“Nilla” Wafers – Gluten and Dairy Free
Isn’t the information age awesome? Simply type in a Google search for whatever you need and down the rabbit hole you go! Sometimes, that hole is deep, dark, and scary AF. Not today though! It is bright and full of crunchy vanilla goodness.
I have been craving creamy sweet things. Like pie and cheese. Of course, my guts would hate me for eating any cow udder secretions so I usually make do. Until I saw my bananas starting to go too soft. I jumped onto the netz and fell down the rabbit hole into a delicious recipe. But I needed vanilla wafers to go with it! Back to the keyboard, Batman! Everything I saw had milk in it and as I can have Lactaid Milk (lactose free) and make ghee (which generally doesn’t affect lactose intolerant people), I decided to make the first batch not only gluten-free but also lactose free. They turned out good but not completely dairy free. If you use a piping bag and round tip, using milk and ghee works well. I got a little fancy and used a flower tip instead. My piping skills need work but these weren’t too bad. (Those overripe bananas in the background will come into play later.)
The next batch with coconut milk and safflower oil were even better, and they wouldn’t affect my friends with casein allergies. I used a cookie press to get the uniformity and chilled each tube of dough before pressing onto the Silpat sheet. When using a press, gently pat down any dough that remains upright when the press is lifted. Certain format disks will pull the dough up into a conical shape when lifting the press. These cookies held together perfectly and had that crispy outside almost soft inside that you want from a vanilla wafer. Winning! My mom’s name is Nila and her grandkids call her Nana. As she was teased most of her life and called Nilla, she says I should call these Nana wafers. Whatever they’re called, they should also be labeled evil; because I nearly ate a dozen since developing them last night!
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 3 dozen small cookies | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 15 minutes each batch |
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A gluten-free, dairy free alternative to vanilla wafers that pair great with creme pies or coffee!
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- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
- 1/2 tsp xantham gum omit if your blend includes it already
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 8 TBS safflower oil unsalted butter or ghee works well too
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar light sugar preferred but dark is okay too
- 1/4 cup sugar fine granules
- 1 egg, beaten room temperature
- 5 tsps vanilla extract
- 2 TBS coconut milk Lactaid milk will work too
- Preheat oven to 325°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat sheets.
- Whisk together the flour, xantham gum (if needed), baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined.
- Add the remaining ingredients, one by one, using a paddle attachment on your mixer, beating well after each addition. The batter will seem thick but will be thin enough to pipe thru a plain pastry piping tip.
- (See above post for tips on using a cookie press.) Pipe about a tablespoonful of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about a 1 inch space between. The cookies should have minimal spread. Chill the raw cookies in the freezer for a few minutes until firm.
- Once firm, place the baking pan in the center of your oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the cookies are a uniform tan color. If you aren't using a Silpat sheet, allow the cookies to cool slightly before attempting to move them to a cooling rack.
What's new, gnu?