HERMITS
About forty 2-inch cookies
Many hermit recipes include molasses, but this recipe hews closer to the nineteenth-century New England originals. Irma was fond of adding hickory nuts to her hermits. If you are lucky enough to find these elusive nuts—and determined enough to shell them—consider stretching your haul by adding them to these classic dried-fruit-and-spice cookies.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease or line 2 baking sheets or cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk until blended in a medium bowl:
- 1 ⅓ cups (165g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
Beat in a large bowl, or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, until creamy:
- 1 stick (4 oz or 115g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup packed (230g) light brown sugar
Beat in:
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup sour cream (115g), yogurt (115g), or buttermilk (120g)
Add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in:
- ½ cup chopped raisins, currants, dried figs, dried apricots, candied citron, or a combination
- (¼ cup chopped nuts or shredded coconut)
Drop the dough by the teaspoon about 3 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are browned, about 10 minutes, switching oven racks and rotating the sheets halfway through. Let cool on the sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, spread thinly over the cookies: