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Benne wafers on a gold rimmed plate.

DELISH South Carolina Benne Wafers Recipe

Grace Stewart (adapted from Benne Wafers Recipe on AllRecipes.com)
Benne Wafers are a wonderfully nutty, sweet, and salty snack from South Carolina! Beware these can disappear very quickly as it's impossible to eat just one!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 32 minutes
Total Time 42 minutes
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American, south carolinian, southern
Servings 12 people (around 5 wafers per serving)
Calories 100 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 baking tray
  • 1 silicone baking mat can use parchment paper but the silicone baking mat is preferred

Ingredients
  

  • 5 tablespoon butter I used salted butter but you can sub unsalted if you prefer
  • ½ cup sesame seeds
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • ½ cup brown sugar packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ⅛ ts baking powder
  • ¼ ts salt
  • ¼ ts vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 350F. Begin by toasting the sesame seeds in a skillet on a medium low to medium heat on your stove. Stir constantly for about 3 minutes or until the seeds have turned a light to medium brown. They may start to pop!
    Toasted sesame seeds in a pan with a blue spatula holding some of the sesame seeds.
  • Melt the butter and then allow it to cool. Then add all of the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl: melted butter, toasted sesame seeds, vanilla extract, brown sugar, flour, egg, salt and baking powder.
    Toasted sesame seeds, an egg, melted butter, brown sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl.
  • Mix well until all of the ingredients are combined to make a dough. Then drop ½ teaspoonfuls of dough onto a silicone baking mat or parchment paper (which has been placed on a cookie sheet) roughly an inch apart.
    Dollops of uncooked benne wafer dough on a silicone baking mat.
  • Bake for around 8-10 minutes until the wafers are have browned and you have crispy edges. Keep an eye on them so that they don't burn. Rotate the cookie sheet and mat halfway through the baking time.
    Benne wafers baking on a silicone baking mat on top of a baking tray in the oven.
  • Remove from the oven and then allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Then transfer the wafers to a cooling rack to allow them to cool completely.
    Benne wafers on a cooling rack.
  • Bake in batches until all the dough is used up. I usually make between 3 and 4 batches with this recipe. This makes around 60-70 cookies!
    Benne wafers on a silicone baking mat.

Notes

Use of a silicone baking mat is highly recommended.  The wafers slide right off the mat!
You can sub dark brown sugar for light brown sugar, and unsalted for salted butter if you like. 
These delicious benne wafers are perfect served with tea or coffee and are an irresistible snack! 

Nutrition

Calories: 100kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.002gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 71mgPotassium: 63mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 35IUCalcium: 83mgIron: 1mg
Keyword benne wafers, cookies, sesame seeds
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