Hermit Cookies
My friend Sante shared his hermit cookie recipe with me. It’s a soft, simple, drop-style, spice cookie loaded with tiny currants, chopped walnuts, and finished with a bit of icing.
This hermit cookie recipe came to me via a friend. I was enjoying dinner with my friend Sante and a few others. Sante is a fun person to chat with because he's one of those guys who never runs out of stories - or opinions for that matter. Some of you may know him from his days as the chef at the Slow Club in San Francisco. Late in the evening the topic of conversation turned to Christmas cookies.
I’m solidly a shortbread person, but Sante started talking about hermits - a cookie he makes regularly for a friend who loves them. I had no idea what he was talking about. I'd never heard of a hermit cookie. He went on to describe a simple, drop-style spice cookie loaded with tiny currants and chopped walnuts, finished with a bit of icing. He promised to share his recipe with me, and here we are. As promise, an A-plus addition to any holiday cookie platter.
What are Hermit Cookies?
I’ve come to learn that there are all sorts of theories about how these cookies came to be named. Some say hermit cookies got their name because they taste best when they’ve been hidden away like hermits for a couple days. There’s the theory that they looked like a hermit’s brown cloth. The oldest versions of the recipe are thought to be back to Medieval European hermitages. So that’s another angle. It may be a bit of all of the above.
There are as many approaches to making hermits as there are bakers. The common ingredients seemingly spices, raisins or dates, nuts. Some like hermits iced or frosted, others skip it. They are simple to make. The chewy, nuttiness along with warm flavors like cinnamon, allspice, and cloves strike a nice balance. And, I keep thinking, this might also make the foundation for a delicious muffin batter.
Hermit Cookies: Pro-tips
Here are a few things I've learned after making Sante’s hermits over the years. True to the legend, they are really good the day they are baked and iced, but exponentially better the day after. The icing develops a bit of a crust and the spices meld together. Hermits are perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning. They are great on a holiday cookie plate. A cup of cardamom (or saffron tea) in the afternoon is another perfect pairing. I also never skimp on the icing. If you’re in my camp consider doubling up on the icing.
Above you can see the cookie dough coming together. And below the final consistency of the dough after all ingredients have been incorporated.
Hermit Cookies: Variations
Here are a few variations people have noted in the comments that sound fantastic! New Englanders definitely repping for bar-shaped hermits made with molasses in the comments.
- Kristin noted, “I added some freshly grated orange zest to the batter. It was tough to not eat the batter and actually bake the cookies, truth be told.”
- I love the coffee suggestion Paullett makes here. “I used to bake them often when I was the cook at the Convent of Notre Dame in Toronto. I have never seen one iced before I’ll have to try it. One common addition to them is a bit of strong cold coffee and some molasses. The authentic way is to add rasins and walnut but I put candied peel, candied fruit and even pine nuts which is very not authentic.”
- Elle went the cardamom route and shared, “I baked a batch for my colleagues the other day & substituted cardamom for the allspice–it was a very good call–cardamom is incredible in this recipe and people really enjoyed the cookies!”
And for any of you browsing this page around the holidays, here is a bit of additional cookie inspiration.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
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- Shortbread Cookies
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- Simple Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies
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Hermit Cookies
I tend to use whole wheat pastry flour here, but you can substitute unbleached all-purpose flour if that's what you have on hand.
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or unbleached all-purpose flour)
- 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup natural cane sugar, sift out any chunks
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup currants
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/4 cup milk
- Vanilla Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 4 - 5 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
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Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Racks in the top and bottom third.
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Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cloves cinnamon, and allspice into a medium bowl - set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer (or by hand), cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla. Blend well, scraping down the side of the bowl a few times along the way. Add the currants and walnuts. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the milk. Chill (covered) for one hour or longer, up to a day.
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Drop the cookie dough (one level tablespoon at a time) onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving an inch or so between cookies. Dampen your fingers with a bit of water and gently flatten the dough. Bake for 12 -15 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are deeply golden. Cool on a wire rack.
