Guess who turned 21 this week?!
Yup, yours truly. For my international readers, turning 21 may not seem significant, but here in the US, 21 means I am finally a full adult, and most importantly, I can finally legally buy alcohol! (Yeah, we're only about at least a couple years behind the rest of the world). I celebrated my 21st this past Monday with some good friends at this Mediterranean tapas restaurant called Mezze in the Fells Point neighborhood of Baltimore. Between the nine of us, we ordered enough tapas to feed a small village. But alas, we were nine hungry girls. And for my first legal drink, I had a glass of house sangria, which was decidedly a bit on the light side, but still pretty good nonetheless. Overall, the food was good and the company even better - what more could a girl ask for on her birthday?
And me being the foodie geek that I am, turning 21 is significant because it means I can finally go buy all the booze I want to use in my baking and cooking explorations!! Yay!
In fact, I made my first liquor store trip today to buy a bottle of rum for some boozy baking. You see, one of my best friends is also turning 21, and since we're both food nerds, I decided to give her a "tasting box" of sorts as a present - cherry chocolate granola from Michele's Granola, hibiscus tea from Baltimore Coffee and Tea, some Kahlua samplers, and my homemade rum spiced hermit cookies.
Hermit cookies are soft, chewy cookies, spiced with ground cinnamon, allspice, and cloves, and typically packed with dried fruits and nuts. I found the recipe for these cookies in this fun little cookbook called The Boozy Baker (how appropriate, right?). Here, raisins are infused with some dark rum - a great combo, by the way - before being added to the batter in the end. I freshly grounded some whole cloves, and a little bit of ground ginger was also added to the blend of spices. The aroma of the spices, combined with the smell of the rum, was quite intoxicating (no pun intended...or was it?). If you're a fan of rum and/or all things infused with rum, this one's a keeper!
Lucy Baker's Dark and Stormy Hermits with Rum and Raisins
(Adapted from The Boozy Baker by Lucy Baker)
Yields about 2 dozen cookies
3/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dark rum
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup molasses
In a small bowl, combine the raisins with the rum and let stand for at least 30 minutes, until the raisins are softened and plump.
Preheat the oven to 350 F, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the molasses and beat until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture in batches and mix until incorporated. Mix in the rum-infused raisins just until incorporated.
Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough, two inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, before transferring onto wire rack to cool completely.
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