The blog took a short vacation when I left it behind to go to South Carolina. The trip had two purposes, to visit our cousins, and to get to hang out on a beach. The beach we choose was a small island, popular with families for generations. There were no hotels or condos – just old beach houses. There was a BI-LO, a liquor store, a seafood shop, and a shaved ice stand. That was it. No Starbucks, no spas, no movie theaters, no McDonalds. There were lots of tents on the beach and it appeared that the dogs outnumbered the people. Hence, the blog may have been gone, but not forgotten. I got to do plenty of cooking on this vacation for my “hungry hungry hippos”. The seafood shop was great. We made friends who called us when a particularly large batch of beautiful blue crabs came in. Shrimp and grouper followed. Talk about a labor of love! The BI-LO was a notoriously popular spot, packed anytime day or night. Besides fantastic local produce, they carried island products – jams and jellies, candies, grits and my new favorite, Benne Seed Wafers. Benne Seed Wafers are small cookies made with benne seeds – known to us (me at least) as sesame seeds. Benne seeds were originally brought to South Carolina by slaves, who used them in cooking. The plants survive well in hot humid conditions and thrive in the South Carolina climate. The cookies are tiny, melt in your mouth perfection. The salty and sweet taste is irresistible. Much like those famous chips, “No one can eat just one.” The first purchase lead to several more and of course, the desire to make my own. There are recipes for Benne Seed Wafers to be found, and several were worth trying, but I could never quite get the intense taste I was craving. It would be nice to say I discovered the solution in a flash of genius, but actually I was cleaning out my fridge and found a large jar of Tahini paste (sesame paste). I gave it a shot and the result was just what I hoped for - intense sesame flavor. A little sprinkle of salt over the top of the cookies helps too.
Kitchen Help
This recipe actually makes 100, but they are the size of a quarter. Make them for a party or a picnic, as a cocktail snack - or like me, because you just want too. They’ll make you think life’s a vacation!
Ingredients
1 stick butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla
2 tsp Tahini (optional)
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¾ cups flour
½ cup sesame seeds, toasted (sometimes they come that way) *here’s my hint – don’t buy them with the other spices – too expensive – find them in the Asian section of most grocery stores.
Sea salt to sprinkle (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, vanilla, and egg.
Beat until light, about 5 minutes.
Add dry ingredients and mix to combine.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Drop cookies by teaspoons on top sheet. I got 24 to each sheet. They will spead out into a perfect little circle as they bake.
Bake about 8 minutes until crispy and slightly browned.
Remove form oven and cool on parchment paper.
Store, if you have any leftovers, in an airtight container.
Oh, there was a Sertemterarium on the island. We saw Magnolia the Albino Alligator – what a vacation!
