Friday, 09 December 2011
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Old-Fashioned Hermit Cookies
This is a guest post from Feast On The Cheap.
Mary Anne here. Hermit cookies are hands-down my ex-husband’s favorite treat. Tim is very conscientious about his diet, but when it comes to eating these chewy gems, all thoughts of eschewing sugar are cast aside. When a certain baking company stopped mass-producing the bars a few years back, I swear he was bereft. He needn’t worry though; Mariel is becoming a terrific baker in her own right and I happen to know she has baked him many batches of his second-favorite treat – Oatmeal Raisin cookies!
As for the name of these spicy, gingerbread-like bars, I did a bit of research and discovered that they earned their name as “hermits” because their flavor deepens when hidden away in a closed container for a day or two. In any event, these are the perfect Christmas cookie and so easy to whip up. Since they keep for six days in a sealed container, it might be a good idea to have some on hand for last minute gifts or a Holiday Sweet Swap.
And as for my ex-husband’s hankering for this beloved cookie bar, I suspect a Mari-elf might slip some of these gingery goodies into his stocking this year. Just a hunch.
Print This Recipe Old-Fashioned Hermit Cookies
Makes 24Ingredients:
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened – stock
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed – stock
- 1 egg, lightly beaten – stock
- ¼ cup unsulphured molasses – $3.19
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour – stock
- ½ teaspoon baking powder – stock
- ½ teaspoon baking soda – stock
- ½ teaspoon salt – stock
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger – stock
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon – stock
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg – stock
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves – stock
- ¾ cup currants – $2.69
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional) – $1.29
Grand Total Assuming a Well-Stocked Pantry: $7.17
Total Per Cookie: $0.30Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray a 9 x 13 baking pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and butter or spray the paper.2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter with the brown sugar. Add the egg, beating well. Pour in the molasses, mixing well to combine.
4. On the lowest speed of the mixer, gradually add the flour/spice mixture until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the currants and nuts.
5. Spread evenly over the prepared pan. As the mixture is so thick, use 2 rubber spatulas in opposing positions to spread evenly.
6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
7. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into 24 squares and store in a sealed container for up to 6 days.
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About the Author
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- From: feastonthecheap
- Name: Mary Anne and Mariel
- About Me: About Mary Anne Rittenhouse: For the past 20 years, Mary Anne Rittenhouse has worked as a professional caterer dishing up everything from haute cuisine to comfort food using a blend of original recipes and re-worked family favorites, courtesy of her mom and “nana.” Mary Anne’s mantra is simple: she believes that delicious, healthy, homemade food should be easy and accessible – and shouldn’t require a massive bank account. Food – its creation and consumption – has been the one abiding constant in Mary Anne’s life. Raised in the tradition of home cooking and baking in post-World War II Levittown, Long Island, Mary Anne followed in her mother’s and grandmother’s footsteps, and supplemented the family income with her own catering business, “From Rittenhouse to Your House.” Today, she continues to cater intimate weddings, anniversaries, dinner parties, luncheons, and most notably large cocktail parties and formal af
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Comments (5)
I made a batch of these according to the recipe, but they are much darker in color than the picture. I used blackstrap molasses. Could that be the reason? Anyhow, they are very delicious - even fresh. We'll see how well they "age!"
so want to try this!
This recipe totally doesn't work out as advertised.
First of all, I don't know what kind of magical pantry elves you keep, but it costs money to stock my pantry, so this recipe costs way more than $7. Just because you spent the money earlier, doesn't mean you didn't have to pay for it.
Second of all, this totally didn't spread into a pan (not to mention that anything you spread into a pan and then cut up is technically a "bar," not a "cookie"), so I had to roll cookie-balls with my hands. I don't know how it turned out, yet, and hopefully it will all taste good, but you definitely need to work on it. Also, since I've rolled cookie balls and they're getting heat from multiple sides, they will take less than 15-20 minutes to bake. Going to have to keep checking on them, since I had to rescue this recipe by the seat of my pants.
Cheerio.