Community

Will Easy Desserts Ever Be the Same Without Famous Chocolate Wafers?

The search for a cookie substitute and more in this week's Community Download.

July 21, 2023
Photo by Food52

For nearly a century, Nabisco’s Famous Chocolate Wafers have been essential to the classic icebox cake and the crusts of no-bake pies and cheesecakes. They hit the market in 1924 just as refrigerators were working their way into American homes and made icebox cakes, which originally called for whipped cream layered with homemade cookies, even easier to assemble. Nabisco later printed a recipe for one on the back of the chocolate wafer boxes, cementing the cookie as a key ingredient everyone could depend on—until now.

Famous Chocolate Wafers never hit their 100-year anniversary because Nabisco quietly discontinued the cookies at the start of this year. And now that we’re in the height of summer, some bakers on our Hotline are discovering the news for the first time as they reach for their favorite low-lift desserts.

Food52 community member Julia Grant, for instance, recently planned on making Amanda’s mom’s cheesecake, only to discover that the crust’s key ingredient was not at her local Hannaford’s supermarket. She says a delivery person stocking Nabisco products told her the cookie might make a comeback for the holidays, so she reached for the Hotline to find out if it was true, and whether anyone had discovered a good substitute. Many had.

Longtime community member Nancy pointed out that this same topic came up on the Hotline last month when another Food52er asked about a Famous Chocolate Wafer substitute for Danielle Oron's tahini mousse pie. Between the two crust quandries, our community members have suggested multiple substitutes, including Goya’s Chocolate Maria Cookies, adding cocoa to vanilla wafers, taking Oreo cookies apart and scraping out the filling, and making homemade chocolate wafers.

Amanda also reached out to her mother to find out her solution, only to learn that Judy Hesser's recipe was actually an innovation on a cheesecake that called for a graham cracker crust. But that wasn't exactly a consolation for Julia. "Everyone loves [Judy's] crust," she said.

Nabisco would not confirm or deny the rumors of the wafer’s return, nor would they explain why the cookies were discontinued. But they did recommend a substitute. “We have found that consumers have enjoyed swapping in Oreo Thins for many of the recipe uses of our Famous Chocolate Wafers,” said Jane Corcoan, a spokesperson for Mondelēz International, the parent company of Nabisco.

One could speculate that the brand wanted to give these slender Oreos a boost by getting rid of their closest cousin, but an expert baker we trust agrees they make a fine replacement. Jessie Sheehan, the author of Icebox Cakes: Recipes for the Coolest Cakes In Town (and this Genius Snickerdoodle recipe) says you don’t even need to scoop out the creamy center. In a Reel she shared on July 16, she said, “The tiny, tiny bit of cream either gets blended up when you’re making your cookie crust, or it kind or melts into the whipped cream when you’re making your icebox cake.”

How are you handling the news of the chocolate wafer's demise? Let us know in the comments, and read on for more news from around our community.


The Dansk Pitchers You Love, In Three New Colors

Our Dansk Købenstyle Wrapped Handle Water Pitcher is one of the most-saved items in our community’s collections, and I expect the three new exclusive, limited-edition colors we added to the Shop this week—Cornflower, Arugula, and Chestnut—will be just as coveted. Fair warning: Dansk will not be restocking these limited edition pitchers when they sell out. And in case you missed the news, you can now earn rewards on your purchases through our brand-new loyalty program, The Table.

Speaking of limited-edition goods, our sister brand Schoolhouse just added a ton of new arrivals to their collection, including their fan-favorite Big Picture Calendar and Academic version, too.


What Should Paul Taste Test Next?

When our Editorial Assistant, Paul Hagopian, published his taste test of store-bought BBQ sauces (and deemed this one winner), many in our community chimed in with the sauces he should have included. There were so many fresh recommendations, he’s now testing your picks for a new story that we'll be publishing soon. We’re also wondering what he should test next: marinara sauce, Greek yogurt, or maple syrup? Nominate your favorite in the comments below.


An Eye For Detail, Dinner Party Edition

I love peering into the collections of our community curators, like Kristen Smith (@krispxkristin), for design inspiration. And Kristen's Dinner Party Essentials collection is filled with hidden gems in our Shop like these petal ice trays—a tiny touch that adds a lot of personality to a cocktail.


