Last Monday, Emily from Our Frugal Happy Life said that she’d love to make gee eff Cream Wafers. Thankfully for me, the uninitiated, she showed me this Allrecipes version of the little cuties. I love learning about new cookies, so I set to work.I didn’t change too much about the cookies themselves, but I did play with the filling some (to make it smoother and less prone to poisoning my children with salmonella). Oh, and I added a bit of sugar to the dough, but you can leave that out if you prefer.
These cookies are everything Emily promised. They’re impossibly light and creamy, and just melt right in your mouth. If you put some sugar in the dough, as I did, the wafers themselves are great on their own, too — without any filling.
So let’s start this week on the right foot. With 2 sticks of butter — beaten with 2 cups flour (and an optional few tablespoons confectioner’s sugar) until it looks like this … light & fluffy.
Add the cream.
And roll it out (I know – it’s impossibly creamy, but flatten it) between two sheets of parchment paper. And place it in the freezer.
15 minutes later … et voilà. A solid sheet of dough. Just let it warm for a minute or two before cutting out shapes, or the dough will crack. I know this from personal experience. Unfortunate personal experience.
Place the rounds in some large-grain sugar (I used Sugar in the Raw), and press both sides gently in the sugar.
Then place them on your USA Pans (sponsor) jelly-roll pan (affiliate link), the best nonstick pans in the whole world for the best price in the whole world.
Bake at 350 degrees F until juuuust beginning the brown around the edges.
Then fill.
*Generally, drop cookie recipes convert real nice and easy when you’re using a true cup-for-cup replacement GF flour, like Better Batter. Shaped cookie recipes often need some tweaking, but this one worked just fine. Bread is another matter entirely, for those of you playing along at home.*
| Cream Wafers |
- 2 cups (310 grams) all-purpose gluten-free flour (I use Better Batter)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if using Better Batter)
- 1 cup plus 4 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, divided (4 tablespoons optional)
- 1 1/4 cups (20 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
- 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup heavy cream, divided
- 1/3 cup sugar in the raw for decoration
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- gel food coloring (optional)
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the flour, xanthan gum, and (optional) 4 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar. Mix to combine well. Add 1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, and beat until light and fluffy (see photo). Add 1/3 cup cream, and mix until well-combined. The dough will be nearly impossible to handle – wet and soft, and kinda fluffy.
- Scrape half of the dough onto the center of a sheet of parchment paper. Cover with a second sheet of parchment paper, and roll out about 1/4 inch thick (no thinner) (See photo). Repeat with the remaining half of the dough. Lay both (each still covered on both sides with parchment paper) on a flat and portable surface like a cutting board or a baking sheet, and place in the freezer until firm (about 15 minutes).
- Remove one sheet at a time from the freezer, peel back the top layer of parchment paper, and cut the dough into rounds about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. If you’re crazy like I am, use cutters with fluted edges. If you’re sane like I’m not, use plain round cutters, making it much much easier to pop the dough out. Place the cutouts on a flat surface covered in Sugar-in-the-Raw (or another large granulated sugar), and gently press the sugar onto both sides of each cookie. Gather the scraps and reroll, then refreeze the dough, and cut out shapes once again. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Place the cookies about 1 inch apart on nonstick rimmed baking sheets (or parchment-lined baking sheets), and pierce each cookie twice with the tines of a fork. Place the cookies in the center of the preheated oven and bake until just beginning to brown underneath and around the edges (about 7 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet.
- While the cookies are cooling, make the filling. In a medium-sized bowl, place 1 cup confectioner’s sugar, 4 tablespoons butter, vanilla extract, 1/4 cup cream, vanilla and (optional) food coloring. Beat until smooth.
- Line up the cooled cookies, upside down, in even rows on a sheet of parchment paper. Pipe about 1 tablespoon of filling on half the cookies. Press the remaining cookies on top of the filling. Allow to sit at room temperature to set.
- Will keep, uncovered, at room temperature for at least a few days. If you cover them, condensation will develop which will make the cookies a bit soggy.
Recipe adapted from allrecipes (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cream-wafers/detail.aspx).
