The weather is warming up, tourist season has arrived and desserts are ready to make headlines. When thinking of the Charleston food scene, what comes to mind most often are seafood, barbecue and traditional Southern cuisine options. However, the Lowcountry also has a sweet tooth, with delectable dessert options that offer unique culinary experiences.
Along the barrier islands along, you can find a multitude of tasty after-dinner favorites. One Folly Beach possibility is The Pineapple Hut, a modern dessert truck offering pineapple dole whip, a dessert pineapple-lovers once had to travel to Disney or the Dole Plantation in Hawaii to find. The Pineapple Hut has put its own spin on the beloved treat and has made this tropical-inspired soft-serve dairy-free, creating a popular dessert option for everyone, including vegans. You can enjoy it three other ways, including a pineapple float – pineapple juice topped with pineapple whip; chunky whip – pineapple whip served with layers of pineapple chunks; and the best-selling paradise whip, pineapple whip served right inside of a pineapple. Check out Instagram for additional weekly flavors.
Another widely popular option is the Co-Op’s frosé, available on Sullivan’s Island, Isle of Palms and Kiawah Island. Enjoy this boozy, after-dinner treat by chartering a boat and watching the sun set over the downtown Charleston skyline.
For another alcohol-inspired dessert option, stay on the lookout for Booze Pops, a popsicle truck for grownups that regularly frequents the islands and other areas around the Charleston.
The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar isn’t on one of the barrier islands, but it’s not far away in Mount Pleasant. There you’ll find over-the-top milkshakes with an absurd array of toppings – from Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups to an entire slice of key lime pie, all inside a souvenir mason jar. Austin Conway, manager of the Mount Pleasant Crazy Mason, recommended trying The No Ordinary Cheesecake shake, which features cookies n’ cream ice cream in a vanilla-iced mason jar, rolled in crushed Oreo cookies, topped with a slice of cheesecake and an Oreo cookie and finished with chocolate sauce and whipped icing. He also holds The Sweet Cheesus shake in high regard. It is made up of strawberry cheesecake ice cream in a strawberry-swirled jar with a vanilla buttercream rim, rolled in crushed cones, topped with a slice of cheesecake, fresh strawberries and graham cracker crumbs and finished with strawberry sauce and whipped icing.
“Visitors also cannot go wrong with any of our waffle desserts,” said Conway.
The Crazy Mason offers a variety of waffle desserts including the Crazy Butter Cup Waffle, the Crazy Cookies ‘N’ Cream Waffle and the Crazy Turtle Waffle.
For those looking to venture into downtown Charleston, consider stopping by Carmella’s, a traditional Italian cafe and dessert bar with a bit of Lowcountry flair. Carmella’s features three signature items that never leave the menu including cannoli cake, peanut butter chocolate cake and carrot cake.
“The cannoli cake and carrot cake are family recipes from my Uncle Dennis Raffa out of Philadelphia, who was pivotal in my training in the dessert business,” said chef Brian Solari. “The chocolate peanut cake is an item that we played around with for a while before we perfected the recipe. It’s a blend of chocolate cake and chocolate brownie, with a peanut butter honey mousse filling.”
Solari recommended pairing any of Carmella’s desserts with an Espresso Martini.
“We use fresh espresso in the cocktail, which really gives it an added punch as well as freshness,” he added.
Another delicious downtown option is Kaminsky’s Dessert Cafe, where desserts are made in-house daily. Kaminsky’s offers a variety of award-winning options by the slice including, its two-layer cake, three-layer cake, pies, New York cheesecake, flavored cheesecakes, cobblers, cookies and brownies. You also can opt for a multitude of enticing specialty coffees and signature dessert martinis, ranging in flavors from chocolate to key lime pie.
For a more laid-back option, try Peace Pie, a gourmet ice cream sandwich shop in the heart of downtown Charleston. Peace Pie offers pie-inspired ice cream sandwiches, where visitors can indulge in a banana cream pie ice cream sandwich, a cherry pie ice cream sandwich, a Boston cream pie ice cream sandwich and much more.
There is no better way to put the cherry on top of a delicious meal than following it up with a mouthwatering dessert. Whether you are looking for ice cream, pies, cakes, a mixture of these options or more radical desserts, Charleston’s sweet tooth and its diverse range of confectionaries will not disappoint.
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Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar
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Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar
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The Pineapple Hut
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Carmella's Dessert Bar
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Carmella's Dessert Bar
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