Hermit Cookies

Hermits are traditional American cookies originating from New England, and they're especially popular in Maine. The cookies are made with a combination of flour, salt, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, butter, sugar, eggs, molasses, raisins, and chopped pecans or walnuts. The butter, sugar, eggs, and molasses are beaten together, then mixed with the sifted dry ingredients in order to make a smooth batter. The raisins and nuts are then folded in, and the batter is spread in a pan or dropped on a baking sheet by teaspoonfuls. The cookies are baked until golden brown before they're cooled and enjoyed. It is believed that these dense and moist cookies originated in the 1800s.