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    Home / Recipes / Cookies & Pies

    Old Fashioned Hermit Cookies

    Nov 30, 2019 · Updated: Mar 11, 2023 by Dee Dine · Affliate links disclosure.

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    Hermit cookies are soft spicy bar cookies made with brown sugar, molasses and gingerbread spices. Both vegan and gluten-free option, they are easy to make and originated long ago in New England.

    old fashioned hermit cookies

    Old fashioned hermit cookies are a soft bar cookie full of spices and raisins. They have a uniquely candy flavor thanks to the addition of raisins marinated in coffee. Originally from my home based, New England, they are gaining popularity and I hope soon will be an everywhere-thing. Like when baking my gingerbread cookies decorated with my vegan royal icing, your kitchen will smell like a holiday dream.

    Spicy Molasses Hermit Cookie

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love Hermits
    • Main Ingredients
    • How to Bake Hermit Cookies
    • Recipe Tips
    • FAQS
    • How to Serve These Cookies
    • Other Cookie Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    Why You'll Love Hermits

    These soft cookie bars are outrageously spicy. Full of cinnamon, molasses, and winter spices such as cloves, ginger and nutmeg, these cookies are a cousin to gingerbread cookies and a delight to bake.

    They are nourishing. Using flax seed for eggs, no oil, and a mix of whole wheat flour and all purpose, these cookies are delicious and full of fiber and protein, potassium, and very high in iron

    They are special diet friendly. If you need a vegan or dairy-free cookie, this fits the bill. To adjust them to be gluten-free, I provide an option in the recipe card.

    Spicy Molasses Hermit Cookie

    Main Ingredients

    So how do we make these cookies? First, here are the ingredients needed. They are pretty simple and probably are in your pantry right now.
    Flour - I used a mix of whole wheat and all purpose and sometimes use gluten-free all purpose.

    Flax seed eggs - I used ground flax seed to make two plant-based eggs. One tablespoon of ground flax seed with 3 tablespoon of water equals one egg.

    Brown sugar - I use coconut palm sugar with is a healthier brown sugar but regular brown sugar is fine.

    Molasses (the most important ingredient!) - This syrup is dark and smokey in flavor, and brings on the quintessential gingerbread flavors. Molasses comes in three flavors, black strap, light, and dark. All three can contain sulfur, but I try to buy unsulphured for a better flavor.

    Shortening - I used a plant-based shortening that is actually nutritious, a mix of red palm and coconut oils.

    Spices - I chose winter spices such as cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

    Raisins and coffee are also the special secret ingredients in this recipe.

    Cut hermit gingerbread cookies on a white board with an anise star.

    How to Bake Hermit Cookies

    Step 1: Gather ingredients, prep the flax seed egg, make the coffee and soak the raisins.

    Step 2: Mix up the wet ingredients.

    Step 3. Mix up the dry ingredients.

    Step 4. Add the wet to the dry, add in coffee and fold in raisins.

    Step 5. Chill the dough 1 hour and bake.

    To bake, I suggest two ways:

    First way: Put the batter into 2 (8-inch square) pans and bake as bar cookies. Slice and eat.

    Second way: Divide batter into 4 and roll each into a flattish log about 10-inches by 2 ½ inches wide. Bake two at a time on a quarter cookie sheet lined with parchment.

    Slice in angles like biscotti. Glaze or not! The bar style is the traditional way to bake a hermit cookie. But you can also just roll them and bake them as traditional molasses cookies.

    How to make hermits

    Recipe Tips

    1.Soak the raisins in a cup of instant coffee or freshly brewed.

    2.For best flavor, pay close attention to the molasses you use. There are a few famous brands such as Plantation and Wholesome but the taste really matters in this cookie so I highly recommend you buy Grandma's Original Molasses. If you can't buy that brand, make sure you buy one that is unsulphured since the process of sulphering (to preserve it) changes the flavor negatively.

    3.To make the hermit cookie plant-based, I had to make a few changes to the ingredients. I swapped the traditional shortening for non-GMO plant-based shortening, and used flax eggs instead of eggs.

    Spicy Molasses Hermit Cookie

    FAQS

    History of Hermit Cookies

    There are actually several theories surrounding the origin of this cookie. The first is that the hermit cookie is a bar cookie dating back to the early 1800s when a local Vermont baker would make a brown sugar cookie stuffed with spices and raisins and serve them to local hermits, lonely elderly who lived alone. Another story involves a cookie that sailors along New England coasts favored to bring on long voyages because the molasses allowed them to keep for many months.

    Hermits may have a varied history but one thing is clear. They rarely crossed over to other states, although I've heard the recipe has popped up in some provinces in Canada.

    I think this because I was born in Boston, Mass., but I have lived in Chicago, New York and St. Louis. And with each move, I was always surprised to learn that no one ever knew what I was talking about when I mentioned Hermit Cookies.

    What is a Bar Cookie?

    A bar cookie, according to Merriam Webster, is a sweetened baked good made into a rectangular shape and denser than a  cake. Yep, that's a hermit cookie.

    Does a Hermit Cookie Taste Like Gingerbread?

    Sort of. A hermit cookie looks like a molasses hand cake. And they taste like a gingerbread cookie and a spice cake had a baby.

    Now, of course, I haven't had these cookies in years because they aren't typically made vegan. And that, my friends, has been a big sacrifice on my part: Walking past the Martha's Vineyard bakery doors these past summers and not stopping to make a hermit run.

    Then, one day, someone sent me some organic whole wheat flour. As soon as I saw the bag, all brown and old fashioned looking, a bell went off in my head. A hermit bell. And I set about re-constructing hermit cookie bars in a recipe completely plant-based.

    Old Fashioned Spice Hermit Cookies (vegan, dairy-free)

    Spicy Molasses Hermit Cookie

    How to Serve These Cookies

    To serve these cookies traditionally, shape them into flattened logs and slice them as you would biscotti. You can keep the cookies at room temperature for a week so they make the perfect gift.

    They are also beautiful when served on a platter, plain or frosted.

    Spicy Molasses Hermit Cookie

    Cut hermit gingerbread cookies frosted on a white board with an anise star.

    Other Cookie Recipes

    • Linzer Cookies
    • Chocolate Sugar Cookies
    • 2-Ingredient Holiday Cookies
    • Samoa Cookies, 4-Ingredient & No Bake
    • Healthy M&M Cookies
    • Milano Cookies

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    Cut hermit gingerbread cookies on a white board with an anise star.

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    📖 Recipe

    Old Fashioned Spice Hermit Cookies (vegan, dairy-free)

    Hermit Cookies

    Created by Dee Dine
    Hermit cookies are soft spicy bar cookies made with brown sugar, molasses and gingerbread spices. They are easy to make and originated long ago in New England.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved! Rate Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 18 mins
    Total Time 48 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American, International
    Servings 32
    Calories 106 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • ½ cup molasses (I used original or dark)
    • ½ cup organic shortening
    • ½ cup organic cane sugar
    • ½ cup coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar)
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ⅓ cup hot strong coffee
    • 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 5 tablespoon water) (Or use ⅓ cup apple sauce)
    • 1 cup all-purpose flour (or gluten-free baking flour)
    • 2 cup whole wheat flour (or 1 cup oat flour + 1 cup gf baking flour)
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoon cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon cloves
    • ¼ teaspoon allspice
    • 1 teaspoon ginger
    • 2 cups raisins

    Glaze (optional)

      Prevent your screen from going dark

      Instructions
       

      Prep

      • Gather and measure ingredients. Line a quarter cookie sheet with parchment.
        hermit ingredients
      • Stir together two tablespoons of flax eggs with six tablespoons of water and let sit 5 minutes before using.
      • Make or brew ⅓ cup of strong coffee. Pour over raisins and set aside to marinate in the coffee until ready to add to the mixture.
        raisins in coffee

