In my book, THE WRITE GROUP, a writer shared her story with me about her writing circle, and she talked about cookies. Yes, cookies. Not the digital kind but the sweet, yummy and delish kind. You see, this author's writing group had live meetings where they exchanged cookies.
Thing is, I love cookies, and it got me thinking.
Just suppose I was in a writing circle that liked to share home-made cookies. And further suppose I decided to whip up a batch. What would I bake for my writing group?
At this, I felt a little guilt kick in, because healthy food adds to brain power and creativity, which is what we need for our writing, right? But visions of mung bean munchies and unsweetened seeds didn't get me too excited. Honestly, I love traditional cookies and they're way more fun to share and eat.
So, I put aside healthy food thoughts and started brainstorming to find the perfect cookie for writers and writing groups. Serendipitously, my husband and I watched a terrific episode on U.S. Great Depression-era recipes from Tasting History by Max Miller. This included a recipe for the traditional North American cookie, the Hermit Cookie. (BTW, you can find more info about Max Miller, his historical research and recipes here.)
Bingo! The Hermit Cookie was the perfect choice for a writing group. Why? For two reasons. First, the name makes me think about all the hours we spend alone, focused on our manuscripts or projects. We're like hermits! Second, the recipe has been around for over two hundred years, and has adapted to what's available locally, as well as adjusted to evolving ingredients and baking methods. Sound familiar? Don't writers adopt approaches when needed and adapt where there are opportunities? Heck yeah!
Once decided on Hermits, I did research, collected and compared recipes, tested (the best part!), and fine-tuned my recipe. You'll see I've noted where recipes varied, so you can research and experiment for yourself.
If you bake these for your writers' circle, lucky them!
WRITING GROUP HERMIT COOKIES
Why these cookies are called Hermits is unclear. Some sources believe it's because, back in the day, travelers and sailors hid them away like real-life hermits, and the cookies kept their chewy, flavorful goodness long after other cookies crumbled. Since my family ate up all the Hermits, I haven't been able to confirm this!
Recipes varied in lots of ways, including between cookie bars and round cookies. I opted for round cookies because of my family's preference. So, the following recipe is for round cookies, and depending on how large you like them, will yield about four dozen cookies.
When they come out of your oven, the cookies should be both chewy and cake-like, with soft fruity bits and a subtle sweet and spice flavor. They are great with coffee or tea and will keep writers fueled for hours.
Ingredients
2 cups golden raisins (Traditionally, bakers used dried fruits that were available, so recipe variations included dark raisins, currants, dried cranberries and dates. For this recipe, I used golden raisins.)
1 cup water
1/2 cup unsalted butter, soft
1 cup brown sugar (If you like a more old-fashioned taste, you can substitute part of the brown sugar with an equal amount of molasses. Or, if you don’t like the brown sugar flavor, you can substitute light brown sugar or a combination of light brown and white granulated sugars.)
2 large eggs, room temperature (Some recipes replace one egg with 1/4 cup of room temperature black coffee to add a slightly bitter note to the cookie flavor. I didn't experiment with this, but if you're looking to increase your word count, you might!)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour (Some recipes substitute a portion of the flour with an equal measure of whole wheat flour for a heartier, chewier cookie.)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon (If you enjoy a bolder spice taste, you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon with ground ginger and/or ground cloves.)
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon table salt
OPTIONAL ADD-INS:
1/2 cup of chocolate chips and/or rolled oats and/or chopped pecans or walnuts
OPTIONAL GLAZE: (Traditional recipes omit this step, but several modern recipe variations included a glaze. EOD, I felt the icing was too sweet, which overwhelmed the flavor of the cookie, so I preferred cookies without.)
1/2 cup confectioners or powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons whole milk or light cream
Equipment
1 small saucepan
2 good-sized mixing bowls
1 small mixing bowl (if you are going for the glaze)
Measuring cups and spoons
Sifter or sieve
Electric mixer
Spatulas
Chef’s knife
Parchment paper or cooking spray
Baking sheet
Instructions
Move your oven rack to the center position and preheat your oven to 375°F.
Prepare the baking pan by lining it with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil and add the 2 cups of raisins. Simmer for ~5 minutes and let cool. Do not drain the raisins. As they cool, they absorb the water and plump up soft and juicy. Once cool, give them a rough chop with a chef’s knife. After that, if there is extra water, discard it. (BTW, this step is useful if your dried fruit is hard. If your fruit is already soft, e.g., dates, you don't need this step.)
In one large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with the mixer until smooth and fluffy.
Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well with the spatula.
In the second large bowl, sift or sieve together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar/eggs/vanilla mixture and stir gently until well combined.
Add the roughly chopped juicy raisins, and any optional add-ins.
Drop by the spoonful on the prepared baking pan, leaving some space between them. (Note, these spread only a little.)
Bake for about 12 minutes. Since ovens vary, keep your eye on them. They should be golden and firm but not over-baked or they’ll lose their chewiness.
Transfer to a wire rack and let them cool completely.
If you are going for the optional glaze, mix the 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon milk or cream in a small mixing bowl. Add more liquid bit by bit until you have a smooth, thick, pourable icing. Once the cookies are completely cool, use a small spoon to drizzle thin lines of the glaze over each cookie, then let the glaze set.
Enjoy your treat and share with your writing group!
I hope these cookies will help you and your writing besties bang out those next chapters! Let me know in the comments how it goes!
BTW, the ebook THE WRITE GROUP has many stories shared by lots of writers at different stages of their careers. Not all the stories involve cookies, but all will help you make the most of your writing group. Get the ebook now!
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