I have never had, nor heard of hermits…apparently they are a New England treat dating back to the 1800’s. Where have I been? Well, for one I date back a few generations of native Californians haha so maybe that is how I have missed out on these treats…and treat they were!
Most common review from my tasters…
“These taste like Christmas!”
Hermits are described as soft and chewy, more dense like cake, than crisp like a cookie, spicy and usually include some dried fruit. I think they look and bake like biscotti, but are not the same texture.
These were very easy to make…mixing up the batter and letting it chill, and then molding it into logs to bake. This particular version of iced hermits had cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, black pepper, molasses…and I chose cranberries for the dried fruit instead of raisins, figs, currents or candied ginger.
After they bake, and rest, they are drizzled with icing and then sliced crosswise into 1 inch pieces. It says they are good keepers but I wouldn’t know…they were gone!
These were a tremendous hit with just about everyone. They reminded us of an iced ginger cookie I make at Christmastime, but more chewy and had a little tang from the cranberries. They were just delicious. I have already decided to make them again for a dessert platter later this month.
This one is a keeper and I believe will continue to be part of our Christmastime cookie list! 🎅🏻