Vanilla Wafers

My first week of classes was great. I have three classes: Badminton, Piano, and Fairy Tale & Pop Culture Literature class. So far, I'm enjoying all of them! I was a little worried about the Lit class because I haven't taken an English class in almost three years, so my writing has probably gone downhill. But the professor seems really nice and awesome so I think I will feel comfortable asking her for help often. There is a lot of reading for the class, but the topic is at least interesting so I don't mind so much. It's great to be back in the classroom as a student after teaching last term.

I like the schedule so far. I have Badminton at 9 a.m. Monday to Thursday and the class so far has lasted only 30 minutes. On Friday mornings, I have Piano at 10. Then I don't have anything else until my Lit class at 1:30 p.m. except on Wednesdays, so that afternoon was totally free! I decided to make these cookies just because. A few weeks ago, a housemate was eating Nabisco's Nilla Wafers and then I saw this recipe online so I bookmarked it because I thought she'd enjoy these.



These, however, do not taste anything like Nilla Wafers. More like vanilla shortbread, but not even enough vanilla flavor. They still are really yummy and actually addicting. I don't know what it is about shortbread, but the soft texture of the cookies makes them so good to eat. These are also not overly sweet, so I could seriously eat 10 at a time. But I didn't.



I will definitely have to double the vanilla extract next time. It might be best to use vanilla bean paste or vanilla beans. I think the specks of the beans would look pretty in these. No access here to any of the two, though, so I had to stick with extract. If you freeze the cookie logs, it's best to bake the cookies longer than stated in the recipe. It took a lot longer than 15 minutes for mine to start browning on the bottom.

Homemade Vanilla Wafers
From Confections of a Foodie Bride

- 2 sticks butter, at room temp
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/3 cup flour

1. In a bowl, put butter, sugar and salt. Beat with mixer on medium-high 3 to 4 minutes, until butter is light and fluffy. Set speed to low and add the egg yolks, vanilla, and beat until blended. Scrape down the bowl, and add flour.
2. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. Roll out each portion into a log 2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (or freeze until solid).
3. Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Remove the plastic wrap from cookie logs. Using a sharp knife and cut each unwrapped log into 1/4-inch slices. Place the cookies an inch apart on the baking sheet.
4. Bake the cookies until the edges and bottoms are golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.