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    Home » Dessert » Benne Wafers Recipe (Sesame Seed Cookies)

    Benne Wafers Recipe (Sesame Seed Cookies)

    Published on Dec 21, 2019 Modified: Aug 7, 2020 by The Foreign Fork This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Benne Wafers are another word for thin, crispy cookies made with sesame seeds. This recipe creates delicious, crunchy cookies that are great with milk! 

    Overhead view of benne wafers on a braided placemat with a cookie scoop in the background

    “Hello Reader! I try my hardest to research recipes as best as I can before posting to ensure I am representing each culture correctly. If this recipe is from your country and I have made a mistake or you have suggestions for how to make it more authentic, I would love to hear! Please leave a comment below letting me know what should be different, and I will rework the recipe. It is always my intention to pay homage and respect to each cultural dish that I cook. Thanks for reading!”

    Until today, I’ve never really considered sesame seeds an ingredient if you know what I mean. A topping? Sure. But a full-on ingredient… not really. 

    I’m excited though, because this recipe for Benne Wafers from the Central African Republic really showed me the beauty of sesame seeds. When the sesame seeds toast, they have a beautiful flavor that’s all their own.


    The seeds in these cookies make them a great middle ground for people that don’t have a huge sweet tooth. They taste a bit toasty and savory, but the cookie batter makes them sweet and delicious!  

    Benne wafers on a plate

    What Are Benne Wafers? 

    Benne wafers are cookies that originated in Africa, but are now very popular in America as well. To make these cookies, toast sesame seeds and then combine them with a buttery cookie dough. When the cookies bake, the bottoms get very crispy and crunchy!

    What Ingredients Are Used to Make this Recipe? 

    Sesame seeds
    Egg
    Butter
    Flour
    Brown sugar 
    Salt 
    Baking powder 
    Vanilla 

    How Are Benne Wafers Made? 

    First, you’ll need to toast your sesame seeds for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees. 

    Melt butter in your microwave and use an electric hand mixer to combine with sugar in a large bowl.

    Add egg and mix again.

    Combine flour and baking powder into the dough and hand mix until a dough is formed. 

    Add the toasted sesame seeds. 

    Use a small cookie scoop to scoop balls of dough. I placed my cookies on an open air cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. 

    Bake at 375 degrees for 14 minutes. Allow cookies to cool and then enjoy!

    Where Did this Recipe Come From?

    Benne wafers originated in Africa and are very popular in the Central African Republic. However, when slaves were transported to America, they brought their favorite recipes with them. These slaves began making their benne wafer recipe Now, benne wafers are a popular snack in South Carolina (for example, the Olde Colony Bakery is home to the Charleston Version of Benne Wafers!

    Thanks for reading! If you want more cookie recipes, check out my other blog posts: 

    • Fast and Easy Maple Cookies
    • Alfajores (Dulce de Leche Cookies from Argentina) 
    • Sheqerpare Cookies from Albania
    • Algerian Shortbread Cookies with Raspberry Filling
    Pinterest graphic for benne wafers
    Benne wafers on a plate

    Benne Wafers (Sesame Seed Cookies)

    Benne wafers from Central African Republic are beautifully crispy, crunchy cookies made with sesame seeds!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: baking, Cookies, Dessert
    Cuisine: central african republic
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 14 minutes
    Total Time: 34 minutes
    Servings: 30 cookies
    Calories: 108kcal
    Author: The Foreign Fork

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup sesame seeds
    • 1 egg
    • ¾ cup butter, melted
    • 1 cup flour
    • ¾ cup brown sugar
    • ¼ tsp Salt
    • ¼ tsp baking powder
    • ½ tsp vanilla

    Instructions

    • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place sesame seeds on a cookie sheet and toast for about 15 minutes, checking and stirring them every 5 minutes or so. Keep a close eye on your sesame seeds as they burn easily.
    • Remove the sesame seeds from the oven and place them aside to cool.
    • Bump oven up to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Melt butter and use an electric mixer to combine with sugar.
    • Add egg and mix with electric mixer again.
    • Add flour and baking powder and use a spoon to mix by hand.
    • Line an open air cooking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop 12 cookies onto your cookie sheet and bake at 375 for about 14 minutes. Your cookies will start to brown and be very thin and wafery!
    • Allow to cool fully and enjoy!
    • Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you think.

    Notes

    Recipe copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational and personal use only. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 108kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @TheForeignFork or tag #TheForeignFork!

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    Baking, Central African Republic, Cookies, Dessert

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    Comments

    1. Lisa says

      September 13, 2021 at 5:44 pm

      5 stars
      Fabulous, everyone loves them

      Reply
      • The Foreign Fork says

        September 13, 2021 at 6:19 pm

        So glad to hear it Lisa. Thanks for the review!

        Reply

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