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While the cookies are cooling, make the icing, and consider making double if you like a thick layer. Whisk the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla together in a small bowl - use immediately. Frost each cookie with an off-set spatula (or pastry bag) - but not until they are completely cool.
Makes about three dozen hermit cookies.
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Comments
These cookies sound sort of like mini fruitcakes minus the booze. I'm going to make a batch and bring them to work to bring Christmas cheer to the corporate scrooges!!
Funny, I think only the 3rd Sante I've ever heard of (the 1st being my husband!) - I think he'll get a kick out of having a cookie with his name :)
For those of us with tree nut allergies - how are they without the walnuts? HS: Different, I'm sure. But you might explore substituting something else.
You rock!
I don't see how you can make a hermit without molasses. Takes all kinds, I guess. :) Then again, I'm a crusty Mainer and just about all the sweets they make in central Maine, aka "the sticks" have molasses. Hermits always seemed like a cake to me, though and these are far more cookie like. Yummers.
These look delicious, Heidi!! Do you think coconut oil could be used in place of the butter and nondairy milk substituted for the cream to make a dairy-free version? The photos (as usual!) are mouthwatering. HS: Lily, I think you might have luck with those two substitutions. If that were the direction I was headed I might go coconut oil + coconut milk for the non-dairy.
Nice to see the New Englanders reppin' for the bar-shaped hermits. I like them that way...they sort of end up with the consistency of a chewy brownie. And while I've never seen an iced one (till now) I could accept that departure from tradition. :-)
I'm really liking this simple cookie recipe. Will be trying it soon :) Thanks for putting all your Christmas cookies in a section together for us -- its super helpful!
I've been making Harwich Hermits from the days when I lived in the Boston area. As others commented, I make a bar version that was published in the wonderful 1970 American Cooking: New England by Tim Life Books. The spices include nutmeg and mace with less allspice. The 1 cup sweetening is 1/2 molasses as are so many recipes from the region. It calls for chopped raisins, good if you have no currants on hand. There is no frosting. I think the leap from bar cookie to muffin is not a far one. Go for it!
I am from RI, and you can find Hermit's year round at Wrights Dairy farm in North Smithfield. I now live outside of Philadelphia, and quickly learned that they are a local treat. Like Snowmeg indicated, Wright's makes them as a flat cookie - clearly baked on a baking sheet and cut into rectangles, with no icing. They are only about 1/4-1/2 an inch thick. I made the onion dip for a holiday party last weekend - it was a huge hit. Voted to be far superior to its distant relative out of a packet.
This looks like a really good recipe-I wasn't going to make any Christmas cookies this year, but you have changed my mind. I have made hermits many times in a slightly different way-by making ropes of dough about the length of the cookie sheet, flattening them and sprinkling them with sugar. Bake and cut into 4" lengths while still warm. I think they may be a New England cookie and that some recipes have molasses in them. I can't wait to smell them cooking!!
Great cookies! I made something similar using almonds instead walnuts. I'll try this delicious version also
These look great - in New England hermits are more like a bar cookie. They are not dropped but baked in long, flattened logs of dough on the sheet and sliced or just broken off in chunks. I like the idea of a drop for more crusty surface area.
Wow, these look delicious. Yet another cookie to add to my holiday baking list. I can't wait to try them.
Gorgeous looking frosting! If you can't lay it on thick at Christmas then when can you... It's nice to have a tip for a recipe that keeps well for a couple to days. I love the idea of taking cookies as gifts but it's hard to find a convenient time to pop some out!
Wow! Those cookies are SO adorable, esp. topped with the icing!
Mmmmmmm.. They are looking so delightful!
My mom makes cookies that are very similar, but with pumpkin puree. The spices and frosting are so delicious together. I need to try these too...
Looks so tasty! I can't wait to try them.
might be interesting with some dried cranberries instead of the currants and some orange zest...