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Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?! Ummmm… me. Again…All the way from 1800s New England, this classic hermit cookie recipe is an old fashioned favorite of mine. These soft and chewy cookies are full of warm spices that will make you feel like you’re a little kid sat in Grandma’s kitchen! And what makes them taste even better is how little effort it takes to bake them.
How To Make Classic Hermit Cookies
- Boil your raisins in some water to plump them up. Then drain them and set them aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
- Cream together the butter and the sugar. Beat in the egg completely, then add the sour milk and the vanilla. Mix until combined.
- Combine and whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, combine completely.
- Stir in the raisins and dates.
- Drop by tablespoon onto a cookie sheet. If you want them flatter, slightly press them down. I like mine cakey.
- Bake at 350 degrees until browned. Remove and cool.
These Cookies Last FOREVER
A lot of people say that these cookies actually improve with age (like the rest of us, right?!). These mouthwatering munchies will last for weeks if you can resist eating them all at once! In fact, in the olden days they were given to sailors on clipper ships when they were sent on their voyages. The sailors would stow their cookie tins away like “hermits” on their travels and a lot of people think that’s where the name came from!
And They Have Their Own Special Holiday
National Spicy Hermit Cookie Day is a very real event. Every year on November 15th, cookie fans all over the world celebrate this old fashioned wonder. I don’t know about you, but in my book that’s basically a license to eat hermit cookies all day long! Then again, who needs an excuse?!
A Guaranteed Hit With Everyone In Your Family
These classic hermit cookies will appeal to everyone in your household, young and old! They’re perfect with a cup of tea in the evening or a with a glass of milk at lunch. Personally, I love having a few with a delicious warm mug of hot chocolate! Don’t forget that you can change up the ingredients by adjusting the spices, so you can go easy on the cinnamon or add more on it depending on your preference. Don’t forget to have your cookie jar ready too!
More Easy Dessert Recipes For You To Try
Chocolate Banana Bread: a guilt-free chocolate treat! Why? Because there are bananas in it, silly!
Lighter Lemon Blackberry Muffins: these tasty muffins are bursting with flavour!
Australian Lumberjack Cake: after baking 6 of these cakes this year, I’m koalafied to say this is the best secret cake recipe around!
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Hermit Cookies
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 10 minutes
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Course
- Dessert
- Cuisine
- American
- Servings
- 24
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of butter or margarine
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup sour milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup chopped dates
Instructions
- Boil your raisins in some water to plump them up, then drain Set aside.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
- Cream together the butter and the sugar. Beat in the egg completely, then add the sour milk and the vanilla. Mix until combined.
- Combine and whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, combine completely.
- Stir in the raisins and dates.
- Drop by tablespoonful onto a cookie sheet. If you want them flatter, slightly press them down. I like mine cakey little drops.
- Bake at 350 degrees until browned. Remove and cool.
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Made this recipe?
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Please rate this recipe in the comments below to help out your fellow cooks!
Darlene says
Do you just chop the dates or cook them as you do for matrimonial cake ..thank you
Laurie Eagle says
Don’t hermit cookies have molasses in them?
Lois Popp says
I omitted the dates.
We made these when young and this recipe is identical. So good
Garry J. Applelgate says
My Mother made these for me all through my childhood. I can remember standing in the kitchen watching her make them and she added a “cup of cold black coffee” when she made them. Does anyone else know of this change in the recipe?
Janet Wetmore says
My grandmother made them all the time for us. Her cookie jar always had them and we loved them. It was always straight to the cookie jar when we went to Grandmas! She used about 1 cup to 1-1/2 cups of STRONG black cold coffee.
Eileen Bedwell says
What changes would you have to make to add a cup of coffee to this recipe? Asking for a friend!
Erin says
what is sour milk?
Jackie says
These turned out great for my first time making hermit cookies. In my oven it took 14 minutes to bake on a good quality cookie sheet. I did add walnuts and used cranberries instead of dates and a sprinkle of allspice.
Angel says
These were yummy. I didn’t have dates on hand so just used double the raisins. However, I really wish you had given a suggestion for the number of minutes to bake. I know ovens vary, but it was obnoxious to have to keep such an insanely close eye on the timing since I was unsure what would be a minimum “safe” baking time.
Elaine McKeown says
Can’t this recipe be doubled?
Earlyne Wiebe says
Hi! Just wanted to let you know that I just made the Hermit Cookies. Oh my! I’m trying not to eat them all at once. So delicious. Instead of sour milk I used sour cream. FYI to anyone. I love your recipes! Mmmgood ??
Karlynn Johnston says
So glad that you loved them!!
Sylvia Galli says
I baked them between 18-20 minutes.
Mark says
Hi there, Australia commenting…..what is sour milk? Buttermilk?
Mr. Kitchen Magpie says
You can sour milk by adding in a tsp of vinegar. Buttermilk is quite thick compared to just a plain soured milk.
Eileen says
Hi there, you might want to change the instructions where you say to add the sour egg and vanilla. I think you mean sour milk. Love your blog!
Karlynn Johnston says
Fixed, thank you!
Kim says
Karlynn;
Hi,your hermit cookies look so good and tasty but the raisons raise my blood sugar and i was wondering if i can just leave them out of your recipe or if i can add mini chocolate chips in this cookie recipe.Can this hermit cookie recipe be frozen after i make the cookies?
Kim
Karlynn Johnston says
They are great frozen and you can sub in mini chocolate chips, they won’t be as chewy but the spices would be delicious with chocolate!
Kathleen Falls says
Very tasty hermit recipe…I will be making them again!😊