New England Hermit Bars Recipes

SPICY HERMIT BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Place the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the egg, scrape down the bowl, then mix in the molasses.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing just until combined. Mix in the raisins and crystallized ginger. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured board, form it into a disk with lightly floured hands, and cut it in half. Roll each half into a log 12 inches long and place them 3 inches apart on the prepared sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes; the logs will still be soft in the center.
• Meanwhile, whisk the confectioners' sugar with 5 to 6 teaspoons rum to make a pourable glaze. While the logs are still warm, drizzle the glaze back and forth across the logs with a teaspoon and sprinkle them with the lemon zest. Allow to cool. Cut each log crosswise into 1 1/2-inch-wide bars.

HERMIT BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 8-by-8-by-2-inch pan and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang. Butter parchment; set pan aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and cloves; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg; beat until combined, scraping down sides of bowl once. Add molasses; beat until combined and scrape down sides of bowl. Add the flour mixture and raisins; beat on low until dough just comes together, about 1 minute. Press dough into prepared pan. Bake until golden but still very soft to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into bars. Hermit bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.