Comfort Food: Hermits

It is time for a baking column. I love to bake and feel it’s a lost art. No one does it anymore, so let’s bring it back with a one bowl, easy, tasty recipe - hermits. There is nothing like walking into a house that is baking a treat. Because my mother was a great baker and baked frequently, to me the smell of baking is home.

I love baking anytime of the year, but this time of year makes me think of cinnamon - cinnamon with apples, cinnamon with nutmeg, and cinnamon with raisins. And cinnamon is thought to have considerable health benefits. It is said that just 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower cholesterol, and is a great source of magnesium, fiber, iron, and calcium, just to name a few of the benefits.

Hermits are one of my favorite “comfort foods."  This recipe is my mother’s – or is it my aunt’s? Either way these are some of the best hermits I have ever tasted. With the cinnamon, raisins and molasses I can almost convince myself that they are good for me!

Hermits are a great treat, a great dessert and I have been known to serve them and eat them for breakfast!

So surprise your family with a fresh tray of hermits when they get home. Home-made baked goods are a great way to say “I love you” and wait until you see their happy faces.  Give it a try and let me know how it goes.
Hermits also freeze very well, which can be helpful since this recipe makes a lot. Just thaw at room temperature for a treat anytime.

(If you were at the Farm Fair on Sept 17, the CHS Girls Volleyball team was selling these.)

Ingredients

1 cup of sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 cups of flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp cinnamon

½ cup of milk

½ cup molasses

2 cups raisins

Confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling on after cooking

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 15x10 cookie sheet that has sides.

Put all ingredients, except the raisins, in a large bowl and mix well. It will not be easy to mix because it is a very thick batter. I use my KitchenAid mixer for this, but it can be managed with a lot of “elbow grease”. Once it is mixed well, add the raisins and mix some more. Then put the batter on the cookie sheet and spread it completely around the sheet. Again this will not be easy because the batter is sticky, so use a piece of wax paper or a clean, dry hand and push the batter into all the corners and all over the sheet. This batter will not “melt” in the oven and spread itself out, where you put it is where it will cook, so spread it evenly.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown.

Let cool then sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Cut into big squares and enjoy.