Hermit Cookies. I'm into something good!

Have you heard of a Hermit cookie? It's a delicious spice cookie from my childhood... was it in yours too?  It's a great fall and winter cookie, with all the spices we associate with that time of year. They are soft and moist and oh so good with a cup of coffee or tea. The glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness. Enjoy!

Are you wondering about the name? Me too! It always makes me think of Herman's Hermits. For you youngins, that's a band from the 6os who did this groovy tune.

Something Tells Me I'm Into Something Good


Hermits

2/3 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1-3/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
2 TB sour cream
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup raisins

Vanilla Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 TB cream or milk

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Dissolve the baking soda in the sour cream then add to the butter and sugar mixture with the eggs and beat again. Mix in the dry ingredients then stir in the nuts and raisins.

Use a cookie scooper or drop by TB onto cookie sheet. Bake  ~12 min or until lightly brown. Remove from pan to cool on a rack. Glaze when cookies are cool. You can spread over entire cookie or just do a drizzle.

Happy Baking!

Ginger Cookies

Do you like soft ginger cookies? If you do, you will LOVE this recipe.

I first tasted these several years ago when a colleague brought some into work. We ALL thought they were just the best and everyone wanted the recipe. The original recipe was printed in the November 1998 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Big, soft and chewy with the perfect amount of ginger -- they are wonderful. I threw all my other ginger cookie recipes away. 

You'll need molasses, ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, and raw sugar. The dough balls are rolled in the raw sugar before baking and this is what really gives them that cracked appearance and crunchy texture. *If you don't have raw sugar, regular granulated sugar works too.

Giant Ginger Cookies
Yield ~25 cookies

4-1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 tsp. ground ginger
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1-1/2 cups shortening (Don't substitute butter or the cookie will be flat and hard.)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
raw sugar to roll dough balls in

Preheat oven to 350-F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat shortening for 30 seconds.  Add the 2 cups sugar and beat until combined.  Beat in the eggs and molasses until combined.  Beat in half of the flour mixture.  Stir in the remaining flour mixture.

Using a 2 inch *cookie scoop, shape dough into 2-inch balls; roll in the raw sugar.  Place balls 2-1/2 inches part on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake ~12 min. until puffed and lightly brown. Do not overbake or cookies will not be chewy.

Remove from oven and cool cookies on wire rack.

*If you use a smaller cookie scoop, just don't bake the cookies as long.

Happy Baking!