      Mix the cookies

      • Use a cake mixer or a hand-mixer to blend together the shortening, flax eggs and both sugars in a medium bowl.
        ½ cup organic shortening, ½ cup organic cane sugar, 2 flax eggs, ½ cup coconut palm sugar
        mixing shortening and flaxseeds
      • Stir in the molasses.
        ½ cup molasses
      • In another larger bowl, mix up the two flours, soda, salt, and spices.
        1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 cup whole wheat flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon cloves, ¼ teaspoon allspice, 1 teaspoon ginger
      • Add the wet mixture to the large flour bowl, and mix the batter until thoroughly combined.
        add wet ingredients to dry
      • Drain the raisins, but reserve the coffee and add it to the batter and mix again. Add water to the coffee to make sure the level of liquid reaches ⅓ cup.
        ⅓ cup hot strong coffee, 2 cups raisins
        Spicy Molasses Hermit Cookie batter
      • Fold in the raisins, and store the batter, covered, in the refrigerator for 1 hour before baking. I normally cut a soft X in the batter so it chills in 4 quadrants.
        Spicy Molasses Hermit Cookie batter
      • When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F.

      Bake the cookies

      • You can press the dough into 2 (8-inch) square pans and bake like a bar cookie, but the traditional way to make a hermit cookie is thus:
      • Step 1. Divide the batter into four portions.
        Spicy Molasses Hermit Cookie batter
      • Step 2. Hand-form 4 logs that are roughly 10 inches long, 2 ½ inches wide, and flattish. I baked two logs at a time.
        To do this, form two logs at a time, side by side, on the parchment-lined quarter cookie sheet. They don't have to look perfect; as they bake, they will raise, spread slightly and crack like cookies.
        Spicy Molasses Hermit Cookie
      • Step 3. Bake the logs for 18-20 minutes at 350 F. The cookie log is done when a few cracks appear on top so if you don't see cracks, leave them in a minute longer.
        Spicy Molasses Hermit Cookie
      • Pull out the pan and let the cookie logs cool a minute or so. They may have bumped into each other, but once cool you can gently pull them apart.
        Then slice at an angle, at 2-3 inches wide intervals. I get about 8-10 cookies per log.
        Spicy Molasses Hermit Cookie
      • We sometimes iced ours with my Vegan Royal Icing, but we also kept some with no topping. Other traditions are to sprinkle sugar or cinnamon before baking.
        Spicy Molasses Hermit Cookie

      Store Hermits

      • They stay soft and stay fresh covered and at room temperature for a week. Then refrigerate or freeze in a container as you would other cookies.
        Spicy Molasses Hermit Cookie

      Video

       

      Notes

      Flours are flexible. I used a mix of whole wheat and all purpose and sometimes use gluten-free all purpose.
      Flaxseed eggs. You can use chia seed eggs or apple sauce. These are meant to replace eggs in the traditional recipe.
      Soak the raisins in a cup of instant coffee or freshly brewed.
      For best flavor, pay close attention to the molasses you use. There are a few famous brands such as Plantation and Wholesome but the taste really matters in this cookie so I highly recommend you buy Grandma's Original Molasses. If you can't buy that brand, make sure you buy one that is unsulphured since the process of sulphering (to preserve it) changes the flavor negatively.
      To make the hermit cookie plant-based and vegan, this recipe uses a non-GMO plant-based shortening, and flax eggs instead of eggs.
      To make it gluten-free, swap the wheat flour for half oat flour and half white gluten-free baking powder.

      Nutrition

      Calories: 106kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 83mgPotassium: 114mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gCalcium: 17mgIron: 11mg
      Keyword hermit cookie, hermit cookie recipe
      Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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      About Green Smoothie Gourmet

      Welcome to Green Smoothie Gourmet where my recipes are predominantly healthy, using wholesome and nutrient-dense ingredients such as avocado and beans instead of heavy cream and butter, and apple sauce or pumpkin puree in lieu of eggs and oil, resulting in mostly guilt-free desserts, drinks and snacks free from unhealthy components.

      About Dee

      Chocolate and ginger enthusiast. Animal lover, especially dogs, cats and my pet cockatiel. I'm probably chopping chocolate in my Washington DC kitchen right now and making more plant-based desserts and snacks. Read about Dee → »

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      Dee Dine of Green Smoothie Gourmet

      I'm Dee! Welcome! I create easy, delicious healthy desserts that everyone will love - no eggs, no dairy, vegan, and gluten free. And I use my biochem background to balance the nutrition and create recipes that work. No matter their diet, your friends and family will love them.  About Dee →

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