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Why You’ll Love My Recipe
These soft and chewy Grandma Marion’s Molasses Bars are an old-fashioned classic for a reason. Born in New England in the 1800s and packed with molasses, cinnamon, and raisins, hermit bars are the perfect mix of warm spice, soft texture, and crispy edges. They were originally made to last on long sea voyages, but in our house, they disappear long before they ever have the chance!
These molasses bars are made by baking a long “log” of dough and slicing it into bars. It’s very similar to how biscotti is made, so if you haven’t tried my Christmas Biscotti or White Chocolate Cherry Biscotti yet, you’ll love how well they complement this recipe! This technique gives the bars a lightly crisp outside and a perfectly chewy inside.
Reader Review
Just made these to go in Christmas treat bags for gifts. Oh my! If I don’t stop eating them, I’ll have to make more. Remind me of my dad, who loved molasses. So good! Thanks for the recipe.
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: This recipe is easy and beginner-friendly, making it perfect if you want something quick and comforting!
- Total Time: These molasses bars come together in just about 45 minutes.
- Variations: You can swap in dried cranberries, cherries, currants, or a mix of them all for a new twist! Serve your bars with a warm Irish Coffee, my Easy Apple Cider Cocktail or learn How To Make A Perfect Whipped Cream for a sweet topping!
- Tools For This Recipe: You will need two baking trays, a stand mixer or electric mixer, mixing bowls, a whisk, and a sharp knife for slicing the bars.
What You’ll Need for Ingredients
Molasses: Fancy molasses is the traditional choice for this recipe and gives your dough that deep caramel color and cozy flavor without being too bitter.
Sugar: This recipe uses both white and brown sugar for the best balance of sweetness and moisture. Karlynn’s Tip: Light brown sugar works beautifully, but dark brown will make the bars extra rich if that’s what you like!
Raisins: You’ll need 1½ cups of raisins to make every bite chewy, sweet, and perfectly textured. Karlynn’s Tip: Try mixing regular and golden raisins for small bursts of different flavors!
Flour: All-purpose flour mixes smoothly with the baking soda and baking powder to help your bars rise and stay soft.
Allspice: This fragrant spice adds the warm, nostalgic flavor hermit bars are known for. Karlynn’s Tip: If you’re out of allspice, a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves works in a pinch!
How To Make Grandma Marion’s Molasses Bars
This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients & complete step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
- Cream the sugar and butter together, then beat in the two eggs, one at a time.
- Mix in the molasses until well-combined.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until the dough resembles a normal cookie dough.
- Stir in the raisins by hand.
- Divide the dough into two halves, then make three long rolls from each half on a cookie sheet. Fit the rolls width-wise across the baking sheet, at least two inches apart.
- Build the dough up as high as possible for a thicker, chewier bar.
- Bake in the oven at 375°F for 13-15 minutes until the edges are cooked and the middle is slightly underdone.
- Once fully cooled, slice into 8-10 squares and enjoy!
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Grandma Marion’s Molasses Bars
- Butter Quality Matters: Many store-bought butters have become softer and more watery in recent years, which makes baked goods spread. You may need to add a little extra flour to your dough to get the right consistency, depending on the brand of butter used!
- Chill Before Baking: If your dough feels soft or sticky, place the shaped logs on the baking sheets in the fridge before baking. A quick chill helps them hold their shape in the oven.
- Choose Your Shape: You can bake these in a square pan if you prefer a brownie-style look. The flavor stays exactly the same, so choose whichever shape you like best. As I always say, it’s what’s on the inside that counts!
Storage Instructions
These Grandma Marion’s Molasses Bars are famous for their long shelf life, which is one of the reasons they’ve been loved for generations!
Refrigerator: Whether you store your bars at room temperature or in the fridge, keep them in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezer: These bars freeze beautifully! Wrap them tightly and store in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag for 3–4 months, according to USDA food storage guidelines.
More Delicious Dessert Recipes
If you’re craving more nostalgic Dessert Recipes, here are a few more old-school favorites to add to your baking list:
- Classic Apple Pie is a timeless staple that never disappoints. Sweet apples, warm spices, and an irrestible golden crust!
- Pineapple Upside Down Bread Pudding is a fruity, tropical comfort dessert ith a caramelized topping everyone loves.
- Ambrosia Salad Squares are light, refreshing, and perfect when you want something to share!
There you have it, folks! A cozy, nostalgic treat that brings the charm of old-fashioned baking right into your kitchen. Every time I bake these, they never stick around for long!
