A trip down the cookie aisle at the grocery store leads one to many choices of boxed and bagged baked goods. While many are tasty (and I wouldn’t mind sampling a bite of each!), it seems that increasing numbers of these baked goods are becoming gimmicky, with chocolate chip cookies, crackers, and even Oreos doing everything possible to stand out from the rest of the cracker-and-cookie bunch with new flavors, coatings, colors, and creams. Now before I go on, don’t take me wrong—I never said I don’t like some of these revised cookies and new twists on old favorites. What I am saying is that sometimes I enjoy a snack light in flavor and without sugary gobs of cream, chocolate, or jimmies. That is one reason I have long enjoyed Nabisco’s Nilla Wafers. The package says Nilla Wafers are “simple goodness.” How refreshing to see a slogan that gets right to the point—and accurately describes the product.
Nilla Wafers offer a crunchy but mild burst of vanilla flavor in every bite one takes of the approximately 1.5″ snack rounds. They make great snacks both at home and on the go and they also are fantastic additions to certain dessert recipes. In fact, a mouth-watering banana pudding recipe is offered right on the Nilla Wafer box, and there are several other tempting cake, pie, and pudding recipes I have seen over the years that include Nilla Wafers as an ingredient. Perhaps that point illustrates how versatile these wonderful little wafers are. They make great snacks on their own and help to make other culinary creations even better.
One reason Nilla Wafers are a great snack is that they do not do much damage to the body. A look at the Nilla Wafers food label indicates one serving (8 wafers) contains only 6 grams of total fat and 1.5 grams saturated fat. That is 9% and 8%, respectively, of the average daily value for a 2,000-calorie diet. Nilla Wafers contain no trans fat, and are low in cholesterol, at just 5 milligrams (2%). With 21 grams (7%) of carbohydrates and 11 grams of sugar, Nilla Wafers are still quite acceptable for being a tasty cookie and one can even snag 2% of their calcium needs and 4% of their iron requirement from eating a serving of these classic favorites.
My family and I have tried some of the other “imitation” vanilla wafers on the market, but we keep coming back to Nilla Wafers. The others offer products which taste either too bland, too vanilla-ey (is that a word? I am going to check Merriam-Webster….), or are too crunchy, or are soft—almost moist, sometimes. There is nothing wrong with a moist-tasting cookie sometimes, but I simply cannot stomach a “moist” wafer, unless it is part of another dessert! After sampling the “low-fat” varieties some manufacturers offer, I have determined that the lack of flavor is not worth the reduction in fat. I say do not sacrifice taste for increased quantity; go for the original Nilla Wafer but reduce the portion size. Nilla Wafers are usually sold in yellow-colored, 12-ounce boxes at grocers most everywhere; depending on where you shop, prices range between $2-3.
