Chocolate Wafer Cookies

If you love those classic chocolate wafer cookies from the grocery store, the homemade version of these thin and crispy treats will knock your socks off.

When you taste these chocolate wafer cookies, the flavor will likely be familiar. That's because chocolate wafer cookies taste very similar to the cookies used in Oreos. The ingredient that gives chocolate wafer cookies their distinctive taste and dark hue is black cocoa powder. This is a very dark version of Dutch-process cocoa that has been processed with an alkaline solution to neutralize its natural acidity. This not only results in a darker color but an intense chocolate flavor.

Since the flavor is so intense, it is not recommended to use only black cocoa powder exclusively in a recipe. It is often used in smaller quantities alongside Dutch-process cocoa powder because of its intensity. This works well to achieve the perfect balance of dark color, rich flavor, and delightful texture in baked goods. Black cocoa powder is readily available and can be purchased in specialty baking stores or online. Try swapping out a little bit of cocoa powder for it the next time you make brownies.

Chocolate wafer cookies are wonderful on their own, but they are also often used as an ingredient in other recipes. They are frequently layered with whipped cream in an icebox cake, or crushed and used to make a pie crust.