Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups sesame seeds
- 1 (1-pound) box light brown sugar (2 1/2 cups, packed)
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
If you're using raw sesame seeds, place the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place in the oven for about 3 minutes, watching carefully. They should just begin to brown lightly. Set aside to cool completely.
Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Using an electric mixer, cream the sugar, butter and eggs until very light, about 5 minutes. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and stir with the spatula until combined. Add the vanilla. Stir in the cooled sesame seeds. Drop the batter by 1/2 teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets, 1 inch apart. It takes just a dab of batter to produce quarter-sized cookies. They will spread into perfect circles during baking.
Bake until very brown but not burned at the edges, about 14 to 15 minutes. Important: Let the cookies cool completely on the parchment paper, then peel them away from the paper. Store between layers of waxed paper in an airtight container. These cookies freeze well in tins. They will crumble in a plastic freezer bag.
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By EugeniaC
on January 07, 2012
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Delicious! These cookies disappeared from the plate in 10 minutes. I have to say that this recipe makes a lot of cookies. I halved the recipe and still had a lot of cookies. They do form perfect circles and yes, really, only half a teaspoon will make a regular size cookie. Mine needed about 15-16 minutes to be done.
By jericorbitt_476592
Birmingham, AL
on December 18, 2011
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I just made these cookies today - from Paula's Christmas book, "Christmas with Paula Deen." These cookies our OUTSTANDING. They are thin and crisp, and have a wonderful flavor. I made them the size Paula recommends - 1/2 teaspoon of dough. Mine actually bake out to silver-dollar size; and, they made way more than the 12 dozen stated in the recipe. At least twice that many. The only thing I will do different next time, is to use better cookie sheets. The sheets I used interfered with the bake time, as well as the temperature. In order to get them "done" in about 15 minutes, I needed to move the temp up to about 325-350. I don't know if it was the recipe, my oven, or my cookie sheets. Doesn't matter, they still all came out great. This is a new Christmas cookie tradition at my house!
By conner17_3832464
Fleetwood, PA
on December 13, 2011
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These cookies are fantastic! Love Paula's southern cooking. These cookies are more like wafers....thin and delicious. I've tried many recipes for Benne Seed Cookies and this is one of the best!
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