Chocolate Wafers

July 3: National Chocolate Wafer Day

Purchasing packaged cookies is definitely easier than making them at home. But sometimes it is hard to find Nabisco’s Famous Chocolate Wafers at the store, especially when we need to crush them into crumbs to make a deep, dark pie crust. So we end up baking them, which is fine because they are fresher and free of preservatives. Chocolate wafers are a bit bitter, so we spice them up with “south of the border” seasonings, such as vainilla, cinnamon and, if you dare, a dash of chili pepper! Chocolate wafers are versatile for making pie crusts, for assembling ice cream or cookie sandwiches and for snacking on their own. Make them Mexican-style for a fabulous fiesta flavor on National Chocolate Wafer Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Food Network and Gourmet)

Ingredients

• ¾ cup cocoa powder (Dutch process/alkalized)
• ¾ cup flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (we used Mexican vainilla)
• 2 egg whites
• cinnamon-sugar (optional)
• chili pepper (optional)

Directions

In a bowl, combine the cocoa powder, flour and salt. In a mixer, cream the butter with the brown and white sugars.

Add the vanilla. Mix in the egg whites. Gradually add the cocoa mixture and blend well.

On waxed paper, place the cookie dough. Put another piece of waxed paper on top. Flatten into a disc and roll out to no more than ¼-inch thick. Place on a flat pan and refrigerate for several hours to firm up the dough. Remove from the refrigerator and peel away the top waxed paper.

Use a 2-inch round or fluted cutter to cut out shapes. Transfer the cookie rounds to a lightly greased waxed paper on top of a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining scrap dough. Place the baking sheets in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes to firm up the unbaked wafers. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until slightly puffed up in the middle. Remove from the oven.

Transfer the wafers to a wire rack to cool. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar and chili pepper (optional) on top of the wafers. Shake off excess spices and crumbs. Store wafers in an airtight container.

Notes

• The cookie dough must be chilled and firm before baking the cut rounds to ensure that the  chocolate wafers cool to a crisp.