Benne Seed Wafers Recipes

BENNE WAFERS (CHARLESTON'S CLASSIC SESAME SEED COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• If using sesame seeds, rather than authentic benne seeds, toast seeds in dry skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until well mixed, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Make it extra fluffy to add volume to the dough so you get the full number of cookies out of it! Add the eggs one at a time, beating well to combine after each egg.
• Sift together flour and baking powder. Stir dry ingredients into butter-sugar mixture. Stir in benne or sesame seeds and vanilla extract.
• Drop dough by scant 1/2-teaspoons-full (I did a little less than 1/2 teaspoon to make them more bite-sized, since the dough spreads quite a bit) onto parchment paper about 1 inch apart. If desired, spoon dough into a ziplock bag and trim off the corner, or into a pastry bag, and pipe tiny amounts onto the parchment paper instead of using spoons.
• Bake for 7-9 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove cookies onto a rack to cool.
• Store in an airtight container or separate into baggies as gifts or favors.

BENNE SEED WAFERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, beat together 2 eggs and oil until frothy. In another bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and sesame seeds. Mix into egg mixture. Add extra flour if needed to make a stiff dough; it shouldn't be sticky.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured board as thinly as possible. Using a 3-inch-round biscuit cutter, cut into circles. Arrange on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg and 1 tablespoon water to make egg wash. Brush wafers lightly with egg wash. Poke holes all over crackers with a fork, making sure the holes go all the way through.
• Bake for 10 minutes, or until brown around edges. Turn over, and bake until golden brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. Let cool; store in an airtight container.

BENNE WAFERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place the benne (sesame) seeds on an ungreased baking sheet and toast for 10 to 12 minutes, until light brown. Watch closes so that they don 't burn.
• In a large bowl mix the brown sugar, melted butter or margarine, egg, vanilla extract, flour, salt, baking powder and toasted sesame seeds together until combined.
• Drop dough by 1/2 teaspoonfuls 1 1/2 inches apart onto a lightly greased baking sheet.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 4 to 6 minutes, until light brown. Let cookies cool for about 2 minutes before removing from baking sheets to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container.

BENNE WAFERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter for about 30 second, so that it is even softer. Add the sugar, vanilla, salt, baking soda and egg and beat until just combined. Add the flour and mix until smooth. Stir in the sesame seeds.
• Drop the dough by tablespoonful onto the baking sheets, making sure to leave at least an inch between the wafers for spreading. Spray your hands or a spatula with nonstick spray and press the cookies down to keep them from doming.
• Bake until golden brown and starting to crisp on the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow the wafers to cool for 1 minute on the baking sheets, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

BENNE SEED WAFERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place sesame seeds on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until fragrant and lightly browned, 10-15 minutes; cool., Reduce oven temperature to 300°. In a large bowl, beat brown sugar and butter until crumbly. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder. Gradually beat into sugar mixture. Add cooled sesame seeds and stir to combine., Roll level teaspoons into balls. Place 2 in. apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Reduce oven temperature to 275°; bake until set but still soft, 18-20 minutes. Cool on pan 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. , For optional chocolate drizzle, in a large microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate, uncovered, at 50% power until melted, stirring every 30 seconds, 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. Add shortening and stir until melted. Drizzle over cookies; let stand until set.

THE BEST BENNE WAFERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• If your sesame seeds are not toasted, place them on an ungreased baking sheet and toast for 10-12 minutes or until they turn light brown.
• They may burn easily, so watch closely to prevent this from happening.
• Mix the brown sugar, melted butter, egg, vanilla extract, flour, salt, baking powder, and toasted sesame seeds together until well combined in a large mixing bowl.
• Drop cookie dough by half-teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Make sure that at least 2 inches separate them; they spread A LOT.
• Bake at 375 degrees F for about 5-6 minutes or until edges become light brown. They will appear a little puffy when you take them out.
• Let them sit for 2-3 minutes.
• They should be pretty flat.
• Remove them to a wire rack and allow to cool (be careful--they're pretty crispy and crunchy!).
• Store cooled cookies in an air-tight container.

BENNE-SEED WAFERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a shallow baking pan spread seeds evenly and toast in middle of oven, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. Cool seeds.
• Into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and table salt. With your fingertips or a pastry blender blend in lard or shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add seeds and milk, stirring until a soft dough is formed. Divide dough in half. Keeping remaining piece of dough wrapped in plastic wrap, roll out 1 piece between sheets of plastic wrap to 1/8 inch thick (about an 8 1/2-inch square) and remove top sheet of plastic wrap. With a sharp knife cut dough into 1 1/2-inch squares, reserving scraps. Peel squares off plastic wrap and arrange about 1/2 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Roll out and cut remaining piece of dough in same manner. Reroll reserved scraps and cut in same manner.
• Bake wafers in batches in middle of oven until pale golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle wafers with coarse salt and transfer to a rack to cool. Wafers may be made 1 week ahead and kept in an airtight container at cool room temperature.

BENNE SEED WAFERS

Steps:

• Toast your sesame seeds and let cool.
• Cream the butter and sugar, adding beaten egg, then the flour that has bee sifted with salt and baking powder. Add the vanilla and Sesame seeds.
• Drop by teaspoonfuls on greased cookie sheet.
• Bake in preheated 325°F oven.
• Allow to cool one minute before removing them from the cookie sheet and place on cooling rack.
• This makes a transparent cookie wafer.

BENNE COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 large cookie sheets with butter.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat and add the benne seeds, stirring them until coated. Toast the seeds, stirring frequently, until fragrant and darkened a shade, 2 to 3 minutes. Take care not to burn the seeds and turn down the heat if needed. Scrape onto a plate and let cool completely.
• Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl.
• In a large bowl, cream together the remaining 8 tablespoons/115 grams butter and both sugars until well combined and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well. Add the cooled toasted benne seeds and the vanilla, then stir in the flour mixture.
• Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of the cookie dough at least 2 1/2 inches apart on 1 prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown around the edges. Remove the wafers from the cookie sheet immediately and place on waxed or parchment paper to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough on the second cookie sheet, reusing the first sheet when it's cool, if needed.

BENNE CHEESE WAFERS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Spread the sesame seeds on a baking sheet. Bake them for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are toasted golden but not brown. Transfer to a bowl and cool.
• Using a wooden spoon, beat the butter and cheese together in a bowl until they are well blended. Blend in the Worcestershire sauce. In another bowl, stir together the flour, cayenne, mustard, salt and sesame seeds. Gradually stir into the butter mixture to make a stiff dough, then knead to blend all the ingredients evenly.
• Pinch off small pieces of dough and roll them into marble-sized balls. Place them about an inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with the tines of a fork in a crisscross pattern.
• Bake them for 12 minutes, or until they are crisp but not brown. Cool on racks. Store in airtight container.