The secret to these cookies is to keep them COLD. The problem with using the freezer (I have no patience for chilling them in the refrigerator) is that, when the dough is entirely frozen, it cracks easily. It will go most smoothly if you freeze solid, then allow to sit at room temperature for about 2 minutes before cutting rounds.
Love,
Me
P.S. Thank you, Emily, for introducing me to these delightful little melt-in-your-mouth cookies. I love hearing about these little gems. Lifelong learning!
P.P.S. My fabulous baking supplies sponsor, Primp My Cupcake carries the best in gel food colorings — including a really pretty pink — and it’s a steal for $2.00 — with free shipping!
P.P.P.S. Thank you to all of you who shop for USA Pans in my Shoestring Favorites under the Shop tab above! When you do that, you support my sponsor, which supports me, and Amazon even pays me a little affiliate bonus for each purchase you make. I really appreciate it.
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{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh me, oh my! Aren’t these darling?!?! I think my little gluten free diva would love me forever if I made these! I would have to change the icing color because she has declared that pink is a disgusting color (apparently TOO girlie) and she wouldn’t approve! LOL! Maybe orange (her fav) or red or green? I can’t wait to give these a try. I just bought my first box of Better Batter & I’m afraid that 2.5 lbs will not be enough! :P
Hi, Shannon,
One of my daughters abandoned pink years ago (& I didn’t see that one coming at all!), but my 6 year old is still going strong. She was even Pinkalicious for Halloween. How about some red, some green? ‘Tis the season, after all. :)
xoxo Nicole
I’d make these for baby showers back in the day (when my friends were still fertile). I’d fill them with pink, blue, and yellow filling. Now I can make them again (now that they’re kids are fertile)!
Thank you, lady.
:)
This is exactly why I miss you when you’re not around, Darlene.
So glad you stopped by – and that your friends’ kids are fertile. :)
xoxo Nicole
Typos and all! I’m glad you’ll still have me. :)
I prefer it that way, Darlene. Makes you seem human. ;)
xoxo Nicole
My mom used to make these for us every year when I was growing up. I haven’t made them in years. Now that I’ve found Mimic Creme and your recipe, I’m going to try them out tonight. They won’t make it until Christmas, but that’s okay. I’ll just be excited to have the recipe again.
Thanks!
These look so wonderful. I am awaiting your cookbook as an early present to myself.
Your little girls may come back around. My almost 19dd faded to dark colors for quite a while and was only tshirts and jeans and even declared that she was allergic to pink. She came back around at about 16 and loves dressing up and miraculously recovered from her “allergy”.
Hi, Jeri,
The funny thing is, my oldest was all pink all dresses all the time. Then, at around 5, she dropped pink like a bad habit. You might say she became “allergic,” and never wears a dress if she can help it. Very sporty. I assumed the little one would be similar, but she’s still going strong. Thanks for the mom-of-older-kid perspective. I’m curious to see what they’ll be like when they’re 19!
xoxo Nicole
Love your blog and your cookbook! I am hoping to send more friends to your page!! I just awarded you the Versatile Blog Award :) http://glutenfreebudgetcrunch.blogspot.com/2011/12/versatile-blogger-award.html
Thanks so much, Sheila. :)
xoxo Nicole
Can’t wait to make these!!! If you’re taking requests … I desperately need a good GF sugar cookie recipe. I’m not asking for much — good taste, good mouth feel, holds it shape after being rolled, cut and baked. Apparently, however, I’m asking for the moon. Every mix and recipe I’ve tried either doesn’t taste good, feels like all the moisture is being sucked out of my mouth or crumbles if you look at it funny. 6yo silly DD and the rest of the family is growing weary and just a bit afraid of trying each experimental recipe! Lesley
Hi, Lesley,
There’s a recipe for Sugar Cookies in my cookbook on page 208. There isn’t one on the blog, but my recipe for Lemon Cookies is very similar. They satisfy all the criteria you mentioned.
