Best day Ever – the last part! You know the kids picked this and the previous two cookies. My daughter Lauren always challenges me with requests. She’ll visit a country, take a picture of a dessert she has had and then send it to me with the caption “Dad please make this when I come home”. No subtlety there! This is a nice treat! Sweet wafers so light but so full of flavor. I love toasted sesame seeds and used black ones for this recipe. It took no time to come together and best part of all, minimal clean up. You really can use just two bowls for this cookie. 2017 Christmas Treat #9 – Sweet Benne Wafers.

You get a lot of cookies from this one small batch of dough. I also like the use of a piping bag for this. Loonie sized batter gets piped onto a baking sheet about 1 inch apart. These cookies spread, but not in an unmanageable way. The trick is to get the timing right and the amount of batter at a consistent size. So if they are not the same size, please don’t freak out – you will still get about 100 wafers from this batch. I made some loonie sized ones as well as some longer finger sized ones – really more for purposes of taking a good picture for the blog.

There are so many possibilities for this lovely light and crisp wafer. They would be great filled with a buttercream icing – hazelnut comes to mind, but even a scant amount of sweet raspberry or blueberry jam would work. The contrast in flavors would be wonderful. But you don’t need any of it as they taste great on their own. I think you will like this wafer – I like the taste, the possibilities and also the fact that you get so many cookies from one small batch.

My daughter was surprised to see them spread as they baked but not with the taste. She has a knack (I think from her mother) that she can spot flavor combinations from reading a recipe. A formidable trait for someone who doesn’t necessarily spend a lot of time in the kitchen (okay but I’m not sure totally independent princesses really cook do they?!?). Make these and they will make an excellent addition to your sweet table. As always – enjoy!

1⁄2 cup sesame seeds
3⁄4 cup packed light brown sugar
1⁄4 cup plus 1 tbsp. flour
1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
1⁄4 tsp. baking soda
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1 egg
1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350f
Toast sesame seeds in a small heavy bottom skillet until fragrant and warm – immediately transfer to a separate container to cool – do not leave them in the frying pan to cool, they will just burn
Whisk sugar, flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl
Add butter and using a fork or your fingers, mix the butter into the flour mixture until incorporated – you know, pea size pieces
In a separate bowl and using a hand held mixer, whip the egg until light and fluffy – about 3 – 5 minutes depending on how powerful your hand blender is
When light and fluffy, reduce the speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture until smooth
Add the sesame seeds and vanilla and using a rubber spatula, stir to incorporate – the batter will stiffen but still be workable
Scrape the batter into a piping bag – please buy one if you don’t have one – disposable plastic bags are available at many locations including Bulk Barn – no don’t use a baggie, really don’t!
Pipe loonie sized pieces onto a parchment lined tray about 1” space in between
Bake cookies until chestnut-brown and lacy in appearance, 4-6 minutes
– note, if you bake these for just about 5 minutes, you will get a soft wafer – almost a macaron texture — so good, if 6 minutes – you will get a crunchy wafer – delicious either way. Please remember that oven temperatures vary based on the oven – know your oven and watch the results – remove if they are browning too much and leave in an extra minute if too soft. They will harden as they cool
I made loonie size wafers as well as longer ones – just because I can!