Hermits
This vegetarian builds seedless raisins, chopped walnuts and ground cloves into a satisfying meal you can have ready in about 65 minutes. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 7 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for oven and whisk. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (3)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Heat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves so the spices are evenly distributed.
- In a separate large bowl beat the softened butter with the dark brown sugar until creamy, then beat in the egg until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture along with the milk and stir just until a soft dough comes together, then fold in the raisins and chopped walnuts.
- Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared sheets, spacing them about 5 cm apart to allow for spreading, and gently flatten each one slightly.
- Bake for 11 to 13 minutes until the edges are set and the centres still look soft, as the hermits will firm up as they cool.
- Let the cookies rest on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely; they keep well in an airtight tin and the flavour deepens after a day.
You'll use: Oven · Whisk · Baking sheet
Ingredient substitutions
- Brown Sugar
- white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses per cup
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
Tips & common questions
How long does Hermits take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 12 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of brown sugar?
Try white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses per cup. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Hermits vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Hermits is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Herman's Hermits 1968 US television concert special.JPG (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.