A few years ago, my husband pestered me into calling his sister for his mom's recipe for Hermits. Carol was happy to comply, but apparently she couldn't read her own writing....it was a disaster! I had wanted to surprise his mom with one of her favorite Holiday cookies, since she wasn't able to bake anymore and had misplaced her copy of the recipe.

Fast forward to last Saturday morning. Both Carol and my mother-in-law are no longer with us, and Pete and I (feeling a bit nostalgic, I suppose) were bemoaning the fact that I never got a copy of the recipe. Later that morning, something compelled me to go upstairs and into the bedroom that was my mother-in-law's. We pretty much use it as a big closet now...I rarely go in there....but there I was checking to see if I could find one of my sweaters. I didn't see my sweater, but I did notice an old wicker basket Pete's mom used to keep various odds and ends...half empty nail polishes and such. I opened the lid and, lo and behold, folded into a square, there it was. The Hermit recipe. Coincidence? Maybe. I prefer to think that she is still looking out for us.

Just a list of ingredients...but I knew what it was. It was nice to see her handwriting.

I researched these cookies (trying to find a comparable recipe) and found many variations. It's an older American cookie, found in cookbooks from the mid to late 1800's. On the East coast, Hermits are most often made into a bar. These cookies are a simple, not too sweet, drop cookie with spices, raisins, and chopped walnuts. They actually taste better a few days after they are made.

Hermits

An American cookie found in cookbooks dating back to 1880, the Hermit comes in many variations. This version, a simple spicy drop cookie, tastes even better a few days after it is made.

Ingredients

• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

1. Place the raisins in a small bowl. Boil one cup of water and pour over the raisins. Soak for one hour. Drain completely.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.; line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the brown sugar. Add the egg and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the milk and the vanilla.
5. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until just mixed. Fold in the drained raisins and the walnuts.
6. Drop the dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies just begin to brown. Cool completely. Makes 36 cookies

Yield: 36 cookies
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.

Cook time: 00 hrs. 12 mins.
Total time: 22 mins.

Wrap 'em up and give them as a gift...or just eat them yourself.

What is your favorite Holiday cookie?

Hot Chocolate Pull Apart Bread

Ok..I made a pretty darn good Cardamom and Orange Pull-Apart Bread the other day. In my usual fashion, I've become obsessed. What other flavors can I pull apart? Peaches and Cream? Bacon and Egg? Let me see...this is a Christmas post...how about a Hot Chocolate Pull-Apart Bread?!! Methinks Santa will approve.

Don't let the fact that this is a yeast bread scare you away...truly, it's not that hard, especially if you use a stand mixer. Come on. Give it a try. Your family will love you....

Hot Chocolate Pull-Apart Bread

1 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

3-3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup dark cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (2.5 oz) package instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 egg, room temperature, slightly beaten

Filling:

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans

1 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and divided

Glaze:

1 cup marshmallow crème

4-6 tablespoons half/half, divided

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Heat the milk 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Let cool until temperature is about 110 degrees F (like bathwater warm).

In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 cups of the flour, salt, and cocoa.

In a large mixing bowl, combine milk mixture with yeast, egg, and 2 cups of the flour mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. (Alternately, just use the dough hook on your mixer and let the mixer knead the dough for about five minutes)

Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a clean damp towel. Allow dough to rise until double, about 1 hour. In the mean time, process the brown sugar, nuts, cinnamon, and chocolate chips in a food processor until the mixture is well blended , the nuts are ground, and the chocolate is coarsely chopped; set aside.

Use a pastry brush to butter two 8-inch loaf pans; preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll out one of the dough halves into a large (about 12X9 inch) rectangle.  Brush the dough with half of the melted butter. Sprinkle half of the nut mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch edge.  Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to cut the dough vertically into 4 strips, then horizontally into 6 strips.  Carefully, stack the strips 4 high. Place each stack of strips, cut side up, in a loaf pan. Sprinkle the top of the loaf with stray filling. Repeat with the other half of dough.

Cover the loaf pans loosely with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for about 30 minutes, and then bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned. Cool for 10 minutes before carefully removing from pan. Glaze while warm.

For the glaze, warm 3-4 tablespoons of half/half and whisk into 1 cup marshmallow crème.  Drizzle over the warm loaves. If desired, whisk 1-2 tablespoons warm half/half into ½ cup chocolate chips and blend until smooth. Drizzle the chocolate over the marshmallow glaze.

I used foil pans...after glazing the bread, you can place it back in the pan to transport.

