Hermits are a classic New England recipe. These chewy and spicy bars will remind you of gingerbread because of the flavor.
Today my friends and I are having a Christmas Treat Exchange!! Yummy!!
Thanks to Aliya from Open Doors Open Hearts and Jennifer from Midwest Life and Style for hosting!!
If you are hopping over from Kelly from The Tattered Pew welcome!! I think I’m going to her house so she can make me Affogato…oh didn’t that look wicked good ( yes, yes, said in a Boston accent!!).
How to Make New England Hermit Bars
I have extensive knowledge of sweets and treats from growing up with a Nana, Mom, and Auntie who always loved to have a little something with their tea in the afternoon! One of our favorites is these old-fashioned New England hermit bars.
Yes, hermit is a funny name…one theory is that the name came from the fact that people could store them away in a dark cupboard and they would stay fresh for ages. I’m not sure if that’s the origin but it sounds right!
This hermit recipe was given to me years ago by an old neighbor, Muriel. One day she shared a batch with me and I had to have the recipe because they were the best ones I had ever had! She wrote out the recipe on a card for me…remember recipe cards??
At the time I was newly married and just learning how to cook and bake so I loved how simple it was to make hermit bars.
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ingredients
- ½ CUP BUTTER (SOFTENED)
- 1¼ CUPS SUGAR
- ¼ CUP MOLASSES
- 2 EGGS
- 3 CUPS FLOUR
- 1½ TSP BAKING SODA
- ½ TSP SALT
- ½ TSP CINNAMON
- ½ TSP GROUND CLOVES
- ½ TSP GROUND GINGER
- 1 CUP RAISINS
- ⅓ CUP CHOPPED WALNUTS (OPTIONAL)
- 1 BEATEN EGG (TO BRUSH TOPS OF BARS)
STEP 1.
PREHEAT OVEN TO 375°
Soak the 1 cup of raisins in boiling water.
Cream 1 stick softened butter, 1¼ cups sugar, and ¼ cup molasses together in a mixer. Add the 2 eggs. Blend until combined.
STEP 2.
In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture at the lowest speed.
STEP 3.
Drain the raisins and pat dry.
Add the chopped walnuts (if using) and the raisins to the hermit batter. Stir to combine.
STEP 4.
On a floured towel, cut the batter into 4 sections.
Roll 1 section at a time like a sausage on the towel.
STEP 5.
Place the hermit bar logs onto a greased cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. I use silicone baking mats (Love, love these things!!) and a half sheet pan.
Flatten the logs slightly with your hand.
Brush tops with a beaten egg.
BAKE AT 375° FOR 15 MINUTES
STEP 6.
Let the hermits cool before cutting them diagonally into bars.
I find that using a dough scraper works great to cut the bars!
Store the New England hermit bars in an airtight container. They do stay fresh for a long time!!
New England Hermit Bars
These chewy and spicy bars are a New England classic!
Ingredients
- ½ CUP BUTTER (SOFTENED)
- 1¼ CUPS SUGAR
- ¼ CUP MOLASSES
- 2 EGGS
- 3 CUPS FLOUR
- 1½ TSP BAKING SODA
- ½ TSP SALT
- ½ TSP CINNAMON
- ½ TSP GROUND CLOVES
- ½ TSP GROUND GINGER
- 1 CUP RAISINS
- ⅓ CUP WALNUTS (OPTIONAL)
- 1 BEATEN EGG (TO BRUSH TOPS OF BARS)
Instructions
- PREHEAT OVEN TO 375°
-Soak the 1 cup of raisins in boiling water.
-Cream 1 stick softened butter, 1¼ cups sugar, and ¼ cup molasses together in a mixer. Add the 2 eggs. Blend until combined.
-In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
-Slowly add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture at a low speed.
-Drain the raisins. Pat dry.
-Add the chopped walnuts (if using) and the raisins to the hermit batter. Stir to combine.
-On a floured towel, cut the batter into 4 sections.
-Roll 1 section at a time like a sausage on the towel.
-Place the hermit bar logs onto a greased cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. I use silicone baking mats
-Flatten the logs slightly with your hand.
-Brush tops with a beaten egg.
BAKE AT 375° FOR 15 MINUTES
Let bars cool before cutting them diagonally into bars.
I find that using a dough scraper works great to cut the bars!
Store the New England hermit bars in an airtight container. They do stay fresh for a long time!!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 269Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 253mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 1gSugar: 25gProtein: 4g
Now please go visit Pasha and check out her gingersnaps!
Doesn’t everyone’s treats look so yummy!! Which one is your favorite??….I can’t decide!!
Christmas Treat Exchange
She Gave It A Go | A Blue Nest | The Tattered Pew| Cottage on Bunker Hill | Pasha is Home
Jennifer Howard
cottage on bunker hill
Thanks for stopping by today! Being able to share my projects, DIYs, and decorating ideas with you is amazing. Leave a comment below; I love hearing from you! Feel free to drop me a note here if you have any questions.
get to know me
here are a few fun facts…
- I’ve lived in New England my entire life! This is good because the beach is my favorite place to be…even in the winter, I love to go breathe in the salt air.
- I am an EARLY BIRD!!! I rarely sleep past 4…it’s my favorite time of day and those wee hours are my most productive. (plus, I LOVE coffee!!)
- The Gilmore Girls is my favorite all-time TV show…I’ve seen every episode at least 20 times!! “You jump, I jump, Jack” is my #1 favorite. (I.Y.K.Y.K.)
I grew up in MA and Hermit Bars were always in Market Basket around the holiday season. I moved out to Colorado about 14 years ago for pastry school and fell in love with this state. I stayed, and now have a little family of my own. Oh, but I have missed Hermit Bars in my life!!! I’ve tried a few recipes before and none of them came out right, until now! I’m making 3 batches of these for my family who moved out here after me do we can all have a little piece of New England here with us this Christmas season. Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful recipe and striking that nostalgia cord for me. Now I just have to convince the grocery stores out here to start carrying/making them too!
You can’t beat Market Basket!!! I have the smallest one down the street from my house!! Reading this made my heart happy! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.
Oh, my goodness! I have never heard or seen anything like these! On my list of things to make… Thanks for sharing.
They are a family favorite!!
I love your Boston accent btw! I haven’t heard of these but they look and so so yummy. I will get my 12 year old to make them for me or better yet, I’ll bring you an affogato if you bring me some of these. Merry Christmas!
These are new to me… I am so glad you introduced me to them, friend!
They look YUMMY!! Cannot wait to try them.
It is a joy being on this hop with you, and grateful for you.
xoxo,
Brendt
These look and sound yummy! I’ll have to bring this recipe to all my Mitten folk!
I’ve never heard of hermit bars before, but they look delish! I think I need to start making these ASAP! Thank you for sharing, friend!
I just love how you shared something from where you are from! What a fun recipe! It looks so tasty too!! Loved being on this hop with you my friend!
XOXO – Pasha
These look so delicious and pretty too! I love all of the spices this time of the year. I can’t wait to try these! Thanks for sharing your recipe with us. Merry Christmas!
Jennifer, I’ve never heard of hermit bars, but they sound delicious based on your photos and the ingredients! I love learning about new recipes from other parts of the country. New England is one of my favorite regions to visit, by the way! I lived there a few years too. Definitely going to try these bars!