Benne Wafers

This is the best benne wafer recipe I've tried. Crisp and delicious. I bake mine on aluminum foil lined cookie sheets, but it is important to make sure that you put the shiny side down so that you are placing the cookie dough on the dull side. The shiny side will reflect tooo much heat and burn the cookies. Once they're baked and cooled, you can just peel them off the foil. Thanks, Holly.

If you love sesame MAKE THIS RECIPE! Wonderful grown-up-tasting cookie. My only suggestion, use parchment paper on your cookie sheets. I used waxed paper and still had to freeze them for fifteen minutes to get them off the pans. Keep them small or they'll break apart. Also, the sesame oil smokes when it's cooking. My kitchen filled with smoke, but the cookies were fine. They look good at four minutes, but go the six as I found they are easier to remove from the paper. Worth the effort!

I just now made these cookies....absolutely delicious! Thin, yet with Outstanding flavor, buttery, and just enough crispness and crunch! Thanks for the tip of the parchament paper, guys, it worked like a breeze! No sticking to the pan whatsoever. For flavor- I do not like bland cookies so just to be safe I added the teaspoon of vanilla plus half a teaspoon of almond extract. Went beautifully with the nutty sesame flavor....mmmmmm....mouthwatering.......can't stop eating them :) Thank you so much, Holly! You're recipe is DEFINATELY worth saving. If you like sesame flavor or want to try it in a new way- this recipe is for you! caution: be sure your drops are no bigger than 1 teaspoon, or if you do put them at least 2 and 1/2 inches apart. They like to spread out and get cuddly....:) Take em out when dark around the edges but not burnt...they will be soft and breakable but hardens quick enough...messed up a few cookies when I removed the parchament from pan right out of the oven.....be 'steady' and you'll be fine! Sorry I went on so long, hope ya try these and have success!

These ARE excellent. Try to stick to the 1/2 tsp measurement, it helps. Parchment paper works very well, but you can also use Reynolds "Release" foil with the same results. After the first batch, cool down the pan and wipe the foil with a paper towel, then use again.

I messed with this recipe a bit. I used 1/2 c. sesame seeds (toasted in a skillet), 2 eggs, and 1 1/2 cups flour. No salt. They turned out so great! Very butterscotchy, and not as lacy as this recipe seems to yield. Must be the extra egg and flour that does it. Baked at 350 for 8 minutes. They were crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and totally divine.

made with toasted white and black sesame seeds, came out yummy and pretty

These are great, flat little cookies. They do spread out quite a bit. Use a Silpat or one of those flexible silicon baking sheet liners to avoid stickiness instead of grease and parchment paper. They do take a while to bake due to the small amount of dough required per cookie, and the short amount of time needed to bake each sheet. 5 minutes per baking sheet was more than enough for me, and I was continuously spooning out dough while one sheet was baking. Even still I was never fast enough to finish before the sheet that was in the oven was done baking. But they are yummy and the dough is easy to prepare!

My dad had mentioned something about wanting Benne Wafers not too long ago, so while he was in TN, I found this recipe and made them, then sent him some. Dad was suprised how great they were - better than the ones you would get in Charleston, SC! He shared them with my aunt and uncle, and now my aunt wants the recipe! I would probably stick with the 6 minutes for baking if you are at a higher elevation.

very yummy. Even my kids liked this one. They were rich, but not too sweet. I will definitely make these again.

These were excellent! They weren't any trouble to make, didn't even have to break out the mixer. The parchment paper was a great tip by a reviewer. I used level teaspoons of the batter and baked for 5 minutes. This gave me 85 cookies. Holly, thanks for a delicious recipe.

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!

Not quite as crunchy or as sweet as the store-bought benne wafers in a tin, but still very good. Be careful when toasting the sesame seeds and watch them closely. They go from toasted to burnt in a matter of seconds. Also, I would definitely recommend parchment paper or foil on the cookie sheet. These are too soft to remove from the cookie sheet when you take them out of the oven. They must cool and harden before it's safe to remove them. I used foil on the cookie sheets and then slid the entire piece of foil from the cookie sheet to the countertop so the wafers could cool. I could then easily reuse the cookie sheet and put another batch in the oven. This recipe made 64 wafers. Do not use more than 1/2 teaspoon of batter for each cookie because they do spread signficantly.

good cookies to have with afternoon tea. sophisticated flavour...not a huge hit with the kids.

