Pages

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Christmas Cookies 2007: Iced Hermits

It's that time of year again! DH and the boys have picked out their cookies for this year and baking has commenced.

First up, DH's choice - Iced Hermits. I've heard of hermit bars, but I've never seen one or tasted one, much less made one. One thing I love about DH and the boys picking cookies for me to make is that they tend to pick things I never would and this cookie is no exception. For one thing, it calls for icing - I tend to avoid cookies with icing.

ms holiday

Our source is, once again, Martha Stewart's 2005 special holiday cookie supplement. I can't get them to look at anything else! But I can't blame them, this magazine is so well done with enticing pictures for each and every cookie - truly an excellent layout for a magazine.

Hermits in the pan

This bar cookie is baked in a 10 x 15-inch pan. I only have 11 x 17-inch pans, so I did a little improvising. I didn't want the cookies to turn out too thin, so I turned my 11 x 17-inch pan into a 11 x 14-inch pan. I cut an 11 x 14-inch piece of parchment paper and placed it in the pan. I then cut a piece of tin foil to sort of serve as the "wall" to get a nice edge on the cookies and to keep the exposed end from over-browning.

Iced Hermits
The ingredient lists appears fairly long for these cookies but most of it is spices and not as involved as it first appears. The cookies come out thin and chewy - a spiced cookie with a strong punch of ginger and a bit of sweetness from the raisins. They are topped off with an easy icing. I'm not a big fan icing, but this icing is delicious and should not be skipped - the butterscotch/caramel flavor from the brown sugar and butter nicely complements the spiciness of the cookie. The diced ginger adds even more bite and a festive holiday sparkle to top things off.

This still may not be a cookie that I make just any old day, but I'm glad that DH inspired me give it a try. This would definitely be a pretty and tasty cookie to make for a cookie exchange or holiday party.

Stay tuned for more Christmas cookies to come.........

6 comments:

  1. I made these in February of last year, I think, and were very good - rich and dense. I loved the bits of crystallized ginger!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Joe - I thought I remembered someone mentioning these before - should have known it was you. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. These cookies make a great start to your holiday baking!! My hips don't like all the holiday sweets so am only making a few easy, tried and true recipes!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bellini Valli - Um, yes, I hear you - we just don't discuss the hips during the holidays........ ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think I can taste these throught the screen! Yum! I loved hermits as a kid. They are not popular down here. I may have to bring hermits back...:)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Chris - I wonder if they've fallen in popularity most places - I'd never heard of them or had one before. I think Martha Stewart is great for keeping a lot of old traditions and recipes in the public eye.

    ReplyDelete