Gluten Free Vanilla Wafers - Recipe - Amy Myers MD®

Gluten Free Vanilla Wafers

Written by Amy Myers, MD

When you’re craving a deliciously crisp and subtly sweet cookie, these Gluten Free Vanilla Wafers are the perfect dessert. Simple to put together, these gluten free, nut free, protein wafers can be made right in your kitchen! 

This is such a versatile dessert because you can use Gluten Free Vanilla Wafers in so many other recipes! My favorite way to enjoy them is to sandwich coconut milk whipped cream and strawberries between two cookies. I’m sure you’ll also find your favorite way to enjoy these Gluten Free Vanilla Wafers, too.

Vanilla Wafers are such a nostalgic cookie. Many people enjoyed them as children with a glass of milk as an after-school snack, or used them to make a delicious crust for banana cream pie.

They’re buttery, slightly sweet, crispy on the outside, and full of vanilla flavor. What’s not to love? Well, the inflammatory ingredients such as dairy, eggs, and gluten that are in traditional Vanilla Wafer recipes.

That’s why I went to work creating the best The Myers Way® approved version of Vanilla Wafers! I can honestly say that after weeks of trying (and failing), this final recipe is a winner. They’re buttery without the butter, sweet without the refined sugar, and crispy without the gluten. 

You also get the added bonus of enjoying protein wafers with the addition of my brand new The Myers Way® Vanilla Bean Paleo Protein!

Ingredients Used in the Gluten Free Vanilla Wafers:

After trying six different variations of this recipe, I can say the ingredients needed for the appropriate texture and flavor are almost non-negotiable. However, I understand that some of the ingredients are challenging to find, or you may not have them on hand. If you do decide to make a substitution, let me know how it turned out—but I recommend sticking to the recipe for the perfect Myers Way® Vanilla Wafer.

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Palm Shortening

You may have heard that palm shortening is bad for you. Many shortenings, like Crisco, come from hydrogenated vegetable oils, which contain a lot of trans fats. These are linked to several types of health problems. 

Because of this, I prefer to use sustainably harvested palm shortening in my AIP baked goods. Palm shortening is actually made from the palm fruit, not the palm kernel. It’s also homogenized and contains more saturated fats, making it a healthier alternative to butter or lard. 

Traditional palm oil harvesting can have devastating effects on the environment. This is why I choose to work with smaller, more sustainable farms. 

The texture is more similar to the original shortening used in non-compliant recipes than coconut oil. However, coconut oil can often be swapped out 1 to 1 for palm shortening. Just keep in mind the texture and flavor will be different.

As a bonus, palm shortening also brings the benefit of antioxidants to this cookie! This is something coconut oil does not provide.

Paleo Protein Powder

This ingredient is key to the success of this recipe. When you whip The Myers Way® Vanilla Bean Paleo Protein into the palm shortening/sugar mixture, you’ll notice it becomes thicker. It also creates a bit of a frothy texture. This is similar to the texture of whipped egg whites. These two ingredients enable the cookies to have that perfect crispness and delicious vanilla bean flavor!

Adding The Myers Way® Vanilla Bean Paleo Protein to this recipe also adds the right touch of wholesome, nourishing goodness. Formulated with non-GMO, hormone and antibiotic-free, grass-fed beef, this paleo protein powder supports healthy bone, muscle, cartilage, and skin. It also supports healthy gut function. It’s a true winner!

Gluten Free Flours for Baking

This recipe features coconut flour and arrowroot starch as the gluten free flours. Coconut flour is a very absorbent flour. If you choose to swap this with another approved flour, I suggest using a coconut flour conversion chart. You may need to increase the amount of flour you use by several tablespoons if you choose another option. Otherwise, your dough will be too wet.

Sweetener

Instead of using a natural sweetener like coconut sugar, I opted to use honey in this recipe. Coconut sugar will change the color and texture of the final cookie. Raw honey also has many benefits including antioxidants, nutrients, and even immune support.

While honey does have many health benefits, you should skip this ingredient if you’re following The Myers WayⓇ or other elimination protocols. Also, avoid honey if you’re healing from SIBO or Candida overgrowth.

How To Make Gluten Free Vanilla Wafers

These homemade Gluten Free Vanilla Wafers are actually fairly simple. As with any cookie recipe, combine the wet ingredients in one bowl, and the dry ingredients in another. Stir the two mixtures together to create an amazing cookie dough.

In this recipe, Vanilla Bean Paleo Protein and gelatin are added together in the wet ingredients to make an “egg” substitute. Gelatin is by far the best AIP egg replacement for baked goods that I’ve tried so far, and the Paleo Protein makes it even better!

Once the dough is formed, roll it out and use a cookie cutter or even the rim of a glass cup to cut out your Vanilla Wafers. Bake the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 10 minutes. Let cool completely before removing so the cookies will be crispy vanilla perfection.

I hope you love these Gluten Free Vanilla Wafers as much as I do. Not only are these protein wafers buttery and crisp, they’re also subtly sweet and full of vanilla flavor!

Gluten Free Vanilla Wafers

Servings:

16

Ingredients

Topping
  1. In a saucepan, add berries, water, and lemon zest. Bring mixture to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and muddle berries with a spoon. Continue to cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes until mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat.
  2. Blend the coconut cream in a high-speed blender first. Then pour into a bowl, add 1 scoop Organic Reds and stir together.
Crepes
  1. For crepes, add the coconut milk to the blender. Then, add the dry ingredients to avoid lumps of dry flour. Blend until fully combined. If the batter needs to be thinned, add additional coconut milk.
  2. Heat a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil to the pan.
  3. Spoon out about 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan and swirl around the pan to make a thin layer. Cook for about 4 minutes until the cooked side is slightly browned. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  4. Repeat with oil and batter.
  5. Fold or roll each crepe into desired shape. Top with berry compote and coconut cream and serve.

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325˚F degrees.
  2. Add honey (optional - avoid if following SIBO or Candida Breakthrough® Programs), melted palm shortening, and vanilla to a medium-sized bowl. Whisk together until well combined. Add Vanilla Bean Paleo Protein to wet ingredients and whisk until the mixture thickens. It should start to become somewhat frothy.

  3. In another medium-sized bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and mix well.
  4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir gently with a spatula to combine. The dough will not feel like regular cookie dough, and that’s ok. It will be wetter and much less dense.
  5. Form the dough into a large ball. With a rolling pin, roll into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle between two pieces of parchment paper. Use a small circle cookie cutter (or the rim of a small glass cup) to cut out round cookies. Reform and roll out the dough as needed until all the dough has been used.
  6. Carefully transfer cookies to a parchment lined baking sheet. The cookies will not spread while cooking, so they do not have to be placed far apart.
  7. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and gently slide the parchment paper off the hot cookie sheet and onto a cooling rack. Allow cookies to cool completely before touching them. I know it’s tempting, but if you remove them before completely cooling they’ll crumble!