Fans of traditional shortbread cookies and desserts Too Those with a sweet tooth will love this recipe for Benne Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies. Created by Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate of Honeysuckle Provisions, these slice-and-bake cookies are full of chocolate, butter, and nuts and will stand out at any June 19th get-together or when you need friends over for a tea party.
Carson Downing
What is Benne?
Benne seeds are a traditional variety of sesame and are central to Gullah Geechee cuisine of South Carolina. West Africans brought benne seeds, a traditional sesame variety, to the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia in the late 17th century. These seeds are low in oil and have a nutty, burnt honey flavor. During colonial times, benne seeds were boiled to remove the oil, then dried and pounded in a mortar into flour. Today’s flour mills press the seeds to remove the oil, press them into benne cakes, which are then milled into flour. Seeds and benne flour (also known as benne cake flour) are available at Anson Mills and some spice specialty stores.
Material Tips: For the most authentic taste and texture of these pinwheel cookies, it’s worth sourcing benne seeds and benne flour – if you can’t find any, use natural almond flour (made from unpeeled almonds) instead of benne flour.
Tips for making Bene Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies
To make beautiful and delicious spirals, follow these tips:
- Keep the Bene Cookie Dough and Chocolate Cookie Dough covered in wax while you prepare the other doughs to keep them from drying out.
- Softened butter is important for holding the dough together. If your butter is hard, warm it in the microwave at 100% power for 10 seconds. Watch carefully – you don’t want your butter to melt, you want it to be very soft.
- If cracks appear as you roll the dough, don’t panic — just use your fingers to gently seal the cracks and keep going.
