Wafer cookies come in countless shapes, textures, and flavors. This expansive cookie types includes everything from classic round vanilla wafers to indulgent quadrilateral cookies sandwiched with chocolate hazelnut cream.
In this complete guide to wafer cookies, we dive into different varieties, popular brands, flavors, and more – along with tips for enjoying these delightful treats!
Table of Contents
What Are Wafer Cookies?
First, what exactly makes a wafer cookie? Wafer cookies get their name from their thin, delicate structure that melts easily in your mouth with a pleasant crunch.
They have an ultra-light crisp texture that differs from denser cookies. Wafer cookies come in both hard brittle varieties along with softer, chewier versions.
Nearly all wafer cookies feature layers of wafer-thin cookie dough baked together to create the signature delicate texture. They often incorporate butter or other fats for flavor along with flour, sugar, and binding ingredients. Options range from neutral crisps to infused flavors like chocolate, lemon, gingerbread, and more.
Now that you know the basics, let’s explore the myriad varieties of scrumptious wafer cookies!
Types of Wafer Cookies
Within the expansive wafer cookie family, numerous different types exist. We’ve organized the main categories below with details on each:
Traditional Wafer Cookies
The OGs of the wafer cookie world, traditional wafers feature round or rectangular vanilla-flavored crispy cookies. They have a neutral flavor profile perfect for stacking, sandwiching, or crumbling into other treats.
Well-known traditional wafer cookies include:
- Nilla Wafers
- Keebler Vanilla Wafers
- Trader Joe’s Butter Wafers
Chocolate Wafer Cookies
For chocolate lovers, chocolate wafer cookies substitute the traditional vanilla base for thin layers of cocoa wafer cookie dough. Popular brands include Famous Chocolate Wafers and Trader Joe’s Double Chocolate Wafers.
Filled Wafer Cookies
Why stop at two wafer layers when you can have three? Filled wafer cookies sandwich jam, chocolate, vanilla cream, or other sweet fillings between an upper and lower flat wafer cookie.
Top filled wafer cookie producers include Quadratini and Loacker. Fillings also come in fruit flavors like raspberry, lemon, and apricot jam.
Sugar Wafer Cookies
Sugar wafer cookies add extra sweetness with a crisp cookie base made from sugar instead of flour. Brands like Voortman cook up wafer layers using a sugar cookie dough base for a melt-in-your-mouth experience.
Specialty Flavored Wafer Cookies
From pumpkin spice to gingerbread, specialty flavor wafer cookies take on exciting seasonal and limited batch flavors. Around the holidays, keep an eye out for shortbread butter wafer cookies in holiday shapes from brands like Cheryl’s Cookies.
Ice Cream Wafer Cookies
What’s better than a crispy wafer cookie? Using one to encase rich ice cream, of course! Ice cream wafer cookies come shaped as cones or flat rounds engineered to withstand freezing temperatures as ice cream sandwich wafers.
Top ice cream wafer cookies include Keebler Ice Cream Waffle Cones and Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers for ice cream sandwiches.
Wafer Biscuits/Wafers
While wafer cookies take the form of delicate crispy rounds, wafer biscuits or wafers differ with a thicker, more solid body. However, they still share that distinctive light, crisp, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Popular picks for wafer biscuits include European imports like St. Michel Madeleine Wafers from France or Loacker Quadratini Biscuits from Italy.
Wafer Sticks/Pirouettes
Wafer sticks have an elongated rolled shape, reminiscent of breadsticks. Brands like DeMet’s Turtles Pecan Pirouette Rolls wrap sweet chocolate and nut wafer rolls in decorative holiday colors and sprinkles. Enjoy these wafer sticks on their own or incorporated into ice cream desserts!
Wafer/Ice Cream Sandwiches
No wafer cookie list would be complete without the classic ice cream sandwich. Simply freeze ice cream or sherbet between two wafer cookies for an instant summertime favorite.
Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers reign supreme when crafting frozen ice cream cookie sandwiches. Traditional vanilla wafers also work nicely to contrast sweet ice cream.
Popular Wafer Cookie Flavors
Beyond main wafer cookie types, you’ll discover dozens of delicious wafer flavors. Best-selling options include:
- Chocolate wafer cookies
- Vanilla wafer cookies
- Strawberry wafer cookies
- Sugar wafer cookies
- Coconut wafer cookies
- Pink wafer cookies
- Peanut butter wafer cookies
- Coffee wafer cookies
- Green tea wafer cookies
- Gingerbread wafer cookies
- Eggnog wafer cookies
- Pumpkin spice wafer cookies
- Peppermint wafer cookies
For custom flavor infusions, brands create unique limited batch specialty wafer cookies seasonally. Explore wafer cookies in autumnal maple flavors, sweet cherry notes for spring, or lemon coconut cream varieties perfect for summer.
