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Mrs. Sullivan’s Benne Wafers

Recipe information

  • Yield

    about 12 dozen wafers

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sesame seeds, toasted
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter
1 pound light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Line some baking sheets with waxed paper. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To toast the sesame seeds, spread them in a shallow baking pan. Bake for about 5 minutes, watching carefully. The seeds should just begin to lightly brown. Immediately tip the seeds into a shallow dish and set aside to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.

    Step 2

    Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs. Stir in the flour mixture until combined, then add the vanilla. Stir in the sesame seeds. Drop by 1/2 teaspoons on the prepared baking sheets.

    Step 3

    Bake until brown, 14 to 16 minutes. The cookies should be very brown, but not burned around the edges. Let the cookies cool completely on the waxed paper, then lift them off. Store the wafers in an airtight container. These freeze well in tins.

The Lady & Sons, Too! by Paula Deen. © 2001 by Paula H. Deen. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved. Paula H. Deen was born and raised in Albany, Georgia. She later moved to Savannah, where she and her two sons, Bobby and Jamie, started the Bag Lady catering company. The business took off and evolved into The Lady & Sons Restaurant, which is located in Savannah’s historic district and specializes in Southern cooking. Paula is the host of Food Network’s Paula’s Home Cooking and is a regular guest on QVC, where her cookbooks are one of the newtowrk’s biggest sellers.
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