Crisp, chewy, nutty and caramelized benne cookies or aka sesame cookies or benne wafers are perfect for your holiday or Kwanzaa celebrations. For a more traditional type cookie leave them plain or drizzle them with melted chocolate. Both ways are equally delicious.
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine Southern, Southern American, West African
Keyword african recipes, soulfood recipes
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 6 minutesminutes
Total Time 11 minutesminutes
Servings 50
Author April Boller Wright
Ingredients
1cup sesame seedstoasted
1stick unsalted butter
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1egglightly beaten
3/4 cup flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate drizzle
2 1/2cup melted chocolate
2 1/2tsp coconut oil
Instructions
How to Roast Sesame Seeds
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the seeds on an un-greased baking sheet for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Remove the benne seeds from oven and set aside to cool completely.Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Line a light-colored baking sheet with parchment paper.
Benne Seed Mix
Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar for 3-5 minutes. Add eggs and mix until combined.
Stir in remaining ingredients except sesame seeds until a dough forms. Fold in cooled sesame seeds.
Scoop dough by the 1/2 teaspoon and roll into balls. Place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing apart.
Bake at 275°F for 6-8 minutes until cookies are softly set but still pale golden on the bottom.
Remove from oven and let cool on pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Chocolate Drizzle
For chocolate drizzle: Melt chocolate in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between rounds. Add shortening and stir until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cookies
Notes
If you want to add some chocolate drizzle to your cookies, let the cookies cool completely. Just drizzle a bit with a spoon or pour the melted chocolate into a plastic zip bag. Snip a tiny corner off using scissors. Garnish with more sesame seeds if you like. __________________A light colored baking sheet will keep these cookies from burning. If you're using a dark baking sheet, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees. __________________Do not place the benne cookies too close together on the baking sheet or they may stick together. I suggest placing them 2 inches apart. Make sure you use parchment paper if not, the cookies may spread too much.__________________ These cookies cook pretty fast, therefore bake them between 6-8 minutes. They should be a light golden brown color. Remove the cookies from the oven and cool about 15 minutes.__________________Store cookies in a tight lid container for up to 4 days at room temperature.