Hermits

What a strange name for a cookie! When I first heard it, all I could think of was a little Hermit crab scuttling along the beach. Not so tasty, in my opinion! However, these Hermits are delicious. I made a batch for Round 12 of Operation Baking GALS because our soldier's wife said that he loved Hermits. I imagine he'll get about 14 different packages of Hermits, so I really hope he does like them!

A Hermit is a soft and spicy cookie (or bar, in my case), made with molasses, raisins, cinnamon, allspice and cloves. It's wonderfully comforting and familiar in the flavors, reminiscent of spice cake and molasses cookies, with a chewy texture. I made mine a little thicker than normal, so they took about 45 min to bake instead of 25. WELL worth it though.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
3 eggs
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

In a large bowl cream together butter, sugar and spices. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Sift in the flour, baking soda and salt and stir until well blended. Stir in molasses, raisins and walnuts (if you're using them.)

To make bar cookies: Spread mixture on cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Cut into bars while warm and let cool on wire rack.

To make drop cookies: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Drop batter about 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet and bake 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on wire racks.