To my surprise, apparently a lot of people are having trouble finding a good GF sugar cookie recipe. Just be sure to use a really good all-purpose gluten-free flour, like Better Batter. It’s especially important in a recipe as simple as sugar cookies.
xoxo Nicole
Oh my goodness! I am SOOOO excited to try these! They look fabulous – just like I remember. :)
We always did some red filling and some green filling for Christmas. I know what one of my goals is for next week!
Thank you SO much for trying these – I am so pumped!
Hi, Emily,
So glad you approve! I have to admit, I was a little nervous. ;)
You’re welcome.
xoxo Nicole
Hi Nicole,
I haven’t read all the comments, so forgive me if you’ve already answered this question. :) How do you think these cookies would do in the freezer? Thinking about baking them and then freezing until Christmas, thawing, and then filling. Or do you think it would be better to freeze the dough before baking?
I’m excited to try these!!
Katie
Hi, Katie,
It hasn’t been asked yet. Since I’m new to these cookies, I haven’t frozen them. Since the process of cutting out the cookies from the dough is such a pain, I would suggest you cut them & cover them in large grain sugar, freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and then transfer them to a Ziploc bag. Bake them maybe the day before you need them (or the day of), and then fill. After they have been filled and assembled, make sure you don’t cover them or they’ll get soggy (like crackers). Just keep them, uncovered, at room temp once they’ve been filled.
xoxo Nicole
Yum!!!! This cookie dough makes a lovely sweet crust for fruit tarts too. :) Thanks so much for trying this out. You are a gem. But to me you are a famous person! Cookbook author, TV personality, Bloggy Babe and all round cool person.
OMG it sounds like I’m trying to butter you up. I don’t know what for though…hum.
Happy baking!
Maybe you’re buttering me up because you really like butter. That would make perfect sense to me. I really like butter, too. :)
I love the idea of this dough for a tart! I’ll have to give that a try. Great idea.
xoxo Nicole
I wish I could say these worked for me – but I tried them twice and both attempts were epic fails. They just spread out like crazy in the oven. Apparently, I’m not cut out for making cream wafers…sadness. :(
Hi, Emily,
No way! I can’t imagine why. My first question is always to ask about the flour you used. That is the most likely culprit. Other than that, I’d say the secret is to freeze the living daylights out of ‘em – after you spread out the dough, and every other chance you get — especially right before baking.
I wish I could have you over and do it with you!
xoxo Nicole
I used Better Batter.
I did try refrigerating one cookie sheet before baking them and they still spread. I didn’t (couldn’t) freeze them because my freezer is sooo full. IF I try them again, I will keep the freezer trick in mind. I don’t think I’m brave enough right now, though. :)
I understand, Emily. The problem is almost certainly that you didn’t freeze the dough. The refrigerator isn’t able to make cream and butter hard enough for you to be able to cut this dough and keep it from spreading. :(
xoxo Nicole
Ratz! I made the recipe, using better batter flour, soft butter(not melted) (I didn’t add any sugar to the dough) It was spread out on parchment chilled until the dough was hard. Cut (with a shot glass) and sugared (sugar in the raw) baked until just turning brown. They spread out to lace cookie thin and after cooling 5 minutes on the pan turned to cookie dust (crumbs would be too big of pieces for what happened)
I still have half the dough in the refrigerator now and I’m not sure what to do with it.
Any suggestions??
You have to freeze them. You can’t refrigerate them. They have to be solid frozen — and you have to roll them pretty thick. I did a few sheets of them rolled thinner than I suggest in the recipe, and they were frozen so they didn’t spread much, but they were dust when I tried to remove them from the baking sheet. Roll ‘em thick, and freeze them at every turn. They should turn out. Follow the directions to the letter. Trust me. ;)
xoxo Nicole
Alrighty! I will make sure to roll thicker and Freeze the heck out of them! I still have half the dough so I can try this out Friday and see how it goes. If nothing else I have great cookie dust to press in the bottom of a pan for a cheesecake for Christmas Eve dessert. :) I’ll let you know how I fair with it. :) Thanks for the reply! You Rock!!
No more cookie dust, Stephanie! Even though I appreciate your glass-is-half-full perspective, cookie dust is simply not good enough. We can do better!
xoxo Nicole