Give these hermit bars a try and let me know how yours turned out in the comments below. You know I always love hearing about your baking adventures!
Happy Baking!
Karlynn
Grandma Marion’s Molasses Bars
Ingredients
Butter Mixture
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup fancy molasses
Dry Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
Additions
- 1 ½ cups raisins
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg until completely incorporated. Beat the molasses into the butter mixture until mixed in.
- On low speed, mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until thoroughly combined. If the dough is quite tacky, add in extra flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough resembles a normal cookie dough – not too tacky and holds its shape.
- Stir in the raisins by hand.
- Divide the dough into two pieces. Cover one piece to ensure it doesn't dry out while you work with the other..
- Take one half of the dough and divide it into three equal pieces. Form each half of the dough into three long rolls, fitting the rolls across a standard baking sheet width-wise, leaving at least two inches between the rolls for the dough to spread out while baking.
- Build the dough up as high as you can to achieve a thicker, chewier bar. Repeat with the other half of the dough on the other baking sheet.
- Bake them in the preheated oven for 13-15 minutes until the edges are cooked and the middle slightly underdone. The bars should still feel soft and puffy. Do not over-bake.
- Remove and let cool completely on the baking sheet. RepeatSlice each bar across width-wise into 8 rectangle cookies when fully cooled.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Deb Kuhnen says
I made these today and they are AMAZING!!! They’re a little sweet, but with a strong cup of coffee, they’re perfect. I didn’t build mine up quite as high as yours, so they’re a tiny bit flatter, but that makes no difference to the taste and texture. They’re crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside and have a lovely molasses flavour. Also, I used butter and it worked just fine for me.
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe. I will definitely make these again!
Karlynn Johnston says
I’m so glad that you found one of my hidden favorite recipes! These remind me so much of my Grandma!
Lynn says
Taste great!!!!
Wanda says
Just made these to go in Christmas treat bags for gifts. Oh my! If I don’t stop eating them I’ll have to make more. Remind me of my dad who loved molasses. So good! Thanks for the recipe.
Susan C says
The best recipe. Followed your recipe, used butter and they turned out perfectly. Just made my second batch and have it stored in refrigerator. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Julie Scriver says
I was coming back from Salmon Arm (BC) and stopped in Armstrong at the grocery store there. They have a bakery in the store and I spied these bar cookies there! They were just as I remember them! Soft and chewy! My store bought cookies are all gone, but your recipe just popped up! Now I will have to make them. Thank you Karlynn!
Christoph says
When it was ready to form on the cookie sheet, though it mound, it looked as if it would flatten quickly due to too much butter and sugar, it did. I let it bake 13, then 15, then 18, finally took out at 20 min as the outside started firming. Let rest till cooled. Cut into and the small center still not done. Taste is too sweet too. I will do again and cut butter to 1/2 cup, white sugar 1/2 cup, add 2 tbsp of honey, 1/4 cup molasses, and then add dry ingredients until consistency of oatmeal raisin batter that give chewy, cooked center. Thanks for the base.
Deb says
I’m not sure if it is because I used butter flavor crisco, (didn’t have enough butter. The first batch were like soup. Greasy. I tried again and same thing and so greasy.
Gail says
Thank you for putting the nutritional information! I have a child with diabetes and it saves me time to see the carbs. Most people don’t include the list and that makes these difficult.
Myra says
Oh, the weather outside is Frightful (raining) OMG from my childhood. I have been trying to find this recipe for years Molasses Bars. The only place that you could get these bars during the 50’s & 60’s were at the Bakery in a grocery store called Mayfair. You made my Holiday. Everyone is getting this Christmas. I knew there was a good reason for turning on my laptop this morning. Blessed be.
ROBERT LYNCH says
Absolutely LOVELY cookies. 5 stars.
My substitutions:
1 cup white sugar (c.f. 1-1/2 cup)
1 cup dark brown sugar (c.f. 1/2 cup)
1 cup butter + 2 TBSP olive oil
1 cup raisins (cf. 1-1/2)
1 cup apricots, finely chopped
0 tsp allspice (didn’t have)
Texture nice and soft, chewy. Once the (really big, really hungry) kids discovered them, the whole batch was wiped out. In an evening.
This — in my humble opinion — is a MUST REPEAT recipe.
Love it.
Just what I was looking for.
