Are Hermits the best cookie ever?

The Hermit cookie is said to date back to the 12th century. It was often made with the last ingredients on the baker’s table at the end of the day. Raisins or currents, walnuts and spices like cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg go into a Hermit cookie to give it a nice sweet savory balance.

The name may have come from the fact that these cookies are said to taste better after being hidden away for a few days. But it’s likely that the old recipe for these cookies came from the religious hermitages, where ingredients would have been commonplace.

They remain a popular cookie to this day, but increasingly hard to find in stores. But as a professional baker it’s easy for me to make them myself.

I’ll post the recipe soon.