Lam Duan Flower Cookies

One of my English students made these Thai shortbread cookies. They are named after the Lam Duan flower and look remarkably similar. My friend said the center ball is supposed to be cut slightly but it was getting late when she made them. After rolling and cutting each flower cookie by hand, she decided to skip that last step.

The cookies are made from four common ingredients (here's the recipe if you're interested), but they have a very interesting smell. Originally I thought the smell came from something mixed into the cookie, but I was wrong. My friend informed me that the smell/flavor comes from a candle that is placed in the oven while the cookies are baking. It was the first time that I had heard of such a method. How clever! :)