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Hermit bars

Servings:
Makes 32 bars Servings
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Ingredients

  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick), softened
  • 1/3 cup dark molasses
  • 1 cup large egg
  • 1 cup dark seedless raisins
  • 1 cup pecans (4 ounces), toasted and coursely chopped (optional)

Preparation

Baking Directions:

Originating in New England in clipper-ship days, these spicy fruit bars got their name because they keep so long.

Sailors would stow them away "like hermits" for snacking on extended voyages.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

  Grease and flour 2 large cookie sheets.

In large bowl, with wire whisk, mix flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and cloves.

In separate large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

  Beat in molasses until well combined.

  Beat in egg.

  With mixer at low speed, beat in flour mixture just until blended, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula.

  With spoon, stir in raisins and pecans, if using, just until combined.

Divide dough into quarters.

  With lightly floured hands, shape each quarter into 12" by 1½" logs.

  On each prepared cookie sheet, place 2 logs, leaving about 3 inches in between.

Bake until logs flatten and edges are firm, 13 to 15 minutes, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower oven racks halfway through baking.

  Cool logs on cookie sheets on wire racks 15 minutes.

Transfer logs to cutting board.

Slice each log crosswise into 8 bars.

  Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Each bar: about 105 calories | 1g protein | 19g carbohydrate | 3g total fat (2g saturated) | 1g fiber | 15mg cholesterol | 80mg sodium