I’m from the South, where benne wafers are the name for these sesame seed cookies. Benne (sesame) seeds are toasted to enhance their flavor and give these cookies a little crunch. Cookies should be kept refrigerated and in an airtight container.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 25 mins |
| Total Time: | 40 mins |
| Servings: | 72 |
| Yield: | 6 dozen |
Ingredients
- 1 cup sesame seeds
- 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Place sesame seeds on an ungreased baking sheet and toast in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until light brown. Watch closely so that they don’t burn.
- Mix together brown sugar, flour, toasted sesame seeds, melted butter, egg, vanilla, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl until combined.
- Drop dough by 1/2 teaspoonfuls, 1 1/2 inches apart, onto a lightly greased baking sheet.
- Bake in batches in the preheated oven for 4 to 6 minutes, until light brown. Let cookies cool briefly before removing from baking sheets to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat Steps 4 and 5 to bake remaining batches.
Reviews
I stop in Market Street Sweets whenever we go to Charleston for Benne Wafers. Can’t quite put my taste buds on it, but these are definitely better. I used both light and dark brown sugars for a little more molasses flavor. I love the chewy texture when they’re still warm!
I made them just as written. They are very good. I had to bake Beene wafers after reading Pat Conroy’s South of Broad. Great book too!
Terribly sweet! The ratio of sugar to flour is off! It’s 2.25:1 , which is just wayyy too much sugar! I made these but I could only have one at a time. Next time I’m going to use the King Arthur’s flour recipe which has 1:1 ratio of sugar to flour!
These are fantastic. Experiment with dark brown sugar vs light brown sugar for slightly different flavor intensity. Watch them closely or they will burn! Perfect lacey benne wafers!
I WILL NEVER BUY THESE AGAIN! They were so easy to make and delicious. I was able to reduce the recipe because I didn’t need 6 dozen. Next time I need to make them smaller but will definitely make them again.
Just like my mother’s recipe that I had misplaced. A hit with our family and friends. Baked one sheet at a time and for only 5 minutes for best results. Also used silicon mat or parchment paper.
These are easy to make, and tasty. But they have to be cooked longer than 4-6 minutes or they’re too floppy, even after cooling. I cooked mine for 7-9 minutes, watching carefully for the edges to brown slightly. It’s easier to grease your hands and roll them into balls, then flatten, than it is to “drop them” on the cookie sheet. And 1/2 tsp per cookie? That’s just silly. I didn’t have enough sesame seeds, so I used a combination of hemp hearts, chia seeds, and golden flax seeds, so healthy and LOTS of fiber! My son and my dog love them too.
Good stuff! You can often get sesame seeds much cheaper at an Asian market than at the supermarket.
Great cookies! But I have to say I made a couple of changes. Didn’t have the amount of butter, so I used that, half cup I think. I cut the sugar, following advice, and voila! Delicious cookies!
I made these for a school project and loved them. I think I used too much butter. Also, NEVER double the recipe! I doubled it and I regretted it. I started around 6 and ended at about half-hour ’till midnight. So that’s my advice if you are making these.
Killer. Crunchy. Addictive.
I like this recipe as opposed to other recipes I have tried of this kind, because most recipes only call for a half a cup of benne seeds, and I say the more sesame flavor the better. The seats not only a flavor of the texture to the cookie is well. The only thing that I changed about this recipe was using dark brown sugar, as opposed to light brown sugar, which really only means a little more molasses is in the dark brown sugar giving it a deeper richer flavor. I also use a quick and easy cheat when it comes to roasting benne seeds, by purchasing already roasted sesame seed that comes in an 8 ounce plastic jar purchased at a local Asian grocery. The brand-name is JFC, and the bottle has a yellow label that says White Roasted Sesame Seed. I’m sure if you cannot find them at any local grocery you can find them online. This not only saves time, but you can’t burn roasted sesame seeds, if they have already been roasted for you! However, as with all baked goods the matter of what you like to add or leave out, all depends on your personal taste. Thank you Holly for sharing one of the South’s most treasured cookies, delicious!
Love it. At 5 minutes they are already great but my oven doesn’t heat evenly so half of them are less crispy than the other half. I will definitely give this recipe another try soon. The taste is fantastic.
We traveled to Jordan this year. They also make a sesame cookie. This is even better. Easy to make. Made no changes. Followed the instructions. And followed other reviews tips. They turned out great.
This recipe is very easy to make, but I found it time intensive because of the 1/2 tsp drops. I followed it exactly and got great results. I would not make this again just because the cookie is on the sweet side for my particular taste. However, the crispy texture was exactly what I was looking for.
My kids and I loved these. We usually buy benne wafers when in Charleston, SC. So glad I found a recipe to make them at home. The only thing I did different was to use a 1/4 tsp to scoop out dough onto cookie sheets.
These are good, but don’t have quite the taste of the ones made in Charleston. These have a more candy-like consistency – they get stuck in your teeth and don’t have much crunch, even after ample baking. I added a little more flour to the last half of the batter, and it was perfect. I will definitely make these again, but with 1 cup flour instead of 3/4. Thank you, Holly!
a really great recipe and so easy to make. thanks
I’m a northern lady so have had no prior experience with benne commercially or homemade. Holy SMOKES these are good. If you like the taste of sesame, these will be a hit for you. I used parchment on jelly roll pans for max space. While one pan was cooking for 5 min, the other cooled for 3 min, I took them off and reloaded the last 2 min. and changed pans out. I can see why others said they do take time. This worked for me. The only change I would make might be a bit less butter, mine were fairly greasy. Thanks Holly for introducing me to a wonderful southern food.
I just made these cookies this a.m. and they are delicious! Went by the recipe to the letter…..I put my dough mix into a squeeze bottle and made most of the cookies the same size, not over a teaspoon for each…..Couldn’t find the sesame seeds at first and they were not in the spice section of the grocery store…….They were in the Chinese section…………YUM !!!
made with toasted white and black sesame seeds, came out yummy and pretty