Chewy Hermit Bars Recipe - Sizzling Eats (2024)

A New England classic, these Chewy Hermit Bars are the perfect dessert to bake this holiday season. Similar to a blondie bar texture, these bars have a warm, spicy, sweet taste similar to that of gingerbread.

Ever since I was a little kid, hermit bars have always been a popular dessert here in Southeastern Massachusetts. All the local bakeries make them along with sweets like apple danish, blondies, chewy chocolate chip cookies, and raisin squares ( my next dessert to tackle).

My husband, in-laws, and parents love them so much, but I have never been a fan–until now!

The problem I have always had with hermit bars is that they are typically dry and kind of bland. My favorite types of desserts are moist and chewy. So, hermit bars have always been one of my least favorite baked goods.

But, I have found a way to make them chewy which is always appreciated! The addition of some fresh molasses, and food-grade clove extract helped to make these bars perfectly chewy.

What are Hermit Bars?

Hermit bars are a New England classic recipe. They are oven-baked and have rich, spicy notes of clove, ginger, cinnamon and molasses. They are typically made with raisins.

If you have never tried a hermit bar, they taste similar to a mix of soft baked gingerbread cookies and classic blondie brownies with a deep molasses flavor.

Ingredients in Hermit Bars

• All-purpose flour
• Light brown sugar
• baking soda
• unsulfured molasses
• sea salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
• ginger
• cinnamon
• clove (powdered or food-grade extract)

Tips for Making Hermit Bars

For this recipe, I recommend using a stand-mixer since the dough gets very sticky. You really want the power of the standmixer to get the ingredients combined well. Doing this by hand would surely be a workout.

The raisins are folded in by hand last.

I used an 8 x 8 Pyrex baking dish and lined it with parchment paper. you want at least a 2 inch overhang so you can easily remove the bars.

Since this dough is sticky, I recommend spraying the parchment paper with nonstick spray.

When you add your batter to the baking dish, you might want to spray your rubber spatula with nonstick spray before spreading.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out clean.

Allow bars to cool for 1 hour before slicing them into 9 squares.

These store well for up to 1 week according to my family. I have never tried this and already am out of bars! They did not last long at all!

More Holiday Desserts to Try

• Raspberry Chocolate Cream Puffs
• Pumpkin Streusel Bundt Cake
• Pumpkin Danish
• Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Gingersnap Crust
• Puff Pastry Mini Apple Pies