Raspberry Wafer Cookies

With their perfectly crisp and uniform layers, youd think these cookies were mass-produced in a factory. Sure, youll need a waffle cone iron and some quick hands to create them, but trust us: few things are as satisfying as sinking your teeth into airy wafers youve made yourself especially when theyre bursting with raspberry flavour.

Ideal for afternoon teas, cookie swaps or any time you want to treat yourself, these Raspberry Wafer Cookies were the Technical Bake for Cookie Week in Season 8 of The Great Canadian Baking Show.

Raspberry Wafer Cookies

Special Equipment

• Waffle cone iron

Ingredients

Wafers:

• cup (170 g) unsalted butter
• 6 egg whites, room temperature
• 1 cups (213 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup plus 1 tbsp (120 g) icing sugar
• tsp fine kosher salt
• tsp raspberry extract
• Pink food colouring

White Chocolate Raspberry Buttercream:

• cup (85 g) white chocolate callets
• 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups (339 g) icing sugar
• 2 tbsp freeze-dried raspberry powder
• tsp kosher salt
• tsp raspberry extract

Tempered White Chocolate:

• 3 cups (510 g) white chocolate callets, divided
• White oil-based food colouring

Garnish:

• 5 whole freeze-dried raspberries

Preparation

Wafers:

Heat the waffle cone iron on level 1.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan set over low heat, then set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites until slightly foamy, then whisk in the melted butter.

Sift the flour and icing sugar into the egg white mixture. Whisk until smooth, then whisk in the salt, raspberry extract and pink food colouring as desired. Cover the batter with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Lightly spray the waffle cone iron with non-stick cooking spray, then wipe away any excess with a paper towel. Set up a cutting board with a chefs knife, ruler and small offset spatula, and place a wire rack on top of a half sheet pan.

Once the batter has chilled, scoop 2 tablespoons into the centre of the iron, and close the lid tightly. Cook until the wafer is cooked through but not brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Using the offset spatula, transfer the wafer to the cutting board while its still hot. Using the chefs knife, quickly trim the crisp edges away, then cut the remaining wafer into 1-by-3-inch strips (the wafer will harden as it cools, so it must be cut while it is still warm and pliable.) Using the offset spatula, place the cut wafers onto the wire rack to cool. Repeat this process using the rest of the batter.

White Chocolate Raspberry Buttercream:

Place the white chocolate callets in a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl doesnt touch the surface of the water, and melt the chocolate until smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside to allow the chocolate to cool to room temperature.

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer, and sift in the icing sugar and raspberry powder. Fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until the icing sugar is fully incorporated. Scrape the bowl down with a rubber spatula.

Add the salt and raspberry extract, and beat the mixture on medium until it is light and fluffy, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Once the white chocolate has cooled, slowly add it to the buttercream with the mixer running on medium, beating for 1 minute. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip and set aside.

Assembly:

Place a cooled, cut wafer onto the cutting board. Pipe a thin layer of buttercream onto the wafer, making sure to not leave any gaps. Top with another wafer and press down gently. Repeat this process to create a cookie with three layers of wafer and two layers of buttercream. Repeat this process until you have 12 wafer cookies.

Tempered White Chocolate:

Place 2 cups of the white chocolate callets in a large metal bowl. Set the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water and melt the chocolate until a candy thermometer registers 113 F (45 C). Remove the bowl, leaving the water simmering, and wipe any moisture off the bottom with a kitchen towel. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate callets over the melted chocolate, and mix it with a rubber spatula using slow, even strokes. Continue mixing the chocolate until it has cooled to 80.6 F (27 C).

Place the bowl over the pot of barely simmering water and heat it again until the chocolate has reached 82.4 to 84.2 F (28 to 29 C). Add in the white oil-based food colouring as desired.

Garnish:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Lightly drizzle the tempered white chocolate on each wafer cookie, as desired, and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Crush the freeze dried raspberries and sprinkle some on top of the chocolate drizzle.

Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator to chill until the chocolate has hardened.

Makes 12 wafer cookies