Memory Lane and Nilla Wafers

Everyone gets a “hankerin'” for a simple cookie known as “Nilla Wafers” but years ago they were called Vanilla Wafers until Nabisco removed the vanilla extract (too costly), as a result, they shortened the name to Nilla Wafers. Over the years the taste of this classic cookie has become less flavorful and smaller in size; yet, the price hasn’t gone down!  Years ago there was a Nabisco plant in the suburbs on the outskirts of  “H-town” (Houston). Whenever I’d drive by it I’d try to guess which cookie smells were wafting in the air. Fig Newton? or Nilla wafers? Hmmm….I still remember the sweet, flavorful aroma of those cookies.

However, my best memory (as a kid) was looking in the fridge and seeing a big bowl of banana pudding filled with Nilla Wafers! My grandmother would surprise us with such a treat from time to time for Sunday dinner. She’d save me a bowl (freshly made and un-refrigerated while the pudding was still warm) because she knew that was my favorite way to eat the dessert. My second best way to enjoy this dessert was once the cookies and pudding had settled and gotten all soft. In my family the cookies were everyone’s favorite. Most people enjoy it the day it’s made. My preference, (once it’s refrigerated) is to eat it the day after it’s made when the cookies have become cake-like in texture from macerating in all that banana pudding goodness!

So, lately, I’ve been reminiscing about those old Nilla wafer cookies now that the boxed version is more akin to cardboard than the cookies I remember. I decided to make my own. I think I have the perfect cookie recipe that produces a cookie which is crispy around the edges and has a semi-soft center to ultimately become that “cake-like” texture I remembered. These cookies are simply perfection and mine have my own artisan vanilla extract in them.

The next test is to see how these beauties hold up in a banana pudding! Now, that will be the ultimate indicator of success!

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