Snack Review: Sweetzels Spiced Wafers

OK, I promise not to make this into another rant about the Good Old Snacking Days. On one condition. You promise to buy some gingersnaps next time you find them.

I am not instructing you to buy Sweetzel’s Spiced Wafers in particular, but that’s not because they aren’t good. They are very, very good. However, they might not be available where you live, since they are a local speciality. As it says on their website:

Over 90 Years ago, we at Sweetzels® revived the colonial Spice and Molasses Cookie by developing a unique recipe for our Spiced Wafers. Fresh baked Spiced Wafers, warm apple cider and a glowing fire have become a favorite Philadelphia Tradition to the welcoming of fall.

They’re now available in other parts of the east and parts of the Midwest, but are apparently still only made in the fall and winter. So you want to go out right now and look for them.

I kind of have my doubts about the 90 year old recipe – the ingredients contain palm oil, which is not a very traditional American baking ingredient. But the important part of the recipe is no doubt the spice blend, and enough molasses to make a difference. These are wonderfully spicy, molasses-y, and not too sweet.

They are also hard – bite into one, or break one in half, and if you didn’t know it, you’ll learn why ‘snap’ is part of the name ‘gingersnap.’ If you are too wimpy to handle the texture, the box suggests microwaving them briefly. I thought this sounded like a terrible idea – why would I want to make a nice snappy cookie into something warm and soggy? But in the interests of science, I tried it. Fortunately, I am big enough to admit when I am wrong. They are really good that way too.

Now, Sweetzel’s Spiced Wafers may or may not be precisely gingersnaps. In one old newspaper article on their website, the owner of the company confusingly says that they are two different things, but that people in the Philadelphia area call the spiced wafers gingersnaps. So why are they are making and selling these in Philadelphia and calling them spiced wafers? And then if you Google around you will find some “Sweetzel’s Ginger Snaps” for sale in some places that are obviously the exact same cookie.

Whatever. There are definitely other spices aside from ginger in these, but if I made gingersnaps I’d put some other spices in them too. I don’t care about the details. I would just like to encourage cookie companies to try making more traditional spice cookies instead of inventing yet another obscene variety of, like, triple-stacked frosting-dipped peppermint-banana-caramel Oreos, you know?

The website also has recipes for using the cookies to make a crumb-crust like a graham cracker crust, which you could use for cheesecake or lime or lemon pie. Ooo, you know what would be fantastic? Pumpkin cheesecake… I gotta go. I have some baking to do.

• Sweetzel’s Website

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