Schär Hazelnut Wafer Pocket: Gluten-Free Wafers Explained

Schär Gluten-Free Wafer Pocket, Hazelnut Cream

The clever part of this wafer is the part you barely notice: the sheet. In an ordinary wafer, wheat protein helps hold the thin baked lattice together, so a gluten-free one needs starches and other binders to take on that job before any cream goes near it.

Published 26 Sep 2026 Curator-written, not crowdsourced

Schär Gluten-Free Wafer Pocket, Hazelnut Cream, in summary: One sealed 50g pocket of crisp gluten-free wafer sheets layered with hazelnut cream. Eat it dry rather than dunked, keep it away from damp, and pour a malty breakfast tea strong enough to meet the nut.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in September 2026.

The clever part of this wafer is the part you barely notice: the sheet. In an ordinary wafer, wheat protein helps hold the thin baked lattice together, so a gluten-free one needs starches and other binders to take on that job before any cream goes near it.

Why a gluten-free wafer is a small feat

A wafer sheet starts life as a very thin batter, baked until it sets into a dry, rigid lattice that is mostly air. In a wheat wafer, the flour's protein does much of the holding while that lattice dries out. Take the wheat away and the support has to come from somewhere else, which is why free-from wafers reached the shelf later than free-from biscuits. The test of a good one is simple: it snaps cleanly instead of crumbling.

For Schär, gluten free is the whole business rather than a sideline. Its roots go back to South Tyrol in 1922, when Dr. Anton Schär and Gottfried Untertrifaller produced a fortified semolina aimed at child malnutrition in the years after the First World War. Ulrich Ladurner acquired the brand in 1979, and in 1981 relaunched it with a gluten-free focus. The firm is still family-run, still headquartered at Burgstall, and has run a research laboratory in Trieste since 2003.

Hazelnut cream between dry sheets

The sheets bring texture and almost no flavour; the cream supplies the rest. Sugar and fat reach you first, as with any wafer filling, and then the hazelnut comes through underneath, adding a rounded, faintly toasted depth that a plain sweet cream cannot manage. Nut aroma is carried in the fat, so a wafer at room temperature tastes fuller than one pulled straight from a cold bag. Give a chilly one a few minutes before opening it.

Among the Schär lines we stock, this is one of two wafers. The Vanilla Wafers come in a 125g pack, while the Wafer Pocket is a single sealed portion, handy for a bag or a desk drawer. Both sit apart from the Digestives, Rich Tea and Custard Creams that make up the everyday tin. Hazelnut is in the name and in the cream, so this one is not for anyone avoiding nuts, and many schools and nurseries will not allow it.

Keeping it crisp, and what to pour

Damp, not warmth, is what finishes a wafer. The dry lattice draws moisture out of the air and turns leathery rather than soft, and warming it through will not help, since the filling turns liquid well before the sheets could crisp up again. The sealed pocket protects it until you tear it open, so open it when you intend to eat it, and keep unopened pockets somewhere cool and dry.

Resist the urge to dunk. The sheets are so porous that they soak up hot tea almost instantly and collapse. Eat it dry beside the cup, and pick a brew with enough malt and tannin to meet a rich nut cream: a strong breakfast blend or an Assam with milk is the natural partner, while delicate teas simply get lost. A medium roast coffee works well too, since coffee and hazelnut share a roasted character.

The packs we stock

Schar Gluten-Free Wafer Pocket - Hazelnut Cream, 50g (barcode 8008698054086)

What to drink with it

Yorkshire Tea Gold Blend Loose Leaf Tea, 250g: A full, malty loose-leaf blend with the weight to stand beside a rich hazelnut cream, milk in.
Glengettie Welsh Breakfast Tea, 80 Tea Bags 250g: A strong everyday breakfast cup whose briskness cuts through the sweetness of the filling.
Twinings English Breakfast Loose Tea, 125g: A loose English Breakfast for the teapot, when the wafer is part of a proper sit-down break.
Tetley Redbush Vanilla, 40 Tea Bags 100g: For later in the day, a redbush whose vanilla sits comfortably alongside hazelnut.

Elsewhere in the Schar range

The full range is on the Schar brand page.

FAQ

Can you dunk a Schär wafer? No. The sheets absorb hot liquid almost at once and collapse, so eat it dry and drink alongside.

Does the Wafer Pocket contain nuts? Yes, hazelnut is in the cream and in the product name, so it is not suitable for anyone avoiding nuts. Check the current pack for the full allergen and may-contain information.

Is the Wafer Pocket gluten free? Gluten free is part of the product name and printed on the pack. If you are buying for coeliac disease, check the pack on each purchase, since a recipe or the way a factory runs can change without notice.

Why has my wafer gone chewy? It has taken on moisture from the air. Keep pockets sealed and dry until you eat them; once a wafer turns leathery it cannot be crisped up again.

How does it differ from Schär's Vanilla Wafers? The Vanilla Wafers are a 125g pack, whereas the Wafer Pocket is a single 50g portion with a hazelnut cream filling.

Curator's note: If it has come in from a cold car, leave it on the side for ten minutes before you open it. The hazelnut is worth the wait, and so is a properly strong mug. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.