Chocolate Hermits

Source: Happiness is Baking (Little, Brown & Company, 2019 ed.), pg. 134 and
Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 19.

How have I went this long baking Maida's recipes without making the Chocolate Hermits? These cookies are the bomb! Seriously, we can't stay out of them. 

Hermits are old-fashioned cookies that has been around since the 1800s. How they got their name is a mystery. I don't know why I thought the cookies would be hard. They are not but in fact super soft with an intense chocolate flavor with a delicious hint of cinnamon. They remind me somewhat of the Snackwell's Devil's Food cookies. They almost melt in your mouth. 

This is definitely one my new favorite cookie recipes!

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 1/4 sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 TBS. unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. instant espresso or coffee powder
4 oz. unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 cup raisins
1 cup walnut or pecan pieces

Glaze

1/4 cup sifted confectioners sugar
1 TBS. unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 TBS. milk or light cream
Pinch of salt 

Preheat the oven to 350. Line two cookie sheets with parchment or foil.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over barely simmering water.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa, cinnamon and coffee.

Cream the butter and add the vanilla extract and sugar, beating well. 

Add the egg and the melted chocolate.

Add the milk.

Add the sifted flour mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Add the raisins and the nuts.

Scoop the batter out in a rounded tablespoon and place them on the cookie sheets about an inch apart.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until the cookies are firm and bounce back slightly when lightly pressed. Do not overbake.

While the cookies are baking, prepare the glaze.

Stir all the glaze ingredients (confectioners sugar, butter, vanilla and milk) until it is smooth. It should have a slightly runny consistency. You can adjust it by adding more milk (if too thick) or sugar (if too thin). In my experience, I had to add a bit more milk.

When the cookies come out of the oven, place a dollop of the glaze on each cookie. (I wasn't too happy with the way the glaze looked on mine so I will try and be more careful when I make them again).

After the glaze has dried, the cookies can be stored in an airtight container. Use wax paper to separate layers.

Two New Maida Heatter Books Out in April

Voracious Publishers (an imprint of Little, Brown & Co.) will publish two new books by Maida Heatter on April 7, 2020. Thanks to NetGalley, I was given the opportunity to review digital copies. Like last year's Happiness Is Baking, both books are compilations of her most popular recipes.

The first is Cookies Are Magic: Classic Cookies, Brownies, Bars, and More. The recipes in this book have been assembled from Maida Heatter’s previously published books, including Happiness Is Baking, Maida Heatter's Cakes,  Maida Heatter's Cookies, Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts, Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts, Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts.

There are chapters on Drop Cookies, Bar Cookies, Icebox Cookies, Rolled Cookies and Hand-Formed Cookies. A More! chapter includes recipes for macaroons, crackers, marshmallows and other items that don't necessarily fit into any of the previous categories.

The book includes some of the recipes that I have tried and shared on the blog here, such as Palm Beach Brownies, Pennies From Heaven, Pinwheels, and Positively the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. The large majority, however, are recipes that I haven't tried so I have my work cut out for me. Some of the ones that I need to try are Mrs. L.B.J's Moonrocks, Norman Rockwell's Oatmeal Wafers, Johnny Appleseed Squares, Lebkuchen, Vienesse Marzipan Bars, Maxines and the list goes on. 

The book contains a foreward by Deb Perelman which was unavailable on the galley. The colorful illustrations are by Alice Oehr, who also did the ones for Happiness is Baking. Maida Heatter's notes on equipment, ingredients and how-to's are included in the preface.

The book appears to be designed exactly like Happiness Is Baking, which has a very attractive layout. My only gripe with it was that it is impossible to keep the book open so you have to use a weight to hold the pages down.

Chocolate Is Forever: Classic Cakes, Cookies, Pastries, Pies, Puddings, Candies, Confections, and More  follows the same format and features Maida's chocolate delicacies.  The recipes in this book are compiled from the same titles listed above.

Chapters include Simple Cakes, Special Occasion Cakes, Cookies & Bars, Pastries, Pies, Puddings & More and Candy, Fudge and Chocolate Drinks. I have made many of these recipes and they include some of my all-time favorites, such as 86-Proof Chocolate Cake, St. Louis Chocolate Layer Cake, Country Fair Chocolate Cake, Frozen Chocolate Mousse and Rocky Roads. But there are also a number that I haven't tried, chief among them are the September 7th Cake, Robert Redford Cake, Queen Mother's Cake, Hungarian Seven Layer Cake, Mocha Velvet, Chocolate Bread and a host of others. Just seeing the list of contents reminds me, that despite blogging her recipes for the past decade, I still have tons of recipes to go!