Hermits or Mincemeat Cookies

Hermits

1 cup shortening
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour sifted
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 cups chopped nuts
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup cold coffee
2 1/2 cups seeded raisins

Dates may be used in place of the raisins.

Cream butter and brown sugar. Beat in eggs. Combine dry ingredients, flour, soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Save about 1/4 of a cup of the dry ingredients. To the creamed mixture, add the dry ingredients alternately with the coffee. Dredge the raisins and nuts in the 1/3 cup of reserved dry ingredients and add last. Drop by the teaspoonful on a greased or lined cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Temp. 400F.

Makes 7 to 8 dozen.


Mincemeat Cookies

Same as Hermits but use mincemeat juice with coffee for liquid. Use 2 cups of well drained mincemeat in place of the raisins and omit the spices.

Bake about 15 minutes.


-- Florence Jessie Meredith Sproul, 1914-2004

Grandma Sproul loved to make either of these cookies at Christmas.