Your Burning Bake It Up a Notch Questions

Every new episode of Erin Jeanne McDowell’s series generates a ton of questions from Food52ers like "Why did she move to Kansas City?" or "Where did she get that pie clock?" She also just revealed that she will be in a new Netflix series, The Big Nailed It Baking Challenge, a spin-off from the original reality show. Meaning, there's lots to talk about with one of our favorite bakers!

I’ll be talking to Erin at the end of this month to ask her about all these things and more. Before I do, tell me what you would like to know about our resident baking expert in the comments below, or in the comments of her newest episode, a cobbler crash course. And in case you missed them, here are our other new YouTube videos:


Join the Food52 Collective

Want to connect with others in the Food52 community? Meet us in the Food52 Collective. We chat about the recipes and products you like via Facebook, and I share the early word on sales and special events, too.

See what other Food52 readers are saying.

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Nicole Davis

Written by: Nicole Davis

Contributing Editor, Food52

38 Comments

ydonaldson January 21, 2024
I have found what I believe to be the best substitute. Dewey’s Moravian Chocolate Cookies are the best alternative. They’re not too sweet and are as close to Famous Chocolate Wafers that we can find. And they are tough to find but available online.
 
Amy January 21, 2024
I scrapped out the filling on the Oreo Thins but the taste and texture was different even when ground. Too sweet and the ground crust didn’t hold together as well.
I have been making Gourmet Magazine’s Chocolate Mousse Cake for thirty years but may have to set this recipe aside, it was no longer a showstopper with the Oreos, it was just a cake.
 
Nicole D. November 3, 2023
As Judy Hesser promised, she developed a worthy substitute: https://food52.com/blog/28380-chocolate-crust-substitute-nabisco-famous-chocolate-wafers
 
Kat August 31, 2023
I don't think oreos are the same. Too sweet and I don't like the filling. The person at Nabisco that spearheaded this decision is obviously not a baker. So disappointed!
 
Joan December 6, 2023
I totally agree
 
Shirley W. August 30, 2023
Personally I hate the plastic like oreo filling and always have so I will not be substituting oreo thins. I got lucky and got some Famous Wafer cookies at a discount grocery this spring before knowing they were discontinued. I will try a duplicate recipe when those run out.
 
debra S. August 6, 2023
I made the duplicate Famous Wafer cookies (from the comments last time) a few days ago. I used black cocoa powder and the results were tasty. A little too much butter for me. Anyway, since I was making them for an icebox cake, I baked them in squares to fit my pan! Didn't have to break round cookies to fit in the pan.
 
rlsalvati July 27, 2023
I've been wondering where these cookies went! The icebox cake is a summer tradition from childhood. Oreo Thins are not going to do it for me. Thanks for the substitution suggestions, I may try some of the plain cookie options.
 
Cookie! July 26, 2023
Stauffer’s Chocolate Animal Crackers are not as dark but would be a good sub for crushed cookies for a crust.
 
C1busest5ita! July 27, 2023
I would think if these cookies are not as deeply chocolate flavored as the Famous Chocolate Wafers, that one could add cocoa to the recipe to deepen the flavor. I actually did that to a HM graham cracker crust in a pinch to make a “chocolate crust”. It wasn’t bad!
 
cptduzr July 26, 2023
The problem is finding a not to sweet cookie, which oreo thins does not fulfill. Making your own defeats the don't turn on the oven part. This is the part that gets me, simply because I do not have A/C, and do not use my oven for most of the summer. I used these cookies to sub cookie crust in place of pastry crusts all year long. so sad.
 
AntoniaJames July 25, 2023
For Melissa Clark's fudge-y bourbon balls https://food52.com/blog/1506-fudgy-bourbon-balls , which call for the Nabisco wafers, I have for years used Trader Joe's chocolate cat cookies. I make many dozens of bourbon balls each December for family and friends, so the TJ's alternative offers an excellent cost-effective alternative (plus, it's easier for me to buy those than to source the chocolate wafers, which are hard to find in the stores where I shop). The TJ's cats are a bit drier, requiring more time in the food processor to crush -- and an extra splash or two of booze, but that makes the bourbon balls even better. ;o)
 
C1busest5ita! July 25, 2023
Those sound divine!
 
Marcie(Marcia M. July 31, 2023
Thanks for the ‘heads up’ Antonia! I’ll check them out.
 