Don't have marshmallow creme? Go ahead and melt some mini-marshmallows with the half/half over low heat, whisking until smooth.

I can't stop thinking about more pull-apart flavors...what sounds good to you? Eggnog? Sweet Potato? Bratwurst with Sauerkraut?

Visit all the other Christmas Week Peeps for more Holiday Baking Goodness:

■     Mini Sugar Cookie Houses aka Hot Chocolate Mug Perches by Cravings of a Lunatic

■     Eggnog Cookie Truffles by The Weekend Gourmet

■     Spiked Candy Cane Hot Chocolate by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks:

■     Gingerbread Texas Sheet Cake with Lemon Frosting by Chocolate Moosey

■     Swirl Cookies by Noshing With The Nolands

■     Caramel Apples by My Catholic Kitchen

■     Homemade Caramels by Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts

■     Puff Pastry Ravioli Mince Pies by Food Lust People Love

■     Mounds Brownie Cupcakes by That Skinny Chick Can Bake

■     Hot Chocolate Pull Apart Bread by The Dutch Baker’s Daughter

■     Sugared Grape and Phyllo Tart by See Aimee Cook

■     Taffy Tan Fudge by Mom’s Test Kitchen

■     Double Chocolate Pecan Cookies by Cooking In Stilettos

■     Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Bread by Liv Life

■     White Chocolate Candy Cane Fudge by Rants From My Crazy Kitchen

■     Devil’s Food Cake Cookies by Try Anything Once Culinary

■     Cinnamon Whiskey Balls by Home Cooking Memories

■     Pumpkin Chiffon Pie by Jen’s Favorite Cookies

■     Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Truffles by Cupcakes and Kale Chips

■     Candy Cane Blossoms by Like Mother Like Daughter

Today's #ChristmasWeek giveaway comes courtesy of Swissmar. Le Cordon Bleu has been a worldwide leader in gastronomy and hospitality for over 100 years and are widely considered the guardian of French culinary technique. Swissmar now combines this culinary expertise with their own knowledge and brand recognition to introduce this fantastic new line.

The Le Cordon Bleu ceramic ovenware from Swissmar are all freezer safe, oven safe, dishwasher and microwave safe. The French-inspired Charmant Collection 5 qt. Rectangular Roaster has scalloped edges and is beautiful enough to go straight from oven to table! To enter to win a Swissmar Roaster, read the details and use the Rafflecopter below!

***This giveaway is for one Swissmar Charmant Collection 5 qt. Rectangular Roaster (winner's choice of color: blue, yellow, red, or white)! This giveaway is open to Continental US residents only . When the contest concludes, the winner will be chosen by random draw. The winner will be notified through e-mail and they will have 3 days to respond or another winner will be chosen.***

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***Disclaimer: This giveaway is being provided by Swissmar. #ChristmasWeek bloggers have not received product or been compensated as a part of this giveaway.***

Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls

...with Nutmeg-Cream Cheese Frosting!

Can you believe it's time for another Improv Monthly Challenge? Many thanks to Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker for hosting this fun event. Each month we are given two ingredients to work our magic with. This month: Bananas and Nutmeg...two of my favorite things!

Of course, another of my favorite things is the cinnamon roll. Last month, I combined Chocolate and Marshmallows and made a Hot Chocolate Cinnamon Roll. How could I top that flavor combination? By turning Bananas and Nutmeg into Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls, silly! Here's how I did it:

Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls with Nutmeg-Cream Cheese Frosting

Printable Recipe

Dough:

½ cup milk

¼ cup butter

2 tablespoons sugar

2 ¼ teaspoons yeast

3-3 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Filling:

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup walnuts

1/4 cup cold butter, cut into 4-5 pieces

Frosting:

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2-3 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 375 ° F.

Put the milk and butter in a measuring cup and microwave for about 45 seconds or until the temperature is 110 ° F. (bathwater warm). If it gets too hot, just let it cool for a few minutes. Pour into the large mixing bowl; stir in the sugar and then the yeast. Let this mixture stand for about 5 minutes, or until it begins to foam.

Bananas may well be my favorite comfort food....

Add two cups of the flour, the salt, the banana, and the spices to the yeast mixture and beat well. Add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes (alternately, use the dough hook on a stand mixer).

Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a clean damp towel. Allow dough to rise until double, about 1 hour. In the mean time, process the brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon in a food processor until the mixture is well blended and the walnuts are chopped. Add the cold butter and pulse until incorporated.