IN THE FUTURE — I intend to “up” the molasses, to use a dark black blackstrap molasses too, and to increase the flour by 20% or so. Just a wee bit stiffer. I also intend to double the apricots, or maybe even triple them. No limits.
Annie Hillan says
Oh! With apricots! I always stay true to a recipe the first time, then create variations as needed or desired. The will most definitely be an apricots version!!
Laura says
Thank you so much for this recipe!! I’ve been looking for this for years but never knew what they were called.
Hailey says
I made these today and substituted 1 cup flour with 1 cup whole wheat flour and I added 1 cup cinnamon chips. They are wonderful!
Kate says
I’m not so sure you can substitute butter for margarine in this recipe. I just tried it with butter; the dough was really sticky and the logs ran together. I’m sure they’re going to be quite tasty, even if they’re not very pretty.
Maven says
I’ve a similar recipe, called hermit bars. I swap the raisins for dried cherries (allergy issues), add chocolate chunks and I do use butter. No problems.
If you cut into them, and see they’re still too gooey, lay out the slices and bake for a few more minutes, like biscotti.
Jennifer Jo says
These look great. I’m on a molasses kick and I have pounds and pounds of raisins in the freezer….
Joanne says
I love the taste of molasses. It has such a rustic complex flavor. These bars look amazing!
Megan says
What a great photo-these look absolutely delicious! I bet the flavors in these bars are just wonderful-I’ll definitely be adding quite a bit of allspice, my family loves the stuff! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, I can’t wait to try it 🙂
Carrie says
I just made these and they were delicious! Mine did not look like this, however. Mine were a bit darker, and all ran together like a big ole pan of brownies. I made some changes, so if anyone is looking for a variation here’s what i did. Still DELICIOUS.
Used 2 large eggs instead of 2 small ones, used sucanat instead of brown sugar, used raw sugar instead of white granulated.
Thanks for the recipe!
Karlee says
Yummy!!! I will have to try these one someday!
Now who eats all your baking!!?? I rarely bake because I eat it all!
Karlynn says
LOL! These were for Dad, and I kept them frozen in a bag in the freezer for him. I also bake for the teachers at school on some Thursdays for their meeting, I take baking into work almost weekly to feed all the university girls I work with (that whole mother thing, I can’t help it) and then Mike once in a while to work. Then the kids parties at school coming up, it’s honestly never ending!
Laura Flowers says
Yay! Cookie recipes long treasured by families are so special. Thank-you for sharing. I’ll be making these!
Laura
Gaberial says
The flavor is amazing, I used margin but it was so wet it was literally soup, so I added flour until it resembled the dough in the picture and it was closer to 5-6 cups of flour. Flavor is amazing but definitely too wet.
MT says
Can I use butter? Would I need to make any adjustments? Thanks!
Karlynn says
Butter and margarine generally have the same water/fat content, but I hesitate to say yes for sure because I have never used it. This is a recipe from the days when butter wasn’t affordable OR available, thus built on a margarine base. I notice most of my old recipes are margarine and it must be the affordability of it. But these ARE in essence, a cookie, and cookies are almost always interchangeable with butter/margarine to suit tastes. Let me know if you try and what the results are, I am curious!
Shan says
Okay, question…if you slice them after baking and they’re slightly underdone in the center…I guess I don’t see how you’re gonna have a nice crusty top like the ones in your picture? Unless those are just the end pieces. And if they’re slightly underdone in the middle, isn’t that gonna make a bit of a mess when you slice them? They look amazing, and I love me some molasses and spice yumminess. But I really like to get it mapped out in my head before trying a new recipe, and I’m just not seeing this, I guess.
Karlynn says
If you compare them to a cookie that you slightly underbake, thus the inside is still a little soft, yet the outside is crisped up, does that help? Those are actually all middle pieces, since the ends aren’t as pretty. By building the dough up tall like shown in one of the steps, the outside cooks faster than the inside. They aren’t supposed to be liquidy inside by any means, just that underdone that you want for chewy cookies. And you do wait until they are fully cooled to slice! I hope that helps you picture it a little better…you don’t want to over bake because you lose the chewiness, So you look for a crisp outside, and a slightly underdone inside. I haven’t screwed them up yet, and I am not a wondercook, so don’t be scared to try them! Err on the side of overcooking so they aren’t raw, perhaps.
Claire says
I happen to have all the ingredients, AND my grandmother was also named Marion. It must be fate.
Darlene says
Great! Now I have to bake this afternoon! 🙂 Thanks A Bunch!! 😉