Benne or sesame seeds have a long history in the United States. The seeds were brought over by enslaved Africans, grown in hidden gardens, and eventually planted throughout the South. These days we mostly see sesame seeds in Asian dishes and on hamburger buns, but benne wafers are still a very popular cookie throughout the South.
I did not grow up eating these cookies. As a kid, I occasionally got to try sesame candies at parties. They were little brown logs and as you sucked on them the seeds came apart. They were crunchy and nutty, but I thought of them as candies for adults. They were a last resort candy, if there nothing better to eat. Fast forward quite a few years and the idea of roasted sesame candy is much more appealing. Roasted sesame cookies, even more so. These cookies have the soul of those candies in little round crispy bites of joy.
Southern benne wafers are a classic cookie. They come together quickly because the dough is made with melted butter and stirred together. I amplified the flavor by melting the butter with the sesame seeds, toasting them along with the milk solids until they were golden brown and fragrant. This extra step made all the difference. You can cook them cookies until they are just set and golden brown around the edges, for slightly softer, but still crunchy caramel-ly cookies or you can bake them a bit longer until they are a deep golden brown all over for crunchier cookies with notes of toffee underscoring the sesame flavor. Either way, they are delicious. The recipe makes 3 dozen and I tend to cook half of them each way, so I have an abundance of each.
These are generally made with white sesame seeds, but black seeds also work, you just need to pay attention to your nose when you're browning them in the butter. I also like to swap out 1/4 cup of chia seeds for an equal amount of sesame seeds. I like the flavor and texture that they add. But, don't blame me if you eat too many.
Benne Wafers
Makes 3 dozen
4 ounces unsalted butter
3/4 cup sesame seeds (sometimes I sub. in 1/4 cup chia seeds because I like the contrast)
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Put the butter and sesame seeds in a medium pot set over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the seeds are a pale golden brown and the milk solids are fragrant. The butter will melt and then foam as you stir. When the foaming dissipates, you are usually done. Remove from heat immediately to prevent the solids from burning and transfer the seeds and butter to a medium sized heatproof bowl. Add the dark brown sugar and salt and stir with a silicone spatula until all the sugar dissolves. Add the egg and stir quickly to incorporate. Add the vanilla and mix to blend. Finally, add the flour and stir until it forms a thick batter. Then set it aside for at least 5 minutes to hydrate and thicken.
Line your sheet pans with parchment paper and use a small sorbet scoop or a teaspoon to portion the dough. Drop scoops of the dough 2 inches apart on the sheet pans. Bake for 12-13 minutes until golden brown around the edges for classic benne wafers of for 14-15 minutes until the cookies are golden brown for crunchy benne wafers. Let cool for 5-7 minutes and then transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.