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.

These are delicious, and just like I remember them from my great-aunt's home in Columbia, SC, when I was a child. They are VERY fragile, however, so probably not a good cookie to send out as a gift. They ARE supposed to be lacy and they are NOT supposed to rise (to answer the queries of previous reviewers). Next time I think I may cut back on the butter by 1 tbsp and add 1 tbsp more flour as I think the ones I remember as a kid were a little less fragile--but just a little :) Also, this recipe makes WAY MORE than 36 cookies at the suggested 1/2 tsp size. I quit counting at some point but I probably got 80 or more just like another reviewer.

We made these for our class since we were doing a report on South Carolina-they turned out great! Let them cool on the paper before you try to peel off the wafer. We ate lots of non-presentable cookies-they were delicious!

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.

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 !!!

a really great recipe and so easy to make. thanks

Mmmmmmm - I just made these and they are delicious. Reading the reviews, I followed the upside-down foil tip and that worked perfectly, plus made clean up a cinch. I purchased the sesame for less at a bulk food store.

I think I expected these to taste like the ones I have had in Lebanon....they soooo didn't. I will keep looking for a good sesame cookie!

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.

Addictive!

I used 1 teaspoon of dough to make the cookies and took them out of the oven after 4 minutes. Then they turned out wonderful! I love them but I wasn't sure about others until I brought them to work to share. Everyone loves them!

These came out very well. I use restaurant quality sheet pans from restaurant supply stores that are open to the public where anyone can get restaurant quality equipment for less than lesser quality, more expensive kitchen supplies. Line with a sheet of parchment paper or use a Silpat. Mounded half-teaspoon portions of dough yield cookies about 4 inches wide and come out perfectly at 6 minutes. Watch them to determine time for your oven. Everyone's ovens are different. They were a hit at a gathering of 90 unrelated people. So the fact that this makes a lot of cookies is helpful for large gatherings. I'm rating this a three because the recipe needs some tweaking regarding lining the pan and because these cookies are very sweet, far too sweet for my own taste so I won't be making them again. But those with a serious sweet for sweet's sake tooth will love them. I'll start looking at Asian sesame cookie recipes.

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.

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.

I have been searching for this recipe for ages. I drive to a bakery in a neighbouring town for these now I can make them at home. I had to keep myself from eating too many right away. I didn't have enough sesame seeds so I made up the difference with flax seeds. still great.

The taste is everything I remember from Charleston. I love that nuttiness. I used the recommended parchment successfully. No problem with sticking. I may have done something wrong because nobody else mentioned their's turning out lacy. My baking powder is not out of date but they just didn't rise--not that the laciness isn't exquisite. I may cut back on butter or add flour to tweak.

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.

<3

This was an awesome recipe....my baking powder was a bit outdated..so it didn`t rise, but it was still wonderful!! crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside...Girls at work loooved it!! Thanks for the recipe

Uhhhhhh . . .so good. . .

I have also been searching off and on for a benne wafer such as this for some time. Just a few days ago I tried a questionnable recipe from THE MONTICELLO COOK BOOK. It was quite good, but more in the butter cookie line. I read over Holly's well written recipe and decided it had potential to equal the crisp, buttery, brown sugary goodness of The Olde Colony's benne wafer. It does, and for a small fraction of the cost. I'm not crazy about the time needed to dole out 1/2 tsps of dough. REALLY need to find the cookie press.

nice nutty texture to it, be careful not to put too big spoonfuls on the pan or they will all run together.

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.

Killer. Crunchy. Addictive.

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!

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!

Good stuff! You can often get sesame seeds much cheaper at an Asian market than at the supermarket.

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.

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!

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.

Good, but more like sugar cookies than wafers. I'm going to try to tweak this recipe a bit.

I made them way too big and they all ran together. Not to worry! I had them on a piece of aluminum foil that was sprayed with cooking spray. I just hacked them apart with a knife and carefully moved them off the tray to cool. The taste was perfection. Chewy and scrumptious! A lot of trouble, but I guess it was worth it.

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 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!

It was easy. My only problem was that they were a little tough to get off the cookie sheet, even with greasing the pan. I did serve them to 3 other adults and they LOVED them. I did not like the flavor quite as much.

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!