Grandma Marion’s Molasses Bars
Whether you call them Hermit Bars or Molasses Bars, these were a staple in my Grandma Marion’s kitchen. True to her style, she had her own recipe for these bars that she fine-tuned over decades of baking and it yields the softest, chewiest molasses bars I’ve ever eaten.
Servings: 48 bars
Calories: 198kcal
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
Important Note: The quality of butter has deteriorated significantly over the past few years, resulting in baked goods spreading out during baking. Old, foolproof recipes like this one have to be adjusted to accommodate this. Adding extra flour to the dough to achieve the correct consistency is likely necessary, depending on the brand of butter used.
You can also refrigerate the dough on the baking sheets before baking to help with this.
Nutrition
Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 123mg | Potassium: 202mg | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 285IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1.2mg