Molasses Bars
These soft and chewy hermit bars are an old fashioned favorite and they’re very popular in our house! Made with molasses, cinnamon and raisins, this recipe is a delicious combination of sweet, spicy, crispy, and chewy all at once. These irresistible hermit bars also keep forever but they’re pretty hard to resist so I doubt they’ll last very long!
Molasses bars originated in New England in the 1800s when they were given out to sailors heading away to faraway lands. Once the bars were placed tins, they’d last for months and still be as good as the day they were made. They likely even tasted better over time as the spices developed. I wouldn’t know personally, though, because there’s no way I could make a batch lasts more than a week without them getting gobbled up! These molasses bars are made by baking a “log” of dough that’s cut into bars, much the same as biscotti. This is what gives the hermit bars their crisp edges and deliciously chewy center. You can also make them in a square pan if you prefer so that they look more like brownies. It won’t make any difference to the taste so it’s totally up to you. Like one of my favorite expressions says, it’s what’s on the inside that counts!
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups of white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of margarine or butter
- 2 small eggs
- 1 1/2 cups of raisins
- 1/2 cup of molasses
- 3 1/4 cups of flour
- 2 teaspoons rounded baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- dash of allspice