These Vegan Hermit Cookies are soft and chewy, studded with raisins and have a touch of spice and molasses. You can stir together a batch in just 15 minutes. Bonus is they actually get better after a couple of days, so they’re a great make ahead treat!
I originally shared this recipe on January 23, 2011. I have updated the images and some of the text today.
Old fashioned Hermit cookies are one of my favorite New England treats. I love that they are so fast to whip together. Just combine the dry and wet ingredients, stir them together, bake and cut. Really baking doesn’t get any easier than this!
The Champlain Valley Cookbook, published in 1880, included one of the first known published Hermit recipes. It calls for ½ cup lard and a lot of brown sugar in addition to the spices and raisins. My recipe is updated with canola oil instead of lard and I used whole-wheat pastry flour for a nutritional bonus. I like to sprinkle crunchy turbinado sugar on top for sparkle and texture.
According to the Food Lover’s Companion “they’re better when hidden away like a hermit for several days.” In my house they usually don’t last that long.
Don’t miss a few of my other vegan treats…
Vegan Dark Chocolate Walnut Bites
Peanut Butter Pretzel Energy Balls
Wheat Free Banana Coconut Mug Cake
Vegan Pumpkin Maple Walnut Scones
These Vegan Hermit Cookies are soft and chewy, studded with raisins and have a touch of spice and molasses. You can stir together a batch in just 15 minutes. Bonus is they actually get better after a couple of days, so they’re a great make ahead treat!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ½ cup avocado oil or organic canola oil
- ½ cup molasses
- ½ cup almond milk or soymilk
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, such as Sugar in the Raw
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Whisk whole-wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Whisk sugar, oil, molasses and milk or soymilk in another medium bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. Stir in raisins. Scrape into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and transfer to the oven.
- Bake until puffed and cracked, about 25 minutes. Let cool before cutting into 24 squares. Layer hermits between pieces of parchment in a re-sealable container. Store at room temperature for 3 days or freeze up to 1 month.
Notes
0 mg Cholesterol, 10 g Added Sugar
Here are the original images associated with this blog post.
Love the raisins this is a cookie that I know I will enjoy with my coffee or a glass of milk super nice and seems so easy to make. Yummy!
Ah yes, with a glass of milk would be such an old school treat. I love that idea.
You had me at spice and molasses! These are so up my alley! Hermit cookies for a hermit girl! haha 😀
I’m a huge fan of spice and molasses too- the smell when they’re baking is so cozy!
Love that molasses and bit of spice! These sound like such a treat and I appreciate that they are vegan definitely.
Thanks so much Erica- they’re so classic- you really can’t go wrong with these ingredients!
I love the name of these cookies! I’ve never heard of hermit cookies before, they seem like the perfect cookie to enjoy with a cup of coffee 🙂
I can attest to the fact that they are. Thanks for dropping by Rae.
I’ve never tried hermit cookies before but they sound SO delicious! Love the addition of spices and molasses. Beautiful pictures too 🙂
They’re an old fashioned classic from the North East. I didn’t grow up with them though.Thanks for the compliment about the photos. I am glad you came by. Have a great weekend.