Hermit Bars

Boy Bakes Treats - Hermits

A New England recipe dating back to before the early 1900s, hermit bars have a rich, sweet and spicy flavour similar to gingerbread that is accentuated by a deep warmth from the five-spice combination and molasses. Baking the dough in a long log gives the bars their crusty edges and chewy centres - kinda like biscotti but with a Puritan streak. So why are hermits called hermits? Apparently that is one of the unsolved mysteries of the food world...

Looks can be deceptive when it comes to treats, and while hermits may look appear as though they were designed by an austerity committee, their taste 1000% gets better with age as their modest-seeming flavours mingle and mellow into something deeply satisfying. Oh, and if you store them in a dark corner or in the back of your fridge, they will last for what seems to be forever.

This bake is breaking tradition slightly by including ginger (both ground and crystallised) in the mix, as well as some dried cranberries with the raisins. In fact, any combination of dried fruit will do, just as long as you keep the total to 1 cup. Golden syrup has also been subbed in for molasses.

Also, instead of adding the spices to the dry ingredient mix, stirring them into the melted butter will help amplify and distribute their natural flavours, and this butter/spice combo will also result in a chewier, nuttier hermit.

MAKES

PREP

30 minutes
plus cooling

COOKS

15 minutes

Ingredients

3/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons crystallized ginger
250 grams butter
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup golden syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Place the raisins, cranberries and crystallized ginger in a food processor and whiz for about 10 seconds, or until the mixture sticks together and only small pieces remain. Transfer mixture to large bowl and set aside.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the colour has turned a nutty brown. Stir in the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and allspice and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the butter mixture to the fruit mixture and stir until well combined. Let it cool to room temperature.
Sift 1 3/4 cups flour, the baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In a smaller bowl, toss pecans in the remaining 1/4 cup flour and set aside as well.
Add brown sugar, egg, golden syrup and vanilla into the cooled butter-raisin mixture, combining after each addition. Gradually add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Add pecans and mix with a large spoon until no spots of flour remain.
Cover with plastic wrap and leave to harden in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. While the dough chills, heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/360 degrees Fahrenheit and line 2 oven trays with non-stick baking paper.
Remove from the fridge, shape your dough into a ball and cut into quarters. On a lightly floured surface, roll each quarter into a log about 30cm long (about as long as the tray) and 5cm wide, and square off the sides with a spatula. Arrange two logs on your tray, and sure there's about a 5cm gap, as they will spread as they bake.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until barely crisp around the edges but still feeling soft on top, or until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean. Remove from oven and leave on trays to cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Use a pizza slicer or serrated knife to cut into bars or triangles.

Ingredients

Directions

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Recipe notes