Roll out the dough into a 12 X 9 inch rectangle (I like to do this on my Silpat). Sprinkle the walnut mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch edge. Roll up the dough from the long side and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal sized pieces and place into a greased 9 X 13 inch pan. Cover and let rise until doubled (or refrigerate overnight).

I put my rolls in the fridge overnight...this way I can have warm rolls for breakfast.

Simply take the rolls out of the fridge and let them rise until they are nice and poofy.

Bake rolls at 375 ° F. for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned.  Remove from oven and frost while warm.

The frosting is the best part....

For frosting, beat the cream cheese and the butter in a medium bowl. Add the nutmeg and vanilla. Slowly add the powdered sugar and milk, beating to desired consistency. 

I believe we have a keeper.

Be sure to check out what everyone else is making!

Hot Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls with Marshmallow Glaze

"Everything in moderation...including moderation. "---Julia Child

Welcome to the December edition of the Monthly Improv Challenge, hosted by Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker. This month our theme is Chocolate and Marshmallows. Yes. You heard right. Chocolate and Marshmallows. Now, for those of you who think (like I did) that Chocolate and Marshmallows was a thing all by itself, well you've got another think coming. As I write this, I can only begin to imagine all of the different ways Chocolate and Marshmallows are going to be transformed into deliciousness. Let's start with the deliciousness I made.

Hot Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls with Marshmallow Glaze

Ingredients:

Printable Recipe

1 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

3-3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup dark cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (2.5 oz) package instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 egg, room temperature, slightly beaten

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup walnuts

1/4 cup cold butter, cut into 4-5 pieces

1 cup mini-chocolate chips

1/2 cup marshmallow creme

2-3 tablespoons half/half, divided

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Heat the milk,1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Let cool until temperature is about 110 degrees F (like bathwater warm).

In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 cups of the flour, salt, and cocoa.

In a large mixing bowl, combine milk mixture with yeast, egg, and 2 cups of the flour mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. (Alternately, just use the dough hook on your mixer and let the mixer knead the dough for about five minutes)

I always let the dough hook do the work for me.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a clean damp towel. Allow dough to rise until double, about 1 hour. In the mean time, process the brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon in a food processor until the mixture is well blended and the walnuts are chopped. Add the cold butter and pulse until incorporated.

Roll out the dough into a 12X9 inch rectangle (I like to do this on my Silpat). Sprinkle the walnut mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch edge. Roll up the dough from the long side and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal sized pieces and place into a greased 9X13 inch pan. Cover and let rise until doubled (or refrigerate overnight).

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven and glaze while warm.

For the glaze, warm 1-2 tablespoons half/half and whisk into ½ cup marshmallow crème.  Drizzle over the warm rolls. If desired, whisk some heated half/half into ½ cup chocolate chips and drizzle the chocolate over the marshmallow topping.

Wow...this marshmallow creme is tasty...I imagine it would be a good sauce for pancakes. :)

I knew these were successful when my husband wouldn't let me take them to work with me.....

Now check out what everyone else is making:

Berry Baked Oatmeal

I was struck with the Pinterest bug again....this time a beautiful picture of oatmeal (!) worked its magic on me. Now, I've always been an oatmeal fan, but beautiful oatmeal? Seriously? Yes--when it's mixed up with  fruit and nuts and baked to perfection. This is my new favorite thing, and the kicker? It's healthy!

Toasted walnuts give this dish great flavor and texture.

Before I get to the recipe that I eventually used, let's give a little shout out to the blog that started this new obsession of mine. Thanks go to So, How's It Taste? for the gorgeous picture that turned me on to this idea that apparently started with the Amish (they know how to cook!). I looked around, of course, and found similar baked oatmeal recipes all over the blog-o-sphere, some healthy and some bordering on dessert. I actually tried different versions and found that all of them turned out to be tasty...this is definitely something that can be adapted to your own taste. In the end, I chose the healthier route, in part because a recent visit to my doctor revealed some icky cholesterol levels, but mainly because the taste is in no way compromised by using a healthier version.

Berry Baked Oatmeal

Printable Recipe

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

a pinch of salt

2 cups skim milk

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 ripe bananas, sliced

1 1/2 cups raspberries or blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.; spray a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, 1/4 cup of the walnuts, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

In another bowl, or in a large measuring cup, mix together the milk, egg, coconut oil, and vanilla.

Distribute the sliced bananas evenly on the bottom of the casserole dish.

