No, they're much better. The vanilla wafers you can buy in the store are overwhelmed by artificial flavors and some questionable ingredients (I'm clearly no health-food-fanatic, but high fructose corn syrup and unpronounceable ingredients are a turn off for me). It's those artificial flavors that overpower the store-bought cookies and gives them their distinct taste. This taste can't be replicated by home bakers like us who are using commonly available (and... cough*so-much-better*cough) ingredients. My vanilla wafers instead are richly flavored with real vanilla, perfectly sweetened with just the right amount of crunch, and accented with buttery undertones. It's clear that they're vanilla wafers, but they're much better than anything you could buy at the store.