LOVE these little gems. Who knew that a vanilla wafer cookie could be so yummy. Crisp, vanilla-y and so addictive you will likely need to double the recipe. (Luckily I did.) I must admit that my kids looked uninterested when they saw them on the counter – but as soon as they tasted them (I had to make them!), they said, yup, really good cookie! And yes mom, blogworthy. Andy asked if I could make them for his class at school 🙂 Eat these alone or mix with ice cream (per my usual), or make little ice cream sandwiches filled with different kinds of ice cream. Perfect for the upcoming holidays. You can also grind and make into a tasty buttery pie/tart crust to fill. Enjoy –
By the way, I love Lauren Chattman’s book. It is filled with super fun and easy recipes that you can whip up easily. I don’t know her — so know that I’m not pushing a purchase…but just thought I’d mention.
homemade vanilla wafers (from Mom’s Big Book of Baking by Lauren Chattman):
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour (not self rising)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks (save the whites for meringues)
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract (a lot I know!)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Whisk together the 2 types of flour, baking powder and salt.
With the paddle attachment of your mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy. about 3-5 minutes. Scrape down bowl, and mix again to incorporate.
Add the whole egg, yolks and the vanilla and beat until nice and smooth.
Remove from mixer and fold in dry ingredients until just combined.
Place the bowl in the fridge for at least 20 minutes (you can also let it sit overnight – or whenever you want to bake off)
Drop batter by rounded teaspoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets.
Bake until the edges have browned and the tops of the cookie are set 6-10 minutes (and maybe longer if you are filling your oven with more than one rack at a time. Just keep checking.
Enjoy!