Sprinkle two-thirds of the berries over the top of the bananas. Cover the fruit with the oatmeal mixture. Evenly pour the milk mixture over the oats, then tap the dish gently on the counter to distribute the liquid.

Sprinkle the remaining walnuts and berries over the top of the oatmeal. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden and the mixture is set. Serve warm with a splash of milk, if desired.

As I mentioned, one of the great things about this recipe is how easily adaptable it is. If you want to cut out the sugar, but like the sweetness, simply substitute 1/3 cup sugar-free maple syrup for the brown sugar (add it to the liquid mixture instead of to the oats). I've also subbed steel cut oats for the rolled oats--it was fine, but the texture was definitely more chewy. Don't have coconut oil? Use butter or just cut it out completely. I've done both and it's all good.

So, there you have it....baked oatmeal. Fancy enough to serve to your guests, but easy and versatile enough to bake ahead and portion out for your own breakfast during the week. I highly recommend it.

18 Carrot Snack Cake

Do you ever crave just a little bit of cake? You know, there's only two of you (or one) and you really want a homemade cake....but just a little one? Back in the seventies there was a nifty cake mix called "Snackin Cake". My sister and I would get the spice one and doctor it up with penuche frosting. It was fabulous...and just the right size!  It seems to me they tried to bring Snackin Cake back, several years ago. It wasn't the same. Maybe because it was microwavable. Blech. Some things are better left out of the microwave. Cake and meat are two of them. At any rate, I found a recipe deep in the recesses of my recipe box for a carrot cake. A little carrot cake. And judging from my scrawl, it dated back to the seventies. So, I decided to revamp it just a little.

18 Carrot Snack Cake

Printable Recipe

1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup raisins
 2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup grated carrots (about 18 mini carrots )
1 cup chopped nuts


Frosting (optional)

3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.; grease an 8" or 9" square pan.

Here's a little trick I learned......add the raisins to the beaten eggs and let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes....keeps the raisins moist.

Measure ingredients, in order, into a large mixing bowl. Blend 1 minute at low; 2 minutes at medium.

Hee-Hee....I really did count out 18 mini-carrots. I couldn't resist the name (although I found it's not very original....I googled and found a boatload of 18 Carrot Cakes--not so sure anyone bothered to count out 18 of them, though).

How easy is this? Just dump it all into a bowl and mix.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely and frost if desired.

I suppose you can use a round cake pan. Might be just a tad too fancy, though. Something about a foil pan just shouts snack cake.

For frosting, combine cream cheese, lemon peel and butter in a small bowl. Cream with hand mixer until thoroughly blended. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and 1 teaspoon juice and continue to beat until smooth and creamy, adding more juice if needed.

I love, love, love cream cheese frosting. Sometimes I switch out the lemon peel for orange peel. It's great over warm cinnamon rolls, too.

All frosted and just the right size, dontcha think?

Butterscotch Walnut Pie

I hadn't made a treat for my sister in awhile, so I asked her what she wanted. "Make that walnut pie!" she said. Hmm...not so Spring-like, but good nonetheless. Of course I followed through.....

A few years ago, I was tinkering with a pecan pie recipe when I came up with this one. Enough changes to call it my own, but not so different as to make it weird. I swapped out the nuts, used butterscotch ice cream topping instead of corn syrup, and added a little bourbon. It has been a keeper ever since.

Butterscotch Walnut Pie

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 unbaked 9" pie crust, recipe follows
3 large eggs, beaten
1 jar (12.5 oz) butterscotch ice cream topping
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon bourbon (or two if you dare)
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In medium bowl, combine beaten eggs, butterscotch topping, melted butter, sugar, salt and bourbon. Mix until well-blended.

I actually used about 2 cups of walnuts---and I used a Pillsbury pie crust this time

Sprinkle walnuts evenly over bottom of pie crust. Pour butterscotch filling over walnuts.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge of pie comes out clean. Serve warm or cold, with whipped topping if desired.

For pie crust, stir 1 1/4 cups flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in 1/3 cup shortening or lard until pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle with 3-4 tablespoons of cold water and form dough into a ball. Place dough in center of two large pieces of parchment paper. Roll dough with rolling pin from center to edge, forming a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Peel off one piece of parchment paper and center dough over a 9 inch pie plate. Carefully peel off the second piece of parchment paper. Fold under any extra dough and make a fluted edge. Or bag the whole thing and use some refrigerated pie crust, hee hee.

So, am I nuts to serve a walnut pie in the Spring? I think nut not!