Christmas Hermits

Hermits are one of New England’s oldest cookie traditions, and this Christmas version is built to feed a crowd. Ten dozen cookies from a single batch, packed with raisins, currants, chopped nuts, and grated orange zest, all held together by a soft brown sugar dough fragrant with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Brown sugar gives hermits their signature chewy texture and a deep, molasses-like sweetness that pairs naturally with dried fruit. The orange rind is a subtle but important addition. It brightens the heavy spice and fruit flavors so the cookies taste festive rather than dense.

These are drop cookies, not rolled or shaped. Just rounded teaspoons onto greased sheets, baked until light brown. They’re meant to look rustic and homey, and they improve after a day or two in an airtight tin as the spices and fruit flavors meld.

Kitchen Tips

• Sift the spices with the remaining flour and add them last. This distributes them evenly rather than concentrating them in one part of the dough.
• Space the drops 1 to 1½ inches apart. These don’t spread much, but they need airflow to bake evenly.
• Bake until light brown, not dark. Hermits should be soft and chewy, not crispy. They firm up slightly as they cool.
• Store in an airtight container. They’re actually better the next day and keep well for a week.

Variations

• Add chopped candied orange peel or dried cranberries for a more colorful holiday version.
• Swap the nuts for chopped pecans or walnuts depending on what you have.
• Drizzle cooled hermits with a thin orange glaze (powdered sugar and orange juice) for a festive finish.