Earlier this year, Nabisco has discontinued its famous chocolate wafers, one year from the 100th anniversary of the cookie. The makers of frosted cakes and chocolate crusts were furious, and you know what happens when a group of bakers gets outraged? They are rioting in the streets! They are organizing sit-ins! They are protesting against their local grocers!
Well, not really, but I wish they would. Bakers are way too practical for that. They filed complaints online for a few days, then went into their kitchens and angrily found substitutes.
One of those unfortunate bakers was my mother, Judy Hesser, who has used chocolate wafers for decades to make it. sour cream cheesecake. In the comments of our story on wafer shutdown, she added: “As I will no longer be able to obtain the chocolate wafers for the crust of my cheesecake, I will invent something new and I will inform you at that time. I’m very sad that Nabisco discontinued the chocolate wafers, but I won’t use Oreos as a replacement, nor will I add cocoa to the vanilla wafers.
Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, we say things we don’t mean. Judy tried using Tate’s Double Chocolate Chip Cookies as a substitute, but didn’t like the results. Later, after comparing the ingredient lists of the chocolate wafers to Nabisco’s Nilla wafers, she realized that they were very close in nature, so she ate her words and tried the Nilla wafers mixed with cocoa and butter. The experience bore fruit and created a chocolate crust worthy of the original. And as Judy promised, she’s now sharing it with the community.
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Have you discovered your favorite substitute for Nabisco Chocolate Wafers? Share yours below!
Before starting Food52 with Merrill, I was a food writer and editor at The New York Times. I have written several books, including “Cooking for Mr. Latte” and “The Essential New York Times Cookbook.” I played myself in “Julie & Julia” — I hope you didn’t blink, otherwise you might have missed the scene! I live in Brooklyn with my husband, Tad, and my twins, Walker and Addison.