C1busest5ita! July 25, 2023
Anyone looking for a real life substitute for those Famous Chocolate Wafers, use the KAF recipe: Make your own! Nothing beats the original, but these are great!
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/chocolate-wafers-recipe

I made them recently and they have a lot of butter in them and are quite delicious. If you are making them for this recipe follow the recipe. If making them for a chocolate crust cut back by half on the butter. They are super chocolatey. I also used black cocoa just to mimic the super dark color. You will not be disappointed!
 
Marcie(Marcia M. July 31, 2023
Thank you for the suggestion! When things cool down in my area(I’m in So. Cal. and my west-facing kitchen is like a furnace, this summer), I’m going to try that recipe and the one another respondent submitted from another source!
Again, thanks so much for taking the time!
 
C1busest5ita! July 31, 2023
I can’t imagine the heat! I live north of Chicago and we are doing pretty well, most of the time. But, as far as that recipe goes, the cookies are so rich and delicious, you won’t be sorry!
 
Nancy July 25, 2023
NPR has also featured the discontinued famous chocolate wafers (mid July 2023).
And they include another recipe for a cookie replacement - this one by baker/blogger Zoe Francois, from a cookbook published by Ten Speed Press.
No, I haven't tried the recipe yet, but it sounds good.
https://www.npr.org/2023/07/14/1187468958/famous-chocolate-wafers-are-no-more-but-the-icebox-cake-lives-on
 
AntoniaJames July 25, 2023
Thank you for that link, Nancy! I was pleasantly reminded of how my mother copied that recipe from the side of the Famous Wafers box when I was a young girl. (My mother had a few wonderful little cookbooks from ingredient manufacturers, like the one shown in the article you linked, but she did not have that one.)

That icebox cake was a favorite dessert for special summer occasions -- perfect for steaming hot days with no air conditioning. ;o)
 
Nancy July 25, 2023
AJ - glad you liked it. I also think of some manufacturers' or side-of-package recipes that have grown beyond their origins and become part of many family memories - two that come to mind are Nestle Toll House cookies and the green bean casserole for Thanksgiving from Campbell Soup.
 
Marcie(Marcia M. July 31, 2023
Thank you, Nancy. I was so annoyed when I read the Nab. Choc. Wafers had been discontinued. I’ll wait ‘til summer’s over(I live in So. Cal. and have a west-facing kitchen🥵)and will then bake up a batch to try them out!
Again, thanks for taking the time to share the KAF link. Very kind of you.🙏🏻
 
Marcie(Marcia M. July 31, 2023
I apologize for any confusion! I meant the NPR link. Another respondent supplied a recipe from KAF.
Very sorry. 😔
 
ydonaldson July 24, 2023
I hope they do bring them back. Nabisco did a horrible job marketing them - always hard to find even in a big city. Mondelez followed the same path. Such a great and wonderful cookie that I loved to use. If they bring it back, there will be a huge rush to get them and even hoard them.
 
Karen July 24, 2023
This is a terrible loss! It must have been a financial decision. Unfortunately, this was often one of the favorite desserts of my upbringing and I passed it on to my sons. And the icebox cake was such an easy dessert to make. I appreciate the comments and other possible suggestions.
 
Fab July 24, 2023
I love those cookies! So versatile but also so delicious on their own.
 
sam July 24, 2023
where is the petition to sign to get them back ????
 
sam July 24, 2023
devastated about Nabisco Chocolate wafers Cannot imagine a replacement WHY are they discontinued - icebox cake a staple dessert for me forever always !!
 
Andree July 24, 2023
Maybe something like BJORG - Biscuit Bjorg Nutri+ Chocolat Ginger cookies + cocoa powder?
 
mbobden July 23, 2023
Same thing happened to Nabisco Zwieback, discontinued years ago. These were the main main ingredient for the famous Richard Sax Nina's Athenian nut cake. Have not made a satisfactory version since. Tried Brandt rusk, not even close to the taste of Nabisco which was the key taste ingredient to this very special cake.
 
Allison July 25, 2023
For many years, Ihave found Zwieback only in the baby section of my local Vons market.
 
Laura July 23, 2023
Not knowing that Nabisco had quietly discontinued the delicious chocolate wafers, I searched high and low in every market and specialty store I thought might carry them in order to make one of my favorite cheesecake recipes. I settled on Dewey’s Bakery Brownie Crisp Cookies, which did the trick. They make an excellent substitute for any icebox cake or cheesecake. Though they do seem smaller in size compared to the Nabisco wafers, I believe there are more cookies in the box. While I still miss the Nabisco wafers, and hope they will consider bringing them back again, the Dewey’s cookie worked just as well.