South Carolina Benne Wafers al Brachetto

Benne wafers — thin, crispy sesame seed cookies — are one of the oldest and most distinctive sweets of the South Carolina Lowcountry, with a history that reaches back across the Atlantic to West Africa and the transatlantic slave trade. "Benne" is the Bantu word for sesame, and the seeds came to Colonial America by way of enslaved Africans, making this little cookie a living link to one of the most painful chapters of American history.

According to Olde Colony Bakery in Charleston, benne (the Bantu word for sesame) was brought from East Africa (Madagascar), through West Africa, and brought over to the southern United States by enslaved Africans. It was planted extensively throughout the South, alongside other African foods brought in the 17th and 18th century — peanuts, sweet potatoes, okra, black-eyed peas, and collard greens. As America's Test Kitchen recounts, benne seeds came to colonial America with enslaved Black people from Africa and the Caribbean, marking the beginning of benne's now 300-plus-year history in Southern cooking. The Bantu believed eating benne brought good luck — a tradition that traveled with the seeds to the Lowcountry.

The benne wafer itself is a thin, crispy cookie made with toasted sesame seeds, brown sugar, butter, and a little flour — it is simultaneously sweet and savory, with a deep, nutty, almost caramel flavor from the toasted sesame. Spiced blog explains that benne plants came to Charleston through the slave trade, where they were cultivated into a cash crop. The cookies became a Charleston favorite, and Olde Colony Bakery has been making them since 1940, using a recipe dating back well over 100 years that is said to be the only existing original benne wafer recipe. Today the benne wafer is one of the most famous souvenirs of Charleston, sold in tins and given as wedding favors throughout the Lowcountry.

Our Mimosavated version adds a splash of Brachetto d'Acqui to the dough — the sweet, lightly sparkling red wine with strawberry and rose aromas has a natural affinity for the toasted, nutty sesame and the caramel notes of the brown sugar.

Ingredients (makes about 36 wafers):

The Benne Wafers: - 5 ¼ oz white sesame seeds (benne seeds) - 3 ½ oz unsalted butter, melted - 5 ¼ oz light brown sugar, packed - ¼ cup Brachetto d'Acqui - 1 large egg, room temperature - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - 4 ¼ oz all-purpose flour - ½ teaspoon baking soda - ¼ teaspoon salt

Toasting the Sesame Seeds: Preheat the oven to 347°F (350°F). Spread the sesame seeds on a baking sheet and toast for 8–10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they are golden and fragrant — watch carefully, as they burn quickly. Remove from the oven and let cool. (Toasting is essential — it intensifies the nutty flavor that characterizes the cookie.)

Making the Dough: Increase the oven temperature to 374°F (375°F). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the Brachetto, egg, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until combined. Fold in the toasted sesame seeds.

Baking: Drop rounded teaspoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving plenty of space between them (the wafers will spread considerably as they bake — no more than 12 per sheet). Bake for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are deep golden brown and the centers are set. The wafers should be thin and crispy, not cakey.

Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes (they will still be soft), then transfer carefully to a wire rack to cool completely — they will crisp as they cool.

Serving: Serve at room temperature. Benne wafers are wonderful on their own with coffee or tea, or alongside ice cream or a cheese board. They keep for weeks in an airtight tin.

The Mimosa Pairing Logic: Since the dough contains Brachetto d'Acqui, pair with a strawberry mimosa — strawberry purée and Prosecco. The strawberry echoes the Brachetto and complements the toasted, nutty sesame. A pomegranate mimosa is also excellent — the tart pomegranate is a beautiful contrast to the sweet-savory, caramel-nutty cookie. Avoid heavy or creamy mimosas — the benne wafer is a thin, crisp, savory-sweet treat, and you need something light and fruity to complement its delicate nuttiness.

Reference Links: - History of the Benne Wafer (Bantu word for sesame, East Africa, Charleston): Olde Colony Bakery - Benne Wafers: Simple Crackers with a Rich History (enslaved Africans, 300 years): America's Test Kitchen - Charleston Benne Wafers (classic Charleston recipe, slave trade): Spiced blog - Brachetto d'Acqui wine guide: Wine Folly

Make-Ahead: The dough can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated — bring to room temperature before baking. The baked wafers keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight tin at room temperature (they actually improve after a day as the flavors meld). The wafers can be frozen for up to 2 months — thaw at room temperature. The toasted sesame seeds can be toasted up to a week ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Pro Tips: Toast the sesame seeds — this is the single most important step. Untoasted sesame produces a flat, bland cookie; toasted sesame gives the deep, nutty, almost almond-butter flavor that characterizes a proper benne wafer. Watch the seeds carefully while toasting — they go from golden to burnt in seconds. Space the cookies far apart on the baking sheet — the dough spreads considerably, and crowded cookies will merge into one giant wafer. Don't underbake — the wafers should be deep golden brown at the edges; underbaked wafers will be cakey rather than crisp. The wafers will seem soft when they come out of the oven — let them cool completely on a wire rack and they will crisp up beautifully. If they don't crisp, bake another minute or two next time. The dough can be made ahead and refrigerated, but the wafers are best baked fresh — the contrast between the freshly toasted sesame and the just-baked crisp cookie is the entire point.