Wafer Cookie Brands
Dozens of brands craft wafer cookies, from heritage American producers like Nabisco to imported European wafer biscuit bakers.
Popular wafer cookie brands include:
- Nabisco
- Keebler
- Voortman
- Loacker
- Quadratini
- Walkers Shortbread
- St. Michel
- Famous Chocolate Wafers
- Trader Joe’s
Within those brands, best-selling specific products include:
- Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers
- Nabisco Nilla Vanilla Wafers
- Keebler Ice Cream Waffle Cones
- Voortman Sugar Wafers
- Loacker Quadratini Lemon Wafer Biscuits
- Walkers Shortbread Raspberry Cream Wafers
- Trader Joe’s Belgian Butter Wafers
Explore wafer cookies from Europe for interesting flavors like hazelnut and chocolate from Italy or cardamom and ginger varieties from Sweden.
Where to Buy Wafer Cookies
Wafer cookie fans can track down these treats across mainstream grocery stores, online retailers, wholesale clubs, and more. Popular stores stocking wafer cookies include:
- Walmart
- Target
- Kroger
- Safeway
- Aldi
- Trader Joe’s
- Whole Foods Market
- Sprouts Farmers Market
- Costco
- Sam’s Club
- BJ’s Wholesale Club
- Dollar Tree
Check the cookie aisle, ice cream toppings section, or European food imports for the best wafer cookie selection. Prices range from extra value packs at discount grocers to gourmet wafer cookies from Italy for under $5 per pack.
You can also order wafer cookies online through Amazon, snack seller sites, or directly from brand websites if you can’t find your favorites locally.
How to Enjoy Wafer Cookies
Now for the best part – eating wafer cookies! How you enjoy wafer cookies depends on variety, with limitless sweet and savory application ideas.
Snacking Wafer Cookies
For snacking, choose traditional vanilla wafers, chocolate wafers, or fruity filled varieties you can nibble straight from the pack. Pair your wafer cookies with fruit, ice cream, chocolate fondue, yogurt, or hot coffee.
Baking With Wafer Cookies
Mix crushed wafer cookies into no-bake refrigerator desserts and icebox cakes as a foundation crust layer or decorative crunchy topping. For baked goods, substitute up to 1/4 of the flour in recipes with wafer cookie crumbs. Chocolate wafers also melt beautifully into cake batter swirls and frostings.
Crafting With Wafer Cookies
Get creative with specialty seasonal wafer cookies! Construct gingerbread houses held together with royal icing and reinforced with wafer walls. Design melting snowmen figures using powdered sugar ice cream cones atop leftover Christmas tree wafers.
Around Valentine’s Day, create sweet messages spelling out love notes in wafer letter cookies secured with white chocolate. Options are endless for wafer cookie craft creations.
Desserts Using Wafer Cookies
Beyond snacking and baking, wafer cookies shine when transformed into show stopping desserts:
- Ice cream wafer sandwiches
- Wafer cookie crust pies
- Layered wafer trifles
- Wafer parfaits with yogurt and fruit
- Wafer cookies crumbled on ice cream
- Ice cream wafer drumsticks coated in chocolate
Dip wafer sticks in chocolate fondue or embed filled wafer cookie bites into cake pops. Top cupcakes with wafer cookies pieces or frost giant wafer cookies into tasty edible place cards for your next dinner party.
Wafer Cookie Nutrition
When snacking on wafer cookies, pay attention to nutrition labels. Crispy wafer cookies typically deliver around:
- 20-60 calories per cookie
- 4-7g sugar per cookie
- 1-2g fat, saturated fat, protein per cookie
- Traces of fiber, calcium, iron
- No cholesterol
Filled cream wafer cookies run slightly higher with around 100 calories and 10g of sugar each. Compare brands and select options with no artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners when possible. Look for whole grain and low sodium varieties to amplify nutrition.
Portion wafer cookies mindfully by pairing with protein foods and fruits or splitting packs across a few days.
Find Your Favorite Wafer Cookies
This guide only taps the surface of the myriad wafer cookies available. Now that you’re a wafer expert, which ones will you try first? Shop seasonal flavors for November and December. Test out chocolate filling versus fruit jam. See if you can taste the difference between vanilla and sugar cookie bases.
Let us know your top wafer cookie picks in the comments! From holiday gingerbread to old-fashioned vanilla, wafer cookie options suit any taste.
