Iced Spiced Hermits

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a hermit is a person who retires from society and craves solitude. Ironically, it’s also the name of a cookie that is going to make you the most sought-after guest at every holiday party and family gathering, provided that you bring along a heaped tray of these soft, chewy, treats. Sweetened with brown sugar that imparts a caramel flavor, subtly scented with cinnamon and nutmeg, and studded with raisins, this recipe for hermits by Dorie Greenspan, published in her latest cookbook, Baking With Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple, is a keeper.

Iced Spiced Hermits

In a July 1888 article in the Springfield, Massachusetts Republican, Anna Barrows a leading journalist of household science, praised the hermit cookie as the ultimate convenience cookie: “This will keep for months, if out of humanity’s reach, hence, perhaps their name.” Hermits are an American favorite thanks to their sweetness, the chewiness of the raisins, and the deliciously fragrant spice combination. So dust off your party duds, because these hermits are not for hermits.

Assemble your ingredients. Combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set it aside.

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the brown sugar and butter or margarine, until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and molasses, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients. Beat only until just combined. Add the raisins and mix just until they are evenly distributed. Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. (The dough can be refrigerated overnight.)

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough in half and using wet hands, shape the dough into 2 logs, each about 12 inches in length. Arrange the logs on opposing long sides of the prepared baking sheet, making sure that they are 2–3 inches from the long edges. (The logs spread when they bake.) Lightly flatten the top of each log with your hands. Bake the logs for 25 minutes. Allow them to cool for about 15 minutes.

Using a serrated knife, slice the logs crosswise on a slight angle into 1-inch thick pieces. Combine the confectioners’ sugar and milk (or whatever liquid you decide to use), in a small bowl, stirring until it’s smooth. The glaze should be thick but pourable. Drizzle the glaze from a spoon in a zig-zag pattern, over the cut slices of hermit cookies. Let the cookies rest until the icing is set,  for at least 30 minutes. The glazed hermits can be stored in a resealable container for a week and frozen for longer.

Print Recipe

Iced Spiced Hermits

Cookies, Cakes, Pies and Desserts

By Dorie Greenspan, Baking with Dorie – Serves: 24

Prep Time: 20 minutes + resting – Cooking Time: 25 minutes – Total Time: 45 minutes + resting

Sweetened with brown sugar, subtly scented with cinnamon and nutmeg and studded with chewy raisins these moist, fragrant cookies are keepers.

Ingredients

• Cookies
• 2 cups (272 g) all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I used a microplane grater)
• 1 cup (packed; 200 g) light brown sugar
• ½ cup (1 stick, 4 ounces, 113 g) unsalted butter or margarine, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• ¼ cup unsulfured molasses
• ½ cup (80 g) raisins
• Glaze
• 1 cup (110 g) confectioners' sugar
• 2 Tbsp. (or more) milk, or non-dairy milk, or water, or fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1

Combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set the mixture aside.

2

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the brown sugar and butter or margarine, until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and molasses, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until incorporated, about 2 minutes.

3

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients. Beat only until just combined. Add the raisins and mix just until they are evenly distributed. Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. (The dough can also be refrigerated overnight.)

4

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough in half and and using wet hands, shape the dough into 2 logs, each about 12 inches in length. Arrange the logs on opposing long sides of the prepared baking sheet, making sure that they are 2–3 inches from the long edges. (The logs spread when they bake.) Lightly flatten the top of each log with your hands. Bake the logs for 25 minutes. Allow them to cool for about 15 minutes.

5

Using a serrated knife, slice the logs crosswise on a slight angle into 1-inch thick pieces. Combine the confectioners' sugar and milk (or whatever liquid you decide to use) in a small bowl, stirring until it's smooth. The glaze should be thick but pourable. Drizzle the glaze from a spoon in a zig-zag pattern, over the cut slices of hermit cookies. Let the cookies rest until the icing is set, for at least 30 minutes. The glazed hermits can be stored in a resealable container for a week and frozen for longer.

Notes

Feel free to change the dried fruit used in the recipe. You can use dates, cranberries, currents or whatever you have on hand.