Rose Water Cookies

(from a recipe at theprairiestar.com)

8 oz. butter, softened

6 Tablespoons confectioners’ (powdered) sugar, sifted – divided

1 large egg, beaten lightly

1/4 cup blanched almonds

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

2 to 3 tablespoons rose water

Whole cloves

Sifted confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Cream the butter and 2 Tablespoons sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time and mix well. In a blender grind the almonds and remaining sugar until very fine. In a bowl, sift the flour and baking powder. Stir in almonds. Add to butter mixture and mix in rose water. Form mixture into a ball and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least one hour. Pinch off small pieces of dough and form into a crescent shape. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet and insert a clove in each cookie. Bake 20 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges. Remove from sheet and place on rack. Dust with remaining confectioners’ sugar.

Sesame Cookies (Benne Wafers)

We recently had an abundance of sesame seeds in the food pantry. We offered these traditional South Carolina benne wafers as samples to patrons, for an idea on how to use the sesame seeds.

• 1 cup sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Preheat oven to 325 F. Cover cookie sheets in parchment paper, or lightly oil them. Toast the sesame seeds in a heavy skillet over medium heat until they are golden brown (watch carefully, they can easily burn).
2 Beat the brown sugar and butter together in a medium-sized bowl for several minutes until fluffy. Beat in the egg. Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder, then add these dry ingredients to the butter, sugar, egg mixture, mix well. Stir in the toasted sesame seeds, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.
(Optional): Chill the dough for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. This makes it easier to drop the cookies on the sheets.
3 Drop by teaspoonful onto prepared cookie sheets, leaving space for the cookies to spread. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until the edges are slightly brown. Cool for a minute or two on the cookie sheets, then transfer to a rack to continue cooling.
Yield: Makes 2-4 dozen, depending on the size of your spoon