This homemade vanilla wafer recipe is the perfect addition to mini cheesecakes, banana pudding, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and many more desserts! They are great plain or with dip. Make them with einkorn or with regular flour.
There’s just something about vanilla wafers that makes me think about my Grandma Betty. I’m really excited about this homemade vanilla wafer recipe. Even though Grandma always had store-bought vanilla wafers, these are even better!
There are some things I can’t do without thinking of my Grandma. Putting in garden, snapping green beans, and making chicken and dumplings are just a few.
Making homemade vanilla wafers is another way for me to feel connected to her.
Homemade Vanilla Wafer Recipe
Grandma Betty always had a collection of goodies on her counter top. I’m not sure why she never put them away. Maybe because she snacked on them as she went about her business, but there’d always be coffee cake, pastries, and a Tupperware container full of vanilla wafers!
My Grandma wasn’t a skinny woman. She wasn’t quite plump either, but she was just the right amount to wrap you up in a long, warm hug. I think her consumption of vanilla wafer cookies helped her stay the perfect size!
I love the simplicity of this cookie. There’s something timeless about them. Every time I see this particular cookie, I see my Grandma pop one into her mouth, ask if I want one, then ask if I want some MELK.
She said M-ELL-K. Not milk. :-) That was my favorite!
STEP ONE
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
STEP TWO
Cream the butter and all the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. It should be very fluffy and could take up to 5 minutes to get the correct consistency.
STEP THREE
Scrape the bowl down and add the milk and vanilla then mix thoroughly for 3 minutes. The mix might be a bit on the chunky side. That is okay!
Some of the best things in life are a little chunky! :-) Remember, my Grandma Betty wasn’t an overly skinny woman.
STEP FOUR
Scrape the bowl again before adding the flour and salt. Mix the ingredients until combined, but don’t over mix.
STEP FIVE
Fill a piping bag or Ziploc bag with the finished dough mixture. Cut a ½ inch hole off the tip.
STEP SIX
Onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, pipe dough into 1-inch dots. The dough will self-level, so don’t worry about it if you have a tail or a peak!
STEP SEVEN
Bake the cookies for 16 minutes until the edges of the cookies are dark brown. The tops will be a yellowish color and won't match the sides.
STEP EIGHT
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for about 5 minutes. As the cookies cool, they will crisp up more.
STEP NINE
Repeat this process until all the dough is gone.
MORE RECIPES TO TRY: For more delicious cookie recipes try this Homemade Animal Cracker Recipe and these Copycat Girl Scout Somoa Cookies. Yum!

Homemade Vanilla Wafer Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups einkorn flour (reduce to 1 3/4 cup if not using einkorn)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract (we use homemade)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350° F.
- Cream butter and all sugars in the bowl of an electric mixture until very fluffy. This may take up to 5 minutes to complete.
- Scrape the bowl down and add milk and vanilla. Mix thoroughly for 3 minutes. The mix may look chunky, that's okay!
- Scrape the bowl again before adding the flour and salt. Mix until combined, but don't over mix.
- Fill a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with the finished dough mixture and cut a 1/2 inch hole off the tip.
- Onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, pipe dough in 1 inch dots. The dough will self-level, so don't worry about it having a tail or a peak!
- Bake for 16 minutes or until dark brown around the edges. The tops won't match the color of the sides.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before moving. The cookies will crisp up as they cool.
- Repeat until all dough is gone.
Nutrition
PIN THIS FOR LATER
Kathryn says
I wish that the recipes would go on 1 sheet of paper instead of 2… such a waste.
Victoria says
It’s actually super easy to have it print on one page. You can either just print page one (page two only shows the nutrition, not any of the recipe steps), or you can scale the print to 90% under you printer settings.
Takes less than 10 seconds to do either way. I hope that helps!
Marilyn says
Loved these. The recipe was very easy to follow. I halved the first time because I didn’t know how piping from a ziplock bag would be. Not too bad but the top came unzipped. I need a pastry bag!! My husband and grand kids loved them.
Victoria says
Fabulous Marilyn! I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you for sharing :-)