Christmas Wafers Recipe: Paper-Thin, Crisp and Made at Home – The Overnight Rest Is the Secret

This Christmas wafers recipe makes thin, crisp, vanilla-scented wafers at home, and they are far better than store-bought ones. The batter needs one night of rest, the wafers won’t stick to your iron if you follow the tips below, and the kitchen will smell of vanilla and cinnamon.

In Slovakia, thin wafers are a traditional part of the Christmas Eve table, usually eaten with honey, and in Poland a similar wafer called opłatek is shared with good wishes. Unlike the plain flour-and-water wafers sold in Polish stores, this homemade version is made with milk, sugar and egg, so it is lightly sweet. Is your wafer iron heated up?

Quick Overview

• What it is: Traditional thin and crisp Christmas wafers, baked one at a time in a wafer iron.
• Secret trick: The batter must rest for 12 hours so the flour fully hydrates.
• Yield: A very large batch, about 100–120 wafers, depending on the size of your iron.

At a Glance

• Prep time: 20 min (plus overnight resting)
• Baking time: about 30 seconds per wafer
• Servings: about 120 wafers
• Difficulty: Medium
• Calories: about 45 kcal per wafer
• Trend: Christmas classic

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Prepare the dry mixture: Sift the flour into a large bowl. Add the cinnamon for aroma and whisk to combine.
2. Dissolve the sugar: Take about a third of the water (about 1 1/3 cups / 330 ml), warm it in the microwave or on the stove and stir in the granulated sugar, vanilla sugar and butter until they are completely dissolved.
3. Mix the base: Pour the sweet water back into the rest of the cold water. Pour the whole amount into the flour, add the egg and whisk by hand into a thick, smooth batter without lumps.
4. Thin with milk: Gradually, in three additions, pour in the cold milk, whisking thoroughly each time.
5. Strain: Pour the finished batter through a fine sieve into a container with a lid. This removes even the smallest lumps.
6. Rest (key step): Let the batter rest in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours (overnight). A rested batter is more elastic and the wafers turn out more delicate.
7. Bake: Heat the wafer iron to medium heat. Brush the plates lightly with beeswax on a cloth. Pour in a small ladleful of batter, close the iron, press down and bake until steam stops escaping (about 30 seconds).
8. Flatten: Remove the hot wafer with a wooden spatula, lay it on a board and immediately weigh it down with a second board so it stays flat as it cools.
9. Finish: While the wafers are still warm, trim the uneven edges with scissors.

Video Recipe

Tips for Perfect Christmas Wafers

1. No powdered sugar: Never put powdered sugar in the batter. It often contains starch, which makes the batter stick to the iron.
2. If the batter thins out: If the batter looks too thin toward the end of baking (the flour settles to the bottom), whisk it again and stir in another spoonful of flour.
3. Careful with the hot iron: The plates get very hot, so use a cloth for greasing and a wooden spatula for lifting the wafers.

Easy Variations

• Wafer rolls: For rolls, don’t weigh the wafer down. Roll the hot wafer immediately around the handle of a wooden spoon.
• Dairy-free: Replace the milk with water. The wafers will be harder but keep longer.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Enjoy! Try more recipes from our kitchen.

The recipe is based on a version by LiViera Desserts, adapted by the We Cook With Love team.