Kwanzaa Cakes

I am proud of my multi-racial son and want to celebrate his heritage wherever possible.
Last year I tried to make him some Benne Cakes for Kwanzaa. They all melded together like one big cookie. When I hacked them apart, they were actually quite tasty. I figured the fault was mine and I did not try again. I had turned in that recipe for a staff cookbook on holiday eating that we sold through the library to support a charity last year. Perhaps I should have tried it out first, but maybe other people will have better luck!

I felt somewhat vindicated on the Benne Cakes at least when I found this recipe. It's not what I used, but an original review of this said something similar happened to another chef, and so the writer adjusted the flour. Note - I haven't tested this one either!

While I realize the sesame seeds are the point of this recipe, I don't like them and used only a few per cookie. Also, just in case, spread out your cookies with lots of space in between.

http://www.recipezaar.com/133874
1 cup brown sugar, finely packed
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup toasted sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 325°.
Lightly spray cookie sheet with oil.
Mix together the brown sugar and butter, and beat until they are creamy.
Stir in the egg, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.
Add flour, baking powder, salt, and sesame seeds.
Drop by rounded teaspoons onto the cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are browned.
Enjoy!

The principles of Kwanzaa are really wonderful. Today, day Three, Ujima, is about working together. Perhaps I should have worked together with someone else while making the Benne Cakes.

I will not be able to blog for the next couple of weeks, so I invited a guest blogger who can cook very well. However, with the new Blogger platform all accounts are being moved to, not everything is working as easily. She will try her best to get on here and delight you.

Every year I make a resolution to learn a new skill and to try a couple of hard things. In 2006, I learned candymaking (sort of), blogging (sort of again) and made an apple pie. In 2007, get ready for my souffle attempts. I don't know what new skill I want to try yet. While I should really try skills like money saving and meditation I was thinking about puff pastry and digital movie making...

Happy New Year!