Similar in taste to a gingerbread cookie, these hermit cookies are soft and chewy and made with ginger, molasses, and raisins.
As a healthy food blogger, I don’t often share baking recipes. I’m more of a roasted veggie or orange smoothie kinda girl. So, credit must be given where credit is due: Hermit Cookie bars are my husband’s specialty.
Jump to:
A Boston Massachusetts native, when he was growing up he would find these cookies in a local bakery and purchase them by the bag for a couple of dollars.
History of the hermit cookie:
Many people ask where these hermit cookies came from. As far as he could tell, they originated in New England back in the 1800s because of the molasses in the cookies they kept well on long voyages.
Dense and moist, hermits age very well and were given to sailors in tins to last on long expeditions. Sweet, chewy, spicy (from the ginger), buttery and perfectly balanced with the right amount of salt, a chef friend of ours describes hermits as “sweet crack.”
Once the dough is prepared, you spread it in a well-floured baking sheet using well-floured hands. Why do you need to flour your hands? Because this moist and soft dough is extra sticky!
The more flour on your hands, the easier it will be to spread out on the pan. Don’t worry if the dough doesn’t reach each edge, just push it out about ½-inch thick. It doesn’t need to be a perfect rectangle.
Once baked, I liked to slice them into squares but you could also use cookie cutters to cut them into cute shapes. A fantastic edible holiday gift, these babies will stay moist and delicious for weeks – if you can avoid eating them all first! We’ve also made them for classroom parties as they are nut free.
Whip up a batch of these soft and chewy hermit bar cookies for your next cookie swap, classroom party, hostess gift or holiday open house!
What are your favorite holiday cookies? I’d love to hear from you.
Frequently asked questions:
Hermit cookies store well. Up to a week in an airtight container and they will still taste great!
These molasses cookies have a forgiveness factor. While the time states 17 minutes, they are hard to burn if you put them in for a little longer than that.
Your best bet is at a local bakery in the Northeast United States.
Use a pizza cutter or knife and cut them into squares (or any shape you prefer).
No forks required.
📖 Recipe
New England Hermit Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cups brown sugar packed
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks softened – preferably unsalted
- ⅔ cup dark molasses
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups raisins
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease (I typically will use Crisco which is preferred or Pam Baking spray) and flour one standard jelly roll pan (standard cooking sheet) and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and cloves.
- With the mixer on medium, beat together brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add in molasses then egg and mix until well combined.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Use a spoon to stir in raisins.
- Scrape edges of the bowl with a plastic spatula to get the mixture together in a ball then scrape out onto a cookie sheet.
- Flour hands then carefully press dough into even layer on the floured cookie sheet.
- Bake 17-19 minutes depending on oven. Typically I'll spend half the time on the top rack and the other half on the bottom. Remove from the oven when toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool completely before slicing into bars.
Cindy Johnson
I am looking to make some of these for my 93 year old dad for Father’s Day. I remember my grandmother making these and they were everyone’s favorite. I’ve researched recipes, and this is the only one that calls for a “jelly roll” pan, which is what I remember my Gram using, so I think I’ll try this one, but I also remember that hers were much darker than the ones in these photos. Any thoughts on what would’ve made hers darker in color than these?
Liz DellaCroce
Oh thank you so much Cindy. My husband read your comment and it made his day!! Do you think she used a darker molasses?
Sheila
Cindy,
I just made these with dark brown sugar and blackstrap molasses. They were so dark, everyone thought they were brownies! They were gone in one sitting.
Sheila
Liz DellaCroce
Oh what a great idea!!! Enjoy!
ann chaney
when I was a kid (I’m 75 now) we bought bars just like this at Christmas. I have longed for a recipe that tasted like them, and found it here! Chewy, deep-flavored, ginger and molassesy. Absolutely delicious! Thank you for this gift! This recipe is huge, so I thought I would never eat them all (they freeze perfectly) and gave half to my house cleaner (she loves all the baked goods I give her and she has a toddler who loves them too)! The surviving batch of bars are dwindling fast.
Liz DellaCroce
I’m so glad you found this recipe, Ann! I’m so happy you’re spreading the love and sharing them too. :)
Rose Swigart
Thanks for posting. I’ve made hermit cookies years ago and lost the recipe. Wanted to give you my tip,. I melt butter, sugars and spices together on the stove, then add the golden raisins, simmer 5 minutes. Then I let cool a bit, then process about half. I don’t add nuts, but if I did would add them. After. Just a suggestion.
Liz DellaCroce
What a great idea Rose!! Thank you so much!
