What is a Hermit Cookie?
Hermit cookies. They were my Grandma’s most favourite cookies – a New England classic that travelled up the the coast to infiltrate its Canadian neighbours.
The speculation surrounding the name “Hermit Cookies” is that you can tuck them away and they last a really long time. They also freeze beautifully, as uncooked dough balls that you can bake from frozen, or already baked.
While the Canadian version features dates, its American counterpart is just raisins and nuts.
Add the dates, Americans! They’re so luscious and chewy and sticky-sweet; a perfect addition to these lightly spiced gems.
The cookies are sweetened with just brown sugar – imparting an irresistible caramel-ly flavour and chewy texture that will have you reaching for a third, then maybe a fourth… which is not as terrible as you might think, because they’re actually lighter than most cookies.
“Lighter” with air bunnies around it, that is – they’re still cookies, they won’t do sit-ups for you – but they do have 1/2 the amount of butter that many other types do…
They’re jam packed with raisins, dates and walnuts, and scented with warm spices – but these are no spice cookie; the flavours are subtle.
Because they haven’t got a lot of butter, it’s really important to prep your baking sheets or they will stick – parchment paper is ideal: easiest removal, practically no cleanup, no need for extra fat. If you like to bake, I really recommend you keep parchment paper on hand. Otherwise, just grease ’em well!
The recipe is adapted from my grandma’s Purity cookbook – it’s a treasure, filled with old fashioned Canadian classics.
Easy Old Fashioned Hermit Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup chopped dates
- 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a standing mixer on medium speed, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and beat until mixture is pale and thick - about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Incorporate raisins, dates and nuts (depending on your mixer, you may have to do this part by hand with a wooden spoon).
- Drop cookies by tablespoonfuls onto a well-greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes, until edges are set but centres still appear moist. Cool on baking sheet 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container (up to 10 days) or freeze on a flat surface then transfer to freezer bags to store up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Makes 4 dozen cookies.
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Added 1/4 cup flour,1/4 cup molasses, 1/2 cups chopped dried apricots, doubled cinnamin,added1/4 teaspoon ground cloves,added 2 tablespoons cider vinager…delicious cookie
Great, John! Sounds delicious.
Yes! These were too cake like and far too sweet. I like your molasses idea, and I’ll use 1/2 the sugar. Spices are nice though. I will do this again, just a little adapted. Isn’t that what baking is all about?
They are meant to be quite cakey, more like a soft muffin top than a chocolate chip cookie. Cutting back the sugar also makes them cakier (as the sugar increases spread). Maybe cut down on the dried fruit in them to make them less sweet.
John, Can you explain the cider vinegar addition to the cookie? How does it change the flavor or chemistry of the bake? Thanks!
Changed nothing. They were perfect!
Oh my goodness, where has this cookie been all of my life?! Delicious. Don’t change a thing, perfect subtle flavor that embraces and compliments the dates, walnuts and raisins. Thank you so much….can’t promise these will make it to the Christmas cookie plates. Yum!
I baked mine for 11 minutes in my perfectly calibrated oven. They turned out quite pale. Not like your pic. I didn’t have the allspice. Any idea?
Hi Barbara, I have two ovens and in my smaller one, things brown more because of the closer direct heat source as well as heat bouncing off of the closer oven walls. I also find less browning in gas vs. electric ovens. That quantity of allspice wouldn’t make much of a difference in the colour.
Since I discovered this recipe a year ago, I’ve made these cookies every month or so. They are perfect as is, I just make sure that I use the brown eggs, and organic dark brown sugar. I’ve tried it with normal brown sugar and white eggs and they just don’t taste as good.
Thank you so much!
Thank you, Flo, it brings me so much joy that my grandma’s recipe is being enjoyed!
These are truly a very tasty cookie but I only got 30 cookies instead of 4 dozen. Guess I was over generous in the tbsp. size. I would also like to have
the nutritional value included. Will definitely make again.
Thank you Cathy! Google “recipe nutrition analysis” – there are free websites that analyze recipes that you simply copy/paste ingredients lists and number of servings. 🙂
Hi Jennifer. Thank you for this wonderful recipe! Hermits were my Mom’s favourite cookie and I found your recipe about a year ago and started making them for her. She said they were so good that I could sell them for $2.50 a piece 🙂 My Mom died earlier this year from covid and I am making these cookies for the celebration of life event we are having in honour of her. Thanks for playing a part in my memories of my Mom. x
Donna, your message goes straight to my heart. Thanks so much for sharing with me. I’m sorry for the loss of your mom. Sending love.
These kcookies are identical to my moms recipe, there are great tasting cookies,getting ready to make more o f them
my Mom made these (her mother did as well). I grew up in the early 1940’s. One of my favorite things about Christmas. This recipe Mom used was the same as my grandmother did in the 1930;s or earlier. YUmmy
My brother used to make hermit cookies that were soooo good but 30ish yrs later he can’t find the recipe when i asked him for it. Found this one so thought I’d give it a shot. Omg sooo good. I don’t remember what his tasted like only that i loved them so have no comparison. Though I doubled the spices and added 1/4tsp of cloves (not sure if that little added anything to the cookies though) and instead of 1c raisins i did 1.5c dried cherries (what my brother used to use). Thank you so much for this recipe. My man and I can’t stop eating them!!
Can a plant based margarine be substituted for the butter. I am dairy protein allergic.
Hi Terry, yes as long as it’s like a Becel or a vegan butter (some olive oil-based soft margarines or lower fat ones are not intended for baking).
Thanks Jennifer, I tried the recipe and thought it was a great base recipe! My Mom was an excellent baker who baked for several stores. Not because she needed to but because she was good at it and loved it. Everything she baked was sold out the day she brought them and on back order! Sadly all her recipes were lost when she passed.
Many years later I still miss her recipes. Your recipe reminded me of her.. After sample testing yours I added oats for chewiness, more walnuts and doubled the spices. I think it enhanced an already good recipe? Next time I will add molasses and my guess is that we’ll be heading into cookie nirvana?