Benne Cookies

By susanwadle

Benne" means sesame seeds, and these are deliciously crispy little cookies. I made these recently for a friend-of-the-family who celebrates Kwanzaa, and he loved them. They originate in Africa, but have become a tradition in the deep south of the United States. They are also the only Kwanzaa cookie type I could find; as an added bonus (although the ingredients sound REALLY weird), they're delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 cup sesame seed, toasted
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 / salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Preparation

Step 1

1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2 If your sesame seeds are not toasted, place them on an ungreased baking sheet and toast for 10-12 minutes or until they turn light brown.
3 They may burn easily, so watch closely to prevent this from happening.
4 Mix the brown sugar, melted butter, egg, vanilla extract, flour, salt, baking powder, and toasted sesame seeds together until well combined in a large mixing bowl.
5 Drop cookie dough by half-teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Make sure that at least 2 inches separate them; they spread A LOT.
6 Bake at 375 degrees F for about 5-6 minutes or until edges become light brown. They will appear a little puffy when you take them out.
7 Let them sit for 2-3 minutes.
8 They should be pretty flat.
9 Remove them to a wire rack and allow to cool (be careful--they're pretty crispy and crunchy!).
10 Store cooled cookies in an air-tight container.