Recipe: Delicate Benne Seed Wafers (sesame seed cookies)

DELICATE BENNE SEED WAFERS

1/2 cup benne (sesame) seeds
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg

Parch the seeds in a heavy skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until evenly browned, about 15 minutes.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl; set aside.

Sift the flour with the salt, baking soda and baking powder, and set aside. Add the vanilla and egg to the butter and sugar, and blend well. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate the dough for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Heavily grease a cookie sheet or two and set aside.

Pinch small pieces of dough and roll them into little balls. Place the pieces one at a time on the cookie sheet and flatten each piece out by patting the fingertips or the heel of your hand until it forms a circle as thin as possible, about 2 1/2-inches in diameter.

Bake until brown, about 10 minutes. Cool for about 1 minute, but no more, on the cookie sheet before transferring them with a metal spatula to wire racks to cool. Scrape the cookie sheets clean and regrease before each batch. Store in airtight containers.

Makes about 6 dozen
Source: Charleston Receipts by The Junior League of Charleston