have you ever heard of these things?

hermit bars- supposedly very versatile and good keepers for long voyages way back when. around here, they'll get eaten in a few seconds if my 3 year old has anything to do with it, but its still nice to know that you can tuck some away.

i made some modifications to the recipe below by omitting rasins and ginger and adding 2tsp instant espresso coffee (in ode to my Betty Crocker's recipe using 1/4c. cold coffee), 1/2c.semi sweet choc chips, 1/3c. chopped pecans and 1/3 c. crasins. oh, and decorate with turbinado sugar after molding logs. happy baking!

i call these "fall in a bar"

Hermit Bars

Ingredients

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda


2 teaspoons ground ginger


1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon


1 3/4 teaspoons ground cloves


1/4 teaspoon salt


1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature


1 cup loosely packed light-brown sugar


1 large egg, room temperature


1/4 cup unsulfured molasses


3/4 cup raisins


Directions


1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt; set aside.


2.In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown 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. Cover with plastic wrap; place in refrigerator to chill 30 minutes.


3.Remove dough from refrigerator, and turn out onto a clean work surface. Divide into 2 equal pieces, and shape each piece into a 12-inch log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place on prepared baking sheet, at least 3 inches apart.


4.Place in oven, and bake until logs are golden but still very soft to the touch, 20 to 22 minutes. The logs will flatten out and lengthen as they bake and get slightly puffy in the center. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice logs into 1-inch-wide bars. Hermit bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.