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New England Hermit Cookies

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A New England molasses cookie, these hermit cookies are soft and chewy and made with ginger, molasses and raisins. Perfectly balanced with a pinch of salt.

A New England molasses cookie, these hermit cookies are soft and chewy and made with ginger, molasses and raisins. Perfectly balanced with a pinch of salt.. Hermit Cookies Recipe

Credit must be given where credit is due: Hermit Cookie bars are my husband’s specialty.  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.  Many people ask where these hermit cookies came from. As far as he could tell, they originated in New England back in the 1800’s.  Dense and moist, hermits age very well and were given to sailors in tins to last on long expeditions. 

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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.”

I concur.  A fantastic edible holiday gift, these babies will stay moist and delicious for weeks – if you can avoid eating them all first! 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!

Rich made a video on Facebook live a few months back to demonstrate how easy they are to make. Feel free to take a look!

No forks required.

New England Hermit Cookies

A New England molasses cookie, these hermit cookies are soft and chewy and made with ginger, molasses and raisins. Perfectly balanced with a pinch of salt.
4.21 from 34 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cookies, hermits, how to make hermit cookies, molasses
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Total Time: 37 minutes
Servings: 64
Calories: 105kcal
Author: Liz DellaCroce

Ingredients

  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 cups brown sugar packed
  • 1 cup butter 2 sticks softened
  • 2/3 cup dark molasses
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups raisins

Instructions

  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease and flour one standard jelly roll pan (cookie sheet) and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, baking power, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, salt and cloves.
  • With mixer on medium, beat together brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add in molasses then egg and mix until combined.
  • Reduce speed to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients until just combined.
  • Use a spoon to stir in raisins.
  • Scrape edges of bowl with a plastic spatula.
  • Flour hands then carefully press dough into even layer on the floured cookie sheet.
  • Bake 17-19 minutes depending on oven. Remove when toothpick comes out clean.
  • Let cool completely before slicing into bars.

Video

Notes

These cookies age well and can handle a little air exposure. They are very moist and last several days (if they last that long!) Slicing Tip: A pizza slicer is a great way to ensure even slicing.
Nutrition Facts
New England Hermit Cookies
Amount Per Serving
Calories 105 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g 5%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 15mg 5%
Sodium 80mg 3%
Total Carbohydrates 19g 6%
Protein 1g 2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Comments

  1. Great recipe! Just what I’ve been searching for. Rich in flavor and moist and chewy. Thanks!!! This is definitely a Keeper!

    Reply


  3. HERMITS – CHEWY MOLASSES COOKIE BARS
    Wow! Lovely recipe. Cooking time was bang on for 19 minutes with a gas oven. I cut them up into squares and left them on the counter overnight. Chewy and delicious! I added walnuts.

    They just may become a Canadian Thank`s Giving tradition in my home.

    .jb

    Reply


  4. Have you made these as a cookie? Making to give away and a cookie would be easier to package. When I made these this summer it took much longer to bake than called for, the insides were still very gooey at 17 min. so want to do cookies to be on the safe side. Otherwise they were AWESOME, I loved them. Just not sure how long to bake for. thanks!

    Reply

  8. As a child I loved Nelson’s Bakery’s hermits in Maplewood,(Malden) MA and have not found a comparable recipe until now. Thank you for renewing wonderful memories!

    Reply

    • I grew up in Maplewood Square and loved Nelson’s Bakery. I have been searching for the recipe for those wonderful coffee rolls that were frosted and sprinkled with walnuts. If you know of that recipe could you please respond back to me. I have so many fond memories of Maplewood Square and growing up there.

      Reply

      • Hi Carolyh, I would love to share my Swedish nut roll recipe with you. Could be communicate by email? Don’t know how to do this, but hope we can figure it. Out!


  10. I made these today and they came out wonderfully. I had to cook mine for about 25 minutes. Thanks for a great recipe, it’s nice to see something different out in the blog world.

    Reply

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