uptown hermits

I saw Kaitie on Sunday.

She met us at the Toronto airport during our lay-over holding a homemade cardboard sign that said, ‘Mr. and Mrs. Hooton’, surrounded by hearts.

For exactly 150 minutes, we secretly held hands under the table at the restaurant, bumped shoulders as we laughed with each other, pressed our foreheads together to share secrets from the past two weeks.

Then I walked back into the airport, through security and on to my flight.

No tears…

We are back in the city and my pantry is barren. First things first – Ralph needs some cookies!

All of the delicious spices in this old-fashioned cookie will wake our home up and let it know we’re back! You can use whatever dried fruits and nuts that tickle your fancy. Shredded coconut is also a tasty addition. Just make sure that you stick to three cups total of dried ingredients.

Uptown Hermits

Preheat oven to 350* F

2/3 cup softened butter

2/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar

2 egg

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp each baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

1 cup pitted dates, chopped

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup golden raisins

Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Blend in the brown sugar until smooth. Add the egg, milk and vanilla; beat until well combined.

Add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. Stir until blended. Add the nuts, coconut, dates and cranberries. Blend well.

Grease a standard baking sheet and spread batter over entire surface

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden on the bottