Vanilla Wafers

I like to know what's in my food.

My least favorite part about fancy restaurants is that the menu often doesn't tell you what foods you're getting. Sometimes they'll just tell you the entree and "seasonal vegetables." Um... I'm gonna need more info than that.

Along with this idea, I also like to know what's in the food I buy at the grocery store.

While I'm not one of those people who's scared by the word "chemical" (read more here), I do like to make my foods as naturally as I can. Mostly because I think it tastes better that way. It's fresher, tastier.

The first time (and every time since) I made my homemade banana pudding, I didn't have vanilla wafers. It was late on a Saturday night, and there was a 0% chance I was going to drive to the store just to buy vanilla wafers.

So I decided to search the internet for a recipe for homemade vanilla wafers, and lo and behold, I struck gold.

These vanilla wafers are perfect for using in banana pudding, making tiny cookie sandwiches, or just popping into your mouth as they are (that's what I've been doing this week)!

They're fast and easy to make, and your little ones can easily help you make them. Recipe adapted from Baking Bites. Warning: These are super addictive.

Vanilla Wafers

Yields: between 4-8 dozen, depending on the size

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line cookie sheet with parchment or silpat.

2. Cream together softened butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla.

3. Combine dry ingredients and slowly add them to the butter mixture until well incorporated.

4. Transfer dough to a piping bag with a plain round tip (mine's 1/2"). Pipe little blobs of dough onto the sheet. Smooth the tops with your finger. Bake 10-15 minutes, depending on how dark you want them.

5. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.


Happy Friday!!