Spicy Hermit Bars

For the dough, place butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the egg. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add the molasses and vanilla and beat until well mixed.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing until just combined. Mix in the raisins and crystallized ginger.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes, or long enough for the dough to become easy to handle.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured board, form it into a disk with lightly floured hands and cut the dough in half. I weigh the dough before cutting to be sure I get 2 even amounts. Roll each half into a log 12 inches long. Place the logs 3 inches apart on the prepared pan.

Bake at 350°F for 20–-25 minutes, until the logs are golden brown. They will still be a little soft in the center. Let the logs sit on the pan for 5-10 minutes, then slide them, still on the paper, onto a wire rack.

Meanwhile, for the glaze, whisk the confectioners’ sugar with enough rum (or milk) to make a pourable glaze. Stir in the grated lemon zest.

While the logs are still warm (not super hot right out of the oven), drizzle the glaze back and forth across the logs with a teaspoon. Allow to cool completely and let the glaze to set.

Slide the logs off the parchment paper and onto a cutting board. Cut each log crosswise into 1 1/2 inch wide bars. Store airtight. Makes 14-16 servings.

Recipe slightly adapted from Ina Garten.