MJ
These are amazing and fun to make. I switched out raisins for chopped walnuts. After placing dough on the baking sheet, I placed a piece of waxed paper stop and shaped the dough with the waxed paper. These are the perfect gingerbread. I froze half of the batch for after Christmas goodness. Easy to make and made the house smell like Christmas morning while baking. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Merry Christmas!
Liz DellaCroce
That’s a great idea MJ!!! Merry Christmas!
Kat
Made these in a jelly roll pan but they came out delicious but quite thick. Could you let me know the size pan you are using for these? Thank you.
Liz DellaCroce
Hmmm they are usually a bit thick. We use a normal jelly roll pan also. Were they not fully cooked in middle? Usually when we spread the dough it doesn’t even fully reach the edges.
Patricia
I LOVE Hermits. I lived in NH in 1975 and discovered them, quickly falling in love with the taste. Sadly I didn’t get a recipe. I keep searching and searching for what I remember and I came across your recipe today. Since I love molasses, I was excited to find this recipe. I followed your directions exactly except I greased and floured a new shiny 9 x 13 inch cake pan (because I didn’t have a large enough cookie sheet free). Because I used a shiny pan, I dropped the temp to 325 degrees. After 17 mins, the Hermits were still very jiggly so I left them in longer. And they rose probably 2 inches high. I kept checking them and after probably 30 mins, when a toothpick inserted came out clean, I took them out of the oven. I let them set for about 30 mins where they sank just a bit. I was dying to try them, so I cut into the center edge of the pan–and they weren’t done. The first bite was delicious but the second bite was very gooey. I was looking for a very moist, almost cake like texture. In the photo, yours do not look as though they rose at all. So, I put them back in the oven for another half an hour. I haven’t checked them again but I am so very disappointed that I couldn’t get them to work for me! I cannot understand how these could possibly cook in only 17 mins. What do you think I did wrong?
Liz DellaCroce
Hi Patricia – These need to be baked in a baking / sheet / cookie pan, not a cake pan. A cake pan is too tall. These are a cookie bar more than a cake so you really need a cookie sheet. Try them again please? I promise you’ll be glad you did!
Megan
OMG! I have been looking for a hermit cookie recipe for years!! I’m from Mass and missed these cookies so much. I made a batch to the t and loved it, just not the mess. So next batch I put it in the fridge for an hour and was able to work them out easier. Tasted the same. Thanks for the wonderful trip back to my childhood!!
Liz DellaCroce
I’m so glad you enjoyed these and that they took you back to your childhood!!
Saranya
I love your recipe… It looks so yumm… Is there any possibility to replace eggs in this recipe ? Am looking for a eggless option
Liz DellaCroce
Have you tried using a flax egg?
Susan Hammond
I have been away from New England a long time and had forgotten about these. Hermits used to be a favorite of mine as a kid. I made a test batch last week and this week I made two batches to give away.I am sure my Nashville friends have never had them, but I know they will love them. This recipe is easy and really delicious. The only change I made was that I added some candied ginger too. My husband is from MD and had never had one and he is hooked. Thank you!
Liz DellaCroce
I hope your Nashville friends love them as much as our Michigan friends do!! I love that we are spreading the word about Hermits !!! :)
Joanie
Omgosh, amazing, chewy awesomeness. I used two wooden spoon fulls of fresh ground ginger instead of powder and oh my. Zingy festive yum. Thx for recipe.
Liz DellaCroce
Aren’t they just the best?! Merry Christmas!
Nina Catanzaro
As New Englanders we became hooked on hermits, these do not disappoint. It’s been my go to recipe for a while now. Just a note of interest, when I make a batch I add TWO cups of raisins and TWO cups of chopped walnuts. Considering chops dates as well in place of some raisins next time. WONDERFUL recipe, thank you.
Liz DellaCroce
I’m so glad to hear you enjoy these Nina!!! They remind me of our time living in New England. LOVE the idea of walnuts!!! Dates sound great too.
Darleena A Jones
Thank you for the great recipe. I made these when I was a teenager in a bakery in Wakefield. We made two long bars on a cookies sheet. Then, when you slice the, each cookie would have two baked edges. We also cut then diagonally and sometimes added a simple zigzag of a thin frosting.
Just a technical note: the intermittent sudden rise in volume prompted me to fast forward a few times.
Liz DellaCroce
I am so happy you enjoy this Darleena!! I used to live in Stoneham near Wakefield!
Darleena Jones
I forget to mention that it was 1974 when I was making these as a teenager. My boys love them as well as my grandchildren.
Nancy
Do you use a basic jelly roll pan? How many cookies does this make. It says 64 servings but does not say how many cookies in a serving or what size the cookies are. I’m baking for a cookie exchange and trying to determine if I need 1 batch or two.
Thanks!
Liz DellaCroce
64 cookies, about 2 inch squares. We use a basic jelly roll pan. These are super dense and rich! :) You don’t need a lot.
Nancy
Thank you! Going to bake for our cookie trays this year!
Liz DellaCroce
I hope you love them Nancy!
Cat
These hermit cookies were delicious and I even shared the recipe with my Maine Farmer neighbor, she loved them. I baked them longer than 19 minutes, more like 25 minutes and left them to cool in the open oven as I like them a bit dryer. Will definitely keep this recipe and add chopped walnuts next time.
Liz DellaCroce
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Ronnie
Delicious, although the pan required is much larger than the 9″ x 13″ written. (The photo shows something larger.)
Liz DellaCroce
My goodness that’s a type-o! You’re correct it’s a cooking sheet – much bigger. Fixed!!
Caroline
Put dates in mine- delicious!!!
Liz DellaCroce
Oooo what a GREAT idea!
Kim
I haven’t had these in years. Made the recipe and all the memories came flooding back. These are spot on. Thank you for this great recipe.
JoLee
A solid five stars! I made the full recipe with only a few changes: added a pinch of mace, sifted dry ingredients instead of whisking them, and used a wooden spoon to mix (no electric mixer). Easy and fast! My husband, Ed, was born in VT in 1937. His mother made hermits, and of course they were his favorite. I was born in New Orleans and had never heard of a hermit cookie. Having tried several different recipes (resulting in several batches of “not-hermits”), I am thrilled to report: I just cut into this pan and gave two squares to my husband. And… success! Ed says I have captured the elusive HERMIT! Thank you so much.
Susan Connor
When dough is put on the floured cookie sheet should it be spread out to cover the entire pan?
Liz DellaCroce
Yes I like to spread it out but it doesnt need to reach the entire pan!
Lynne
These are a winner in this household.Just took some out of oven.I slip on a pair of poly gloves like restaurants use,to mix in raisins and spread dough in pan.Its so much easier then working with floured hands.These make great gifts.
Liz DellaCroce
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!! Aren’t they just the best?
Becky
Can you freeze them?
Liz DellaCroce
Yes for sure!!!
DV
Here’s FIVE STARS***** from someone who actually made these! These cookies are fantastic. I made 1/2 the recipe and it almost filled up the entire 9×13 sheet pan (so 1/2 the recipe is still a good amount!). The recipe was super easy to follow, very quick to make and baked perfectly in 17 mins in my oven. The dough wasn’t super sticky to work with so no trouble pushing it out on the pan. I haven’t cut them into bars yet, they’re still cooling, but I did tear off a corner to taste and wow, these are so good. The store nearby adds a vanilla glaze to their hermits, but these are delicious plain. Thank you for a great and quick/easy recipe!
lorraine shicko
I grew up in the South end of Hartford, CT and hermits were always in the house…Dad always bought them at a local bakery on Franklin Ave. Later in life when my Mom and I lived close by (because Dad had passed on) Mom and I went grocery shopping together and we found hermits at a local Big “Y” and Mom scooped them up….when my son visited from Virginia he absolutely LOVED our hermits and just lately he said that he was not going to visit again without me making those “hermit cookies”(I since have moved to SC where hermits aren’t even heard of and Italian grinders with my homemade peppers)…so here I am searching for a hermit recipe…and VOILA!…i found you!…I will try your recipe and let you know….sounds so good and bring back so many wonderful childhood memories!
Thanks!!!!!
Julie
Loved this recipe! I grew up in Danvers so I love knowing these came from Saugus/Lynn native! Really nice and moist.
Liz DellaCroce
Oh that’s so cool!! Rich used to take me to Hilltop on Route 1 when we were dating. :)
Jeanette Devevo
These were great! Best recipe for hermits. Have gone through many others. This’ one of my favorite cookies–from Em’s Bake Shop in Avon Connecticut when I was a kid. Now your recipe is the one I will always use.
Maine Grammy Linda
LOVE these bars! Flavor is PERFECT!!! Only problem I had was using wrong size pan (my idea of standard jelly roll pan is different) and had to bake way longer than stated. The correct size must be what I consider a large cookie sheet (12×17). Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
Suzeraine
Every autumn my grandfather would drive down from NY to FL for a month long visit with all sorts of goodies in his car. One of those goodies was Freihoffer’s Hermit cookies. I don’t think Freihoffer’s exists any more, and I haven’t seen any sort of hermit cookie in YEARS. But I had a hankerin’ and went looking on the internet…
Made these and they brought back so many memories! Even my kid who doesn’t like raisins liked these – they were gone in about 4 days, which says a lot around here. Superb recipe! Thanks so much!