Homemade Nilla Wafers
These homemade nilla wafers are way easier to make than you might think, and even more delicious than the original!
Who doesn’t love a good nilla wafer? They were one of my favorite treats as a kid, and I still love them as an adult! They’re so simple and sweet and comforting, and remind me of happy childhood memories. As I’ve been gathering ideas for school lunches for my kids, I stumbled across a recipe for homemade nilla wafers, and knew that I need to make them immediately. They turned out even better than I was hoping. They have the same crunch and sweet vanilla flavor of the store-bought cookies, but they taste even better! A couple of these sweet little cookies would be the perfect addition to any lunchbox.
I scooped my cookies using a 1 tablespoon scoop, filled halfway, and I still feel like they were a little big. Next time I’ll use a teaspoon for my cookies so they’re the same size as the original nilla wafers. These cookies are pretty sturdy and will stay fresh for quite some time if stored in an airtight container, so you could easily make a big batch and portion them out over a few weeks for lunches or snacks. I will warn you that the recipe below is fairly small, so you may want to double or triple it if you love these cookies like I do!
Homemade Nilla Wafers
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with a parchment or silicone liner and set aside. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until combined. Chill for 20-30 minutes, until firm. Using a teaspoon or a small cookie scoop, roll the dough into small balls. Flatten slightly and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 15-17 minutes, until golden brown.
Try adding pumpkin and black pepper with a hint of ginger. Best cookies ever.
I just made them now trying to finish ingredients in the house and seeing that they’re easy to make and easy to remember the recipe. They’ll be a weekly bake
Yay! Glad you liked them!
I made these because I totally forgot Nilla Wafers at the store when I bought everything to make homemade banana pudding. I really just didn’t want to go back to the store just for the cookies. My husband ate one and told me that my pudding wasn’t going to be what I’m used to, and just left it there. When I got worried, because I hadn’t tasted the cookies, and asked why, he said “because these are really good cookies, and Nilla wafers aren’t.” High praise from the hubby!! I seriously can’t wait to taste the banana pudding with these in it!
This comment totally made my day! Hope your pudding turned out fantastic.
Made these cookies last night for something to munch on. Sooooo yummy!!! This recipe is a keeper! Thanks for sharing!
I make no -bake cheesecakes, it requires cookie crumbs for the
crust, they don’t sell Nilla cookies in Australia. I had to order them from online.
Thanks for sharing the recipe, I will use your recipe. Actually save money money doing home made cookies.
These came out great! Used the ingredients exactly, but didn’t chill the dough because … lazy, and a bit of a time crunch … Used a piping bag and started checking on them early. Worked out fine, but out of curiosity I’ll have to see if chilling the dough makes a difference next time. Used these in banana pudding. Definitely recommend!
Great recipe. Easy and it tastes even better than store bought. Made for banana pudding, no more trips to Magnolia Bakery. I use a piping bag and silicone mats with the macaron circles printed on it.
Salted or unsalted butter? Dying to make these. They seem so easy. Reason I looked up recipe is because my husband loves them and they are now $5 per box!!! Crazy!