Benne Wafers / Sesame Seed Cookies

 

DSC_0087

 

 

      Benne wafer is a thin crispy cookie, made with toasted sesame seeds. There is a story behind the making of these simple and delicious benne wafers. One day I found this very simple recipe for making benne wafers and decided to give it a try, as I am always after easy to cook recipes. The preparation and everything was real easy, done without much time, but…but I cant explain the horror I felt when I peeped into the oven 2 mts after I placed them inside. It was a total mess. The wafers had spread out on the whole pan. They were really flat and stuck to the pan. I almost cried and had a tough time cleaning up the mess after trying out each batch of the real simple cookies(I had tried it with double the ingredients that I have mentioned below and I hadn’t used a parchment paper that day). To my surprise, the cookies turned out super yummy. Those who tasted it also felt the same way so I didn’t mind giving it a second try. I got a different recipe from here which used lesser flour and butter than the previous recipe I tried. I tried it out yesterday and it turned out great! The recipe is really simple that anybody can try it. Trust me, its really worth it. I halved the ingredients and toasted the sesame seeds to enhance its flavor. Other than that I almost followed the recipe exactly. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients (Yield – Around 3 dozen cookies)

  1. Sesame seeds – 1/2 cup (toasted)
  2. All purpose flour – 2 tbsp (I used almost 3-3.5 tbsp flour)
  3. Unsalted butter – 2 tbsp, softened
  4. Brown sugar – 1 cup
  5. Egg – 1
  6. Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
  7. Salt – 1/8 tsp

 

Method

 

1. Toast the sesame seeds in a pan until light golden brown. It will take about 6 – 8 mts at medium heat.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Beat the butter and sugar with a hand mixer.

DSC_0059

3. Now add the egg, flour and vanilla essence. Mix well and stir in the toasted sesame seeds. Add more flour if the mixture is very runny.

DSC_0061

DSC_0063

4. Drop by tsp onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 9 – 11 mts or until the edges are brown. Transfer the parchment paper with the cookies to a rack for cooling. The cookies will come off easily from the parchment paper when they are completely cooled. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

 

DSC_0071

 

DSC_0072

 

 

 

DSC_0101

 

 

Tips: You can get sesame seeds really cheap at Asian stores.

Update (7/5/10) : I have tried this recipe a couple of times now and every time they turned out great, a big hit each time!!!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Maya Akhil

Wife, Mother, Blogger and above all, an ardent lover of good food. I cook, serve, and eat with almost the same passion. The divine aroma that fills the kitchen when I cook or bake is simply what keeps me going!

View all posts

44 comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search Yummy Recipes

Kerala Sadya Recipes

About Maya

Maya Akhil

Wife, Mother, Blogger and above all, an ardent lover of good food. I cook, serve, and eat with almost the same passion. The divine aroma that fills the kitchen when I cook or bake is simply what keeps me going!

Every Recipe Since 2010

Categories