Great flavor and texture. Now I’m off to make a big bowl of banana pudding with these.
Thanks.
Aw what a nice memory! Love that you’re doing that, Jane. Enjoy the banana pudding, and thanks so much for the great feedback!
Jan and Allie I have a question…I would like to use this recipe for the bottom of mini cheesecakes…when baked under the cheesecake batter will it soften like a regular van wafer would?? Thank you for your reply…maria
Hi Maria! I have not tried that myself but I would imagine so. They are very similar to a store-bought vanilla wafer. Good luck and I hope you enjoy!
These look great. I can’t wait to try them. I love Nilla Wafers, I just don’t like to buy them for the same reason you stated. Thanks so much.
My pleasure Christina! Hope you get a chance to try making them sometime soon!
Thk you Allie for this easy and yummy recipe..The kids just loved them?.. love from lebanon 🙂
My pleasure Leila! I’m so glad it worked well for you- thanks for the great feedback!
In your description at the top of recipe you mention eggs but nowhere in the ingredients or method eggs are mentioned. Is it an over sight or are these wafers egg less? I would be most happy if they are egg less.
Hi Sandhya! Thanks so much for the great question. You are correct- there are no eggs in this recipe. It’s a short list of ingredients and really simple. Hope you have a chance to make them sometime soon!
Perfect as a stand-alone treat or as a component in icebox cakes, pie crust, etc! Perfect.
Totally! I love that you think outside the box like that. Thanks so much Jessie!
Hi Allie, Vanilla wafers were a favorite when I was a kid. I have to try homemade. Can’t wait to try your recipe. Pinned for later 😉
Aw, I love that! Hope you get a chance to try the recipe real soon. Thanks so much for the positive feedback!
These wafer cookies look SO delicious and crisp and perfect! Pinning!!
Aw, thank you so much Kayle! I really appreciate the sweet comment and the share 🙂
Hi Allie! I can’t wait to try these, I make homemade banana pudding and I hate using the store bought Nilla Wafers, thank you for posting this! They also look so beautiful, nice and puffy and perfect like everything you do! Take care..Dora
Aw, thank you so much Dora! I’m so pleased you’re going to try making these. They’d be absolutely PERFECT for banana pudding. Hope you enjoy!