Butter Wafers

These butter wafers are about as simple as a cookie gets: flour, sugar, butter, an egg, a splash of milk, and vanilla. No leavener, no spices, nothing to compete with the clean, rich taste of butter.

The technique is what makes them special. Roll the dough into tiny half-inch balls, then press each one flat with the bottom of a glass covered in a damp cloth. You’re aiming for 1/16-inch thickness, which sounds impossibly thin, and it is. That’s why these bake into crisp, shatteringly delicate wafers instead of chewy cookies.

Six to eight minutes in a hot oven is all they need. Watch for the edges to turn barely golden and pull them immediately. These go from done to overdone in about 30 seconds, and overbaked butter wafers taste bitter rather than buttery.

Kitchen Tips

• Chill the dough if it’s too soft to shape into balls. Cold dough holds its shape better and flattens more evenly
• The damp cloth on the glass prevents sticking and gives the wafers a smooth, even surface
• Space the balls 2 inches apart on the sheet. They spread as they’re pressed and during baking
• Remove from the cookie sheet immediately after baking and cool on a wire rack so the bottoms don’t continue cooking

Variations

• Roll the edges of the cooled wafers in melted chocolate for a half-dipped look
• Add a teaspoon of lemon or orange zest to the dough for a citrus butter wafer
• Sandwich two cooled wafers together with a thin layer of jam or chocolate ganache