Chocolate Wafer Cookies

These homemade chocolate wafer cookies are easy to make and so much more flavorful than the packaged variety! They're thin, crispy, full of cocoa flavor and have just enough sugar - not too sweet. It can be hard to source store bought chocolate wafers for making icebox cakes, ice cream sandwiches, cheesecake and pie crusts, and other desserts. These are great to eat on their own, and are versatile enough to use in any baking project.

Have you ever needed chocolate wafer cookies (wafer biscuits) to make a dessert but were unable to find them? For many, Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafer Cookies are the only option that exists, and they're often difficult to locate. Or perhaps you did find them but were put off by the high price for a small package? If so, this is the recipe for you!

This recipe was inspired by the chocolate sable tart dough from several of my other recipes, including this sour cherry chocolate tart and the salted caramel tart with whipped chocolate ganache. With just a bit of tweaking of both the ingredients and process, the chocolate sable dough makes a perfect chocolate wafer cookie. The dough is very easy to roll out and bakes into a buttery, crispy cookie with plenty of cocoa flavor.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• What are Chocolate Wafer Cookies?
• Shaping the Dough
• Serving Ideas
• Equipment
• Storage
• Recipe Tip
• 📖 Recipe
• More Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need for this dark chocolate wafer cookie recipe:

• All purpose flour - to provide structure and stability to the cookie dough. Feel free to substitute all purpose flour with a cup for cup style gluten free flour if desired.
• Dutch process cocoa powder - This cookie recipe specifically calls for unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder. Dutch cocoa, or alkalized cocoa, is darker in color and has a deeper chocolate taste. The alkalizing process removes much of the acidity, providing a smoother, more robust chocolate flavor. Natural cocoa is lighter in color and flavor. While you can substitute it in a pinch, you may find that the cookies are not as dark in color or deeply chocolate in flavor as you'd like. Learn more about the various types of cocoa powder here.
• Baking soda - for leavening and to provide a bit of chew
• Kosher salt - for added flavor
• Unsalted butter - using unsalted butter allows you to control the total amount of salt in the recipe. With salted butter, brands use different amounts of salt, so you're never sure where you're starting with salt quantity. Make sure your butter is at room temperature.
• Granulated sugar - Granulated sugar provides sweetness and helps the cookies to crisp.
• Egg yolk - egg yolk provide extra fat and richness while helping to bind the dry ingredients
• Vanilla extract - for additional flavor

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Follow the photos below to learn how to make chocolate wafer cookies.

Step 1: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Step 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Step 3: Add egg yolk and vanilla and mix until well combined. Scrape down sides of bowl again.

Step 4: Add dry ingredients to bowl. Mix on low speed to incorporate. Scrape paddle attachment and sides of bowl. Turn speed to medium and mix just until dough pulls together into a ball.

Step 5: Turn dough out onto a large rectangular piece of parchment paper. Flatten dough into a rough rectangle. Cover with another piece of parchment. Using a rolling pin, roll dough between parchment layers until ⅛" thick (3.18mm). Slide parchment covered dough onto an upside down baking sheet and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Step 6: Remove dough from fridge and place on a flat work surface. Peel the top layer of parchment off the dough. Replace the parchment, flip the dough over, and peel the second layer off. Discard the top layer. Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into desired shapes (I used a 2½ inch - 6.3cm - square cookie cutter). Place the cookies 1 inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Step 7: Bake each sheet of cookies on center rack of oven for 10 minutes (for chewier cookies) or 12 minutes (for crispier cookies). Cool on sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Hint: If the dough cutouts become soft and are hard to transfer from the parchment to the cookie sheet, pop the dough back in the fridge for 5 or 10 minutes until slightly chilled. The dough is easiest to work with when cool.

What are Chocolate Wafer Cookies?

Chocolate wafer cookies are intensely chocolate cookies that are thin and crispy. They are often ground up to use in chocolate crusts for cheesecakes and pies, layered with sweetened whipped cream in icebox cakes (refrigerator cakes), and used for ice cream sandwiches.

Shaping the Dough

For this recipe, I chose to use a square cookie cutter because I plan to use them in layers in an icebox cake recipe in a straight edged pan. The square shape will make it easier to fit the cookies together with less space between them. If you prefer to use a round cookie cutter - or any other shape, for that matter, please go ahead!

It's also possible to form this wafer cookie dough into a log, wrap it and chill in the fridge for a few hours, and then slice and bake the cookies. Use a sharp chef's knife to slice the dough. If you are able to slice the cookies to a similar ⅛ inch thickness, the baking time should not need adjusting. If they are thicker, you may need to add a few minutes to the total baking time.

Serving Ideas

Wondering how to use chocolate wafer cookies? These cookies can be used in a wide variety of recipes! This recipe produces approximately 420 grams of cookies, or 14.8 ounces. The specific number of cookies depends on the size and shape of your cookie cutter. When I tested these using a 2.5 inch square cookie cutter, I ended up with between 28 and 30 cookies.

• Chocotorta - I specifically developed these chocolate wafer biscuits in order to create a classic Argentine no-bake dessert called chocotorta. Chocotorta alternates layers of coffee-soaked wafer cookies with a dulce de leche - cream cheese mixture. It's delicious and much more sophisticated in taste than it sounds. You can check out the recipe here. It's one of my favorites!
• Crusts - Use these cookies to make chocolate wafer crusts for tarts, cheesecakes and pies instead of using Oreos or other store bought chocolate cookies.
• Sandwich cookies - Pipe some buttercream icing between two cookies for a delicious filled sandwich cookie. Make a half batch of this dark chocolate buttercream, or try a salted caramel buttercream. Or go for a classic mint-chocolate combo with this mint matcha buttercream.
• Icebox cakes - Icebox cakes are an easy and refreshing no bake dessert! Layer chocolate wafer cookies with lightly sweetened whipped cream or pudding and let rest in the fridge several hours before serving so the cookies absorb the moisture from the filling.
• Ice cream sandwiches - Scoop slightly softened ice cream (maybe this peanut butter ice cream?) onto a wafer cookie and top with a second cookie. Gently press down to sandwich the ice cream between the wafers. Store the ice cream sandwiches in the freezer until serving. Wrap in aluminum foil or plastic wrap if not serving the same day.

Equipment

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I used the 2 ½ inch cookie cutter from this square cookie cutter set.

You could also use a round cookie cutter. I've had this set of round cookie cutters for years, and I use it all the time.

A round cookie cutter with a decorative scalloped edge would also be great here!

Storage

You can make the dough in advance. Store dough well wrapped in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week before baking, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost dough in the fridge, then bring to room temperature if rolling for cutout cookies.

Alternatively, bake the cookies as instructed. Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Consider baking an extra batch and storing them in the freezer so that you'll have wafer cookies on hand the next time you need them for baking!

Recipe Tip

Make sure you've unstuck the parchment paper from the rolled out dough before cutting out your cookies. If you don't, it will be nearly impossible to remove your cutouts from the parchment and you'll squish the cookies as you try to transfer them.

To loosen the dough from the parchment layers, first peel off the top layer of parchment. Replace it loosely, then flip the dough over. Peel off the second layer and discard it. Now your dough will not be adhered to the parchment and it will be easy to lift off each individual cookie.

📖 Recipe

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More Chocolate Cookies

If you like these cocoa wafer cookies, you might also enjoy these chocolate cookie recipes: