Description
These old-fashioned bar cookies have a sweet molasses-and-spice dough that's generously dotted with raisins and drizzled with a snowy white vanilla icing. They're a classic for a reason!
Ingredients
Scale
Hermit Bars:
- 3/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup piping-hot black coffee
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup fancy molasses
- 1 egg
- 2 3/4 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
Glaze:
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 2 tsp milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small bowl, soak the raisins in hot coffee for 1 hour or until the raisins have plumped up and absorbed most of the coffee.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the molasses and egg, stirring until smooth, then fold in the raisins and any coffee remaining in the bowl.
- In a second bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, and stir just until a soft dough comes together. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill for one hour.
- Preheat oven to 375F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide the dough in half and shape into two 12" logs. Place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 3" space in between.
- Bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven, or until edges are lightly browned and the tops are dry and crackled. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool off completely.
- While the cookies are cooling, prepare the icing by whisking together icing sugar, milk and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cookies, and allow to set for at least an hour before cutting the logs into one-inch slices.
Notes
- Making Ahead: Dough can be made a day or two ahead, then shaped and baked as usual.
- Storage: Finished cookies will keep for a week or two in an airtight container, but it's unlikely they'll last that long!