Hermit Cookies - Bursting with Flavor, Color and Texture

My husband Bill loves Hermit Cookies.  We have been in pursuit of a perfect Hermit for a long time.  The Covered Bridge Bakery in Windsor, Vermont supplies Hermits to the Co-op in Hanover and these cookies are delicious.  They have a deep brown color, a chewy center, and lots of spices that provide layers of flavor.  I’ve been experimenting with different combinations of white and whole wheat flour, different types of sugar and molasses, and spice combinations trying to replicate the cookie from the Covered Bridge Bakery.  

 This cookie is the result of many batches of hermits over three and a half years.   They are great with afternoon tea or coffee on a brisk fall day.  The spices fill the kitchen with an inviting aroma so be prepared to hide the cookies soon after they come out of the oven!

Bill always gives me a hard time when he sees me pull out my flour sifter. One glance in the bottom of the mesh after running the dry ingredients through and you will remember one of the reasons why we use sifters.  There are usually little chunks of baking powder that refuse to break up.  These can be really terrible in otherwise delicious cookies.  If you find your pantry is missing one of the spices, don’t fret, there is no exact science to the spice mix.  Key spices are cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.  One of the challenges of these cookies is not to overcook them.  I can’t give you an exact cooking time but depending on how your oven temperature runs it will be somewhere between 11 and 14 minutes.  They should be just barely cracking on top and still soft to touch in the center.   As always I have used King Arthur Flour and real butter.  Enjoy and tell me what your think.  Monica

Hermit Cookies

Combine, Sift and Set aside:

1 ¾ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup unbleached all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon cardamom

¼ teaspoon allspice

¾ teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon pure vanilla powder

¼ teaspoon chili powder

After you sift the dry ingredients, remove 1 tablespoon of the mixture to mix with your dried fruits.

Combine and set-aside:

1 cup raisins (I use a mix of golden and dark)

¼ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

¼ cup finely chopped dried apricot

1 tablespoon of reserved dry ingredient mix (this prevents fruits from clumping together)

Cream in standing mixer:

½ Cup Butter

½ Cup Brown Sugar

½ Cup White Sugar

Add:

2 eggs, one at a time

2 tablespoons milk or cream

½ cup molasses

(if you don’t have powdered vanilla add 1 teaspoon vanilla at this point)

Mix until smooth.

Add dry ingredients and combine until just mixed and then stir in reserved dry fruit.

On a parchment covered cookie sheet you are going to form 2 logs approximately 2” wide and ½” high.  I use a regular table knife to smooth out the top and edges to get the dough fairly uniform.  Bake at 325 – 350 degrees for approximately 11 – 14 minutes.  The cookies should be just barely cracking on top and still soft in the center.  Allow to cool and then cut into bars using a pastry knife.