These Cream Wafers are the best light, delicate, buttery sandwich cookies filled with creamy buttercream frosting. They’re a nostalgic favorite, with just a hint of sweetness. The cookies practically melt in your mouth and are perfect for the holidays, baby showers, or tea parties!
This recipe takes classic Cream Wafer Sandwich Cookies and breaks it down to make sure you get the best tender and flaky results. The wafer cookie dough is made with only three ingredients, they’re then covered in sugar to give them a slight crispy edge. The filling is creamy, and easy to color (or flavor) for whatever occasion!
Why You’ll Love these Cookies
- Flaky Texture: The cookies are so delicate with a light buttery flavor, and flaky texture, similar to pie crust. They practically melt in your mouth!
- Lightly Sweet: The cookies themselves are made without sugar, just coated in a little before baking, so they are barely sweet – but the buttercream filling balances out and lightly sweetens them.
- Old Fashioned Favorite: These cookies are a classic recipe that’s been around for generations. They really do stand the test of time, and you’ll want to make them again and again.
- Versatile Recipe: Customize the flavors and colors of the filling. Make them pastel for spring, or red and green for Christmas. Try adding different extracts, or zests to flavor the filling as well. I made a darling lemon cream wafer version that is perfect for spring, and shared the recipe on my other site.
Ingredients Needed
This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this Cream Wafer Cookie recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- Salted Butter
- Heavy Cream
- All Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Food Coloring
How to Make Cream Wafers?
Step 1. Make the Cookie Dough. Add the softened butter, flour, and heavy cream to a large bowl and mix until just combined. You don’t want to over mix the dough or it will be hard to get thin wafers. Remove the dough from the bowl and slightly flatten it onto a piece of parchment paper. Cover the dough and chill it for 1 hour.
Step 2. Roll and Cut. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it is 1/8inch thick. Place the dough back in the fridge to chill again if it gets too soft. Cut the dough into 1 and 1/4 inch circles using a round (or other shape) cookie cutter. Cut the shapes as close together as you can because you want to avoid re-rolling the dough as much as possible.
Step 3: Dip in Sugar and Prick. Dip each side of the cookie in sugar and place the cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Place the pan in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes. Prick the cookies with a fork 3-4 times.
Step 4: Bake the Cookies. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven until they are just set, not golden brown. Depending on the size and thickness they’ll take any where from 6-9 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely.
Step 5: Make the Creamy Filling. Cream together the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add in heavy cream as needed 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Separate into bowls and tint each your choice of color.
Step 6: Assemble the Sandwiches. Add the filling to a ziplock bag or piping bag and snip the corner. Add a dollop of frosting to the bottom of one cookie, and top with another matching cookie to top the sandwich.
Tips and Tricks
- Roll the Dough Thin and Evenly: You want to roll the dough thin, about 1/8inch, and ensure it is even throughout to ensure the cookies bake evenly. You can roll the dough a little thicker, a little less than 1/4 inch thick if you like the cookies thicker.
- Chill the Dough: I like chilling the dough and then chilling the cookies again after they are cut. This will ensure the dough rolls out evenly and help your cookies keep their shape and form.
- Be Careful: The cookies are very flakey, and very fragile. Transfer them carefully from the baking pan, and frost them carefully. The thicker you make them the less fragile they’ll be.
- Try New Flavors: While we can’t mess with perfection, I love trying different extracts for flavoring the buttercream. Almond, coconut, lemon, strawberry, peppermint, etc.
- Cut the Batch in Half: If you don’t want as big of a batch, and aren’t making these for an event you can cut the recipe in half to make about 25-30 little sandwiches.
Storage Instructions
Store the sandwich cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen (if you’re careful) for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
These Cookies are a little extra in the best way. They’re easy to make, but a little time consuming with the chilling, dipping in sugar, but so impressive and worth the extra steps and time! You’ll love them with your afternoon coffee, or added to your cookie trays in the holidays!
More Cookie Favorites
Cream Wafer
Ingredients
For the Cream Wafers:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup salted butter (softened)
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 6 TBS granulated sugar
For the Creamy Filling:
- 1/2 cup salted butter (softened)
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 tsp heavy whipping cream
- food coloring
Instructions
For the Cream Wafers:
- Add the flour, butter, and cream to a large mixing bowl and mix together until just combined. 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 cup salted butter, 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- Slightly flatten the dough and cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.
- Sprinkle a flat surface with flour and roll the cookie dough out until it is 1/8 inch thick, all around.
- Cut the dough into 1 1/4 inch circles with a small cookie cutter. Cutting them as close together as you can.
- Spread the sugar out onto a plate, and dip each cookie into the sugar, covering both sides. 6 TBS granulated sugar
- Place the cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart. Cut out as many cookies as you can, and place the cookie sheet into the fridge to chill for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prick each cookie 3-4 times with the tines of a fork.
- Bake the cookies for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the tops are set. Do not bake until they are golden.
- Let the cookies cool completely, then carefully remove them from the pan.
For the Creamy Filling:
- Combine the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl and mix together with a hand mixer. 1/2 cup salted butter, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Add in 1/2 teaspoon at a time of heavy cream as needed, mixing until you have a smooth and fluffy frosting. 1-2 tsp heavy whipping cream
- Separate the frosting into bowls, and tint them each with food coloring, as desired. food coloring
- Scoop the frosting into a bag and snip the corner off. Pipe a little dollop of frosting onto the bottom of one cookie, taking another cookie and placing it on top to make a sandwich.
Notes
- Roll the Dough Thin and Evenly: You want to roll the dough thin, about 1/8inch, and ensure it is even throughout to ensure the cookies bake evenly. You can roll the dough a little thicker, a little less than 1/4 inch thick if you like the cookies thicker.
- Chill the Dough: I like chilling the dough and then chilling the cookies again after they are cut. This will ensure the dough rolls out evenly and help your cookies keep their shape and form.
- Be Careful: The cookies are very flakey, and very fragile. Transfer them carefully from the baking pan, and frost them carefully. The thicker you make them the less fragile they’ll be.
- Try New Flavors: While we can’t mess with perfection, I love trying different extracts for flavoring the buttercream. Almond, coconut, lemon, strawberry, peppermint, etc.
- Cut the Batch in Half: If you don’t want as big of a batch, and aren’t making these for an event you can cut the recipe in half to make about 25-30 little sandwiches.
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