Hermit Cookies are old-fashioned spice cookies with nuts and assorted dried fruit, like some grandmas used to make.

Hermit Cookies

By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime

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This month for #FilltheCookieJar the theme is all about Grandma’s Recipes in honor of grandparents day.

I actually never got any of either of my grandmother’s recipes. For awhile I thought about doing some really old recipe to  see how it turned out. I located some that dated back to the 1800’s. But they just didn’t grab me really.

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But my mom used to make the old Betty Crocker version of Hermits when I was a kid, and they were one of my favorites. She was a grandmother and great grandmother as well. I have not yet become a grandparent although I am not crying about that. Some of my peers have grandkids who are grown now.

Sometimes I think only still being a mom gives me a false sense of youthfulness, but that’s not a bad thing, is it?

Fill the Cookie Jar

Grandma’s Cookies

• Cherry Pie Bars by A Day In The Life On The Farm
• Hermit Cookies by by Palatable Pastime
• Molasses Cookies with Whiskey Buttercream by Cookaholic Wife
• No Bake Date and Nut Cookies by That Recipe
• Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Hermits, as cookies go, date way back in time. They make a great drop cookie (popular in the New England area and Maine) but purists may also make them as bars. I always had them as drop cookies.

Ingredients can vary, so I have changed up the recipe my mom used to make, taking out the coffee instead using instant espresso, and using a different array of fruits and nuts. I thought about using dried blueberries as well, but tasting the dough, thought the cranberry brought out the best qualities of coffee flavor, which is light but present. I also changed the spice blend and added dates.

The end result is better than the last time I made the old hermits recipe, as I also changed up the type of oil in them, as that can make a difference.

Hermit Cookies

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Hermit Cookies

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Hermit Cookies

Sue Lau

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Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Cookies, Dessert, Snacks

Servings 42 cookies

Calories 150 kcal

Ingredients

  

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• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso or instant coffee granules
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries or craisins
• 1/2 cup golden raisins

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cream butter, shortening and brown sugar.
• Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
• Add baking soda, salt, instant espresso granules, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and cloves, then add sifted flour a little at a time until  it makes a smooth thick cookie dough.
• Fold in the chopped nuts, craisins, raisins and dates.
• Drop dough by a cookie scoop (that holds about a heaping tablespoonful) onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes or until golden. Dark pans take less time,  insulated pans take more.
• Cool on pan a couple minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Yield: 36-48 cookies

Notes

From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 150kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 2gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 105mgPotassium: 66mgFiber: 1gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 80IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 17mgIron: 1mg

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