Hermits

I’m back with some cookies! These are from the 1944 edition of The Good Housekeeping Cook Book. It’s a simple recipe that results in slightly spicy cookies. Hermits have been a kitchen staple for a long time. Cynthia R. Greenlee wrote a great article about the history of hermit cookies for Bon Appetit in 2016. You can find it here. It’s not a long read and I’m really glad I found it.

This recipe is the base recipe for the cookies. You can make them as is, or you can add ingredients of your choosing. Note the mincemeat option at the bottom of the recipe.

Results

It’s been so foggy and cold here. There hasn’t been great light in my house, so I had my son carry a plate of these little cookies outside so I could get a little bit of light on them. I’m ready to see some sunshine again!

These cookies were slightly spicy and very slightly sweet. The raisins added some nice chewiness and some needed sweetness. My first reaction to these was that they were rather plain, but they definitely will grow on you as you eat them! They weren’t dry and they weren’t what I would consider moist. They were somewhere in between. I think adding things like fruit or chocolate chips would add some more interesting flavors and textures and make them appeal to a wider group of snackers.

The size of these cookies makes them easy to grab and go, and they weren’t messy at all. No crumbs or stickiness. They are known for lasting a long time, so they might be a good option to make ahead for a party or to give as a gift. That being said, they are not my favorites. My younger kids didn’t like the nuts in them. My older kids thought they were just ok. My husband and I didn’t mind them and I liked the connection to kitchens past since they have been made since at least the late 1800s. All in all, I probably will not add this recipe to my recipe box.

Did you eat Hermits as a child? Do you make them now? I’d love to hear from you!