Lowcountry Benne Wafers
Toasted benne seeds dominate these delicate Lowcountry wafers, bringing a nutty aroma far larger than the cookie itself.
About this dish
Benne wafers are thin sesame cookies strongly associated with Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry. The word benne reflects the West African history of sesame in the region, where enslaved Africans and their descendants carried agricultural and culinary knowledge that shaped Lowcountry food.
Why this dish matters
Benne is not simply a decorative seed in Lowcountry history. Gullah Geechee and food-history organizations document sesame's African roots and its long cultivation in the coastal South. Modern benne wafers became a Charleston specialty, turning that ingredient into a crisp sweet cookie.
Contemporary wafer formulas vary in butter, brown sugar and thickness. This version keeps the sesame quantity high so benne remains the defining flavor.
Preparation notes
Toasting brings out the deep nutty aroma associated with benne.
These cookies become very thin.
They are fragile while hot and crisp as they cool.
Ingredients & detailed method
Ingredients
- 1 cup sesame seeds
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
Method
- 1.Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant and lightly golden; cool.
- 2.Cream butter and brown sugar until smooth, then beat in egg and vanilla.
- 3.Whisk flour, baking powder and salt and fold into the butter mixture.
- 4.Stir in toasted sesame seeds.
- 5.Drop teaspoon-size portions widely spaced on parchment-lined sheets.
- 6.Bake at 350°F for 8–10 minutes.
- 7.Checkpoint: wafers should be deeply golden at the edges, very thin and flexible when hot; cool 3 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a rack to crisp.
Worth finding before you cook
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