In the pantheon of packaged snack food, I consider Nilla wafers woefully under-represented. Or, under-appreciated, more specifically. If you walk down the snack food aisle (ha! remember leisurely doing grocery shopping without anxiety?), Nilla wafers are usually tucked down on a bottom shelf, placed suspiciously close to the organic granola and rolled oats section. They are overlooked in favor of splashier boxes and bags: Flamin’ Hot Cheetos! Cool Ranch Doritos! Pringles! Oreos! Parmesan Goldfish (don’t make that face at me, this is the best flavor and it’s not up for discussion)!
I realize the world of snack foods is now ridiculously huge and broad, but for the purpose of this discussion (between me and myself), I’m referring to classic, old-school, been-around-for-decades packaged snack foods. Wheat Thins. Triscuits. Chips Ahoy. You know.
At the risk of alienating you with a divisive opinion on this HOT TOPIC, here’s what the best classic snack foods actually are: Better Cheddars, Club crackers, Nilla wafers, Kix cereal, Sun Chips (harvest cheddar flavor only, duh), and Saltines. Seriously. It’s all true. And what’s more, I’ll throw some additional wisdom your way: Brussels cookies are better than Milanos. Triscuits are not that good. Ditto to Tostitos. Animal crackers are very good and the frosting-covered ones are absolute nonsense.
I rarely buy snack foods anymore. Sometimes a box of Asher’s dark chocolate covered graham crackers; sometimes rice crackers or cereal. But I’ve fallen into the habit of not buying them and it’s an “out of sight out of mind” situation. I make olive oil crackers when I want crackers, or I buy the crispy carta di musica—paper-thin sheets of salty flatbread brushed with olive oil—from Carissa’s in East Hampton.
Thus, it’s been a minute or two since I had the pleasure of eating a handful of Nilla wafers. But don’t you remember the taste? Sweet and vanilla-y with a sandy coating—inevitably a few would get dented and crushed in the box, leaving half-moon-sized wafers. They’re subtly flavored; you wouldn’t call them sexy in a way you might, say, an fudge-striped Keebler cookie. (Or would you?) But they’re classic. They’re like the Simon and Garfunkel of snack food. In twenty years, we will all still be listening to “Homeward Bound” and eating Nilla wafers, I promise you. And both will be just as good.
You should buy a box and dunk one or two in milk. You should do this to rediscover how good they are. Or, discover it for the first time if you’ve (sacrilege!) never tasted one.
But you should also most certainly buy a box in order to make one of the all-time best summer desserts, one that is also extremely under-appreciated: icebox cake.
Made by layering crisp cookies with whipped cream, then letting it all sit and soften for a day in the fridge, icebox cake is far easier than any other cold dessert (ice cream or mousse) but combines the fun and texture of cake without needing to bake or turn on the oven.
I’ve written about some other good versions before (classic chocolate wafer and lemon gingersnap), but this one double vanilla one probably my favorite. Combine Nilla wafers with lightly sweetened vanilla whipped cream. That’s it. Have at it!
Double Vanilla Icebox Cake
1 box Nilla wafers
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
On a plate or cake stand, make a circular layer of Nilla wafers about 9” in diameter (you can also do this inside a cake pan, loaf pan, or glass dish of any shape if you want neater edges—just line the pan with plastic wrap first and after chilling, flip and invert the cake onto a plate or platter).
Whip the cream to stiff peaks and fold in the vanilla and sugar. Spread a layer of the whipped cream over the cookies. Top with another layer of cookies, then whipped cream, and keep alternating until you run out of ingredients.
Refrigerate overnight, or for at least 8 hours. Eat!