Thin, lacy sesame cookies the size of a coin. Crisp, brown-sugar-bittersweet, with toasted benne (sesame) seeds throughout. A Charleston tea-room classic.
Benne is the Gullah-Geechee word for sesame, brought from West Africa with enslaved Africans in the 17th century. The seed grew well in Carolina soil and became a staple of Sea Island cookery. Benne wafers are documented in Charleston Receipts (1950), the Junior League's still-in-print cookbook compiled by 11 Charleston women. The cookie became a tearoom and confectionery staple by the mid-20th century; tins of benne wafers are now the city's most-shipped edible souvenir. Charleston Receipts remains in print at the City Market and most bookshops.
2 editor picks for Benne wafers in Charleston, ranked by editorial score. All Charleston signature dishes · Benne wafers across every city.
Sugar Bakeshop ★ 4.3
upper-king · 59 1/2 Cannon St, Charleston, SC 29403
Sugar Bakeshop in Charleston runs small-batch cupcakes, cookies and custom cakes from a Cannon Street counter since 2007. Pink storefront, locals' birthday-cake source.
Charleston City Market ★ 3.8
downtown · 188 Meeting St, Charleston, SC 29401
Charleston City Market runs daily inside four open-air sheds on Meeting Street since 1804. The cradle of sweetgrass-basket weaving and the city's main souvenir-and-snack hall.