Date Nut Hermits
Does that say “Hermans”? What is a Herman?
[Googles “Hemans Cookies” but sees results for “Hermits”.]
Hermits?
Yes, Hermits.
What the heck is a Hermit?
Obviously a cookie, but beyond that, I had no clue.
I found this tiny recipe carefully taped to the inside of the front board of Grandma’s cookbook. At the top. That seemed like a place of honor to me, so I decided that I needed to try them ASAP. Besides that, they are a little different from the other cookies I regularly bake, and so they went straight to the top of the list.
But first, what IS a Hermit?
I needed an answer to my burning question, “What is a Hermit?” Hermits are a traditional New England cookie that is also popular in Canada. They include a variety of different fruits; raisins or dates seem to be the most common, but currants or figs are also seen. They also use a variety of spices - quite a wide variety. They can be dropped or made as bar cookies, which appears to be the older form. They can be glazed or not. Sweet milk? Sour milk? White or brown sugar? Molasses or no? There seem to be even more variations of this cookie than there are theories about where the name came from. Although this was most likely clipped from The Toledo Blade, based on using only white sugar and dates, this particular version is most likely a Vermont variant.
As for the name? The most prominent theory seems to be that they have a nice, long shelf-life, and they travel well, so it was easy to hide them away to take on a journey.
The one thing everyone seems to agree on is that Hermits are a delightful, chewy cookie packed with flavor.
Freezing Hermits
Tools
To Glaze
or Not to Glaze...
Hermits also freeze well, either baked or raw. If freezing the dough, I recommend preparing it pretty much up to the point of baking it. Either dropping it onto a parchment- or wax paper-lined tray, or pressing it into a baking pan, and then freezing them for several hours before transferring them to a freezer bag or wrapping them tightly in cling wrap for the bar cookies. It is very useful if you label the package with the date, what they are, AND the oven temperature and duration for baking, so you don’t have to pull out your recipe in order to bake them. Speaking of baking them, for drop cookies, simply place the frozen dough balls 2” apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. For both bar and drop cookies, allow the dough to thaw for 15 minutes before baking for their regular duration.
“Drop portions of stiff dough from tip of spoon onto greased baking sheet.” Yes, you can do this if you want, but I don’t recommend it. Instead, I suggest modifications to both parts of this instruction. DO NOT use a teaspoon (or two), and DO NOT grease your cookie sheets.
For my discussions about parchment paper and cookie scoops, see my discussion on my Ginger Crinkels.
But really, these are even better as bar cookies than as drop cookies. Put a piece of parchment paper in a 13'”x17” baking pan, with extra hanging over the edge to use as handles to lift the bars out… press or use a pastry roller to smooth the dough into the pan… et voilà! Perfect Hermits.
Although these cookies are tasty on their own and Grandma’s recipe didn’t call for it, many Hermit recipes call for a glaze, and I thought it gave them a nice appearance. I have included two different glazes for you to choose from; both work very well with the flavors in the Hermits. If you want your glaze super white, you can get clear vanilla extract or use white rum. Personally, I think it dries to a bright enough white, so I use regular vanilla or dark, spiced rum for the flavor.
National Spicy Hermit Cookie Day
Yes! Hermits have their own day. And they deserve it! National Spicy Hermit Cookie Day is November 15. And that sounds like the perfect excuse to mix up a batch.
So why am I sharing them with you now? Because we enjoyed them so much that I didn’t want to make you wait until November.
And I suggest that you don’t wait until then to try them!
DO NOT PRINT THIS
it is not complete
ORIGINAL RECIPE TRANSCRIPTION
Date Nut Hermits
INGREDIENTS:
One cup fat
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup cream
1 cup chopped dates
2/3 cup nuts
4 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
DIRECTIONS:
Cream fat and sugar. Add remaining ingredients, mixing lightly. Drop portions of stiff dough from tip of spoon onto greased baking sheet. Bake 12 minutes in moderate oven.
RECIPE TRANSCRIPTION
DO NOT PRINT THIS
it is not complete
While I was baking these cookies…
Although these cookies are not overly sweet, they are far from bland or boring. They are a robust and flavorful, chewy cookie that will become a regular in my kitchen.
When I scooped these cookies, I used the #70, 1-tablespoon scoop.
One warning with these cookies: DO NOT overbake them. If you check on them and can't tell if they're done or not, TAKE THEM OUT of the oven! When over-baked, they turn into DRY, tasteless sawdust. This is what earned them a 2 for their fussiness indicator.
Date Nut Hermits
Ingredients
4 1/3 C flour (520 g)
¼ t salt
1 t soda
1 t baking powder
1 C shortening (184 g)
2 C sugar (396 g)
2 t cinnamon
1 t cloves
1 t nutmeg
1 t vanilla
2 large eggs (100 g)
½ C cream (113.5 g)
1 C chopped dates (149 g0
2/3 C chopped walnuts(76 g)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare pans:
- For drop cookies, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
- For bar cookies, use either two 9”x13” pans or one 13”x17” (half sheet) pan – cut parchment is long enough to come above two opposite sides of the pan by by 3 or 4 inches - long enough to use as handles to lift the cookies out.
2. Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.
3. Cream the shortening and sugar. Beat in vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, then add eggs, one at a time.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, beating until just mixed.
5. Stir in half of the cream until just mixed.
6. Repeat, adding about half the remaining flour and mixing, then add the remaining cream. Finish with the last of the flour. Scrape down bowl as needed.
7. Stir in chopped dates and nuts by hand, mixing lightly.
FOR DROP COOKIES:
8. Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop, drop dough onto parchment, about 2 inches apart.
9. Bake for 12 minutes.
FOR BAR COOKIES:
8. Turn dough out into parchment-lined pan and press evenly to edges.
9. Bake for 24-28 minutes, until edges are very lightly golden-brown.
10. Cool cookies completely on wire racks before glazing, if you choose to glaze. Store in an airtight container.
Vanilla Glaze (optional)
- 1 C powdered sugar (113.5 g)
- 2 T milk
- ½ t vanilla
Mix all ingredients. Adjust consistency by adding extra sugar one tablespoon at a time to thicken, or additional milk to thin the glaze. Drizzle as desired over cookies.
Rum Glaze (optional)
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar (170 g)
- 2 T spiced rum
- 2 t water, as needed for consistency
Mix sugar and rum. Adjust consistency by adding extra sugar one tablespoon at a time to thicken, or water 1/4 teaspoon at a time to thin the glaze. Drizzle as desired over cookies.
20
July
2024
Fussiness
Indicator*
2
*The Fussiness Indicator is my estimation (0-10) of how tolerant this dough is to variations in all aspects: measurement, mixing, baking temp (since most home ovens are not calibrated), baking time, etc.
0 (zero) is not fussy at all, 10 is VERY fussy.
Thank you for checking out Grandma's recipe! If you have baked this recipe, or have any comments about it, my site, or my content, I would love to hear them. If you would like your comments posted as a review, please let me know and I will post exactly what you send to me. Please include how you would like to be identified.
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