Today my Martha road trip took me back in time to the Colonial era for some Hermit Bars from the Northeast on page 145.
In our age of fancy cakes that look like castles and elaborate cupcakes made to look like flowers, hermit bars are easy to overlook because let’s face it, they ain’t beauty queens! Like Indian Pudding, this is another one of those old time desserts that’s plain to look at but loaded with warm, comforting spices like ginger and cinnamon. These kind of desserts go back to an era in our American history when the ability to preserve food was paramount in how we cooked because there were no modern conveniences like electricity and refrigerators. Hermit bars stay delicious and chewy for days and they were said to be a favorite of sailors because of their heartiness and long-keeping qualities.
As you can see from the picture, my hermit bars look different than the ones in Martha’s book. Her bars look similar to a biscotti, and mine have a chewier, more caramelized look. I suspect that I should have used more flour because of how moist the air is where I live. But I’m not complaining, because having never eaten these before, I had no idea what they’re really supposed to taste like, and they tasted fantastic just the way they were. You can really taste the spices and the rich molasses, along with the plump raisins, and I decided to add some pecans just for a little extra something…they were so good!
Martha recommends that you wait a few days before eating these because they get better with time — easier said than done! These hermit bars were just too tasty for us to keep our greedy little hands off of them!
