If one Googles “food that tastes better the next day”, there’s a veritable encyclopedia of stories on that subject.. As respected an authority as J. Kenji Lopez-Alt says it pretty much isn’t so except for things with high acidity whose tanginess is lessened. I’ve been reading Kenji for more than a decade, and I respect him. In the piece I found, he was only talking about and testing savory dishes like stew and chili, but no matter whether it’s sweet or savory, I think he’s mistaken. Certainly it doesn’t always happen, but any observant cook knows it sometimes does, and it’s nearly always a change for the better. (The only case where I think it isn’t better is dried beans cooked without meat, from my experience.)
Recently it happened to me twice in one day. Both recipes are keepers, so I’ll share them here. They’re both from The New Boston Globe Cookbook, ca 2009, which I picked up in a used bookstore in Virginia. This is a recipe for hermits, a traditional New England cookie, very similar to one I vaguely remember from the old National supermarkets here in St. Louis. The texture is chewy, like ginger cookies, and crisp on the edges.
It calls for two large baking sheets. I used half-sheet pans, bigger than a 9x13 pan, and they were barely long enough. If you only have shorter pans, make six logs instead of four. But do line the pans. I have parchment, which they specify, I’d be willing to try aluminum foil or even waxed paper in a pinch.
Additionally, you might remember to grease the measuring cup for the molasses; it pours out more easily. And the extra sugar for sprinkling – if you have coarse sugar around, this is a nice place for it, or demerara sugar, which is also coarse. I found that it doesn’t hurt to bake one pan at a time, although I suggest waiting to do the final sugar sprinkle fairly close to putting them in the oven.It calls for a cup of raisins – I think I might use a few more the next time.
They do keep well. My BFF Mary’s mom made a similar cookie with mincemeat in it, and I may play around with that in this recipe.
HERMITS
3 ½ cups flour
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground allspice
½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup molasses
3 eggs, room temperature
1 cup (or a little more) raisins
Extra granulated sugar for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice. In an electric mixer cream the butter and the sugar until fluffy. Add the molasses and beat well. Add the eggs, one by one until the mixture is smooth. It will look curdled, but that’s okay.
With the mixer on the lowest speed, beat the flour mixture in until it’s smooth – it’s better to do this in four or five steps to avoid a cloud of flour rising. The dough will be quite sticky. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Stir in the raisins, using a large spoon and making sure they’re well distributed.
Spoon the dough onto the sheets in 4 log shapes, two on each sheet. (Or adjust if you have smaller sheets.) They suggest using an offset spatula dipped in water to pat them into shape. I just used my well-washed hands. Don’t worry about wetting it too much. Each (if you’re using the larger pans) no wider than 2 ½ inches. They do spread on baking. Sprinkle each log generously with sugar.
Bake them for 25-30 minutes or until they are firm when pressed with a fingertip.
Transfer them on the paper to wire racks to cool. Cut them crossways – they say to wait until they’re cool; I cut them slightly warm and found it easier that way. Makes perhaps 40 cookies.
Store in an airtight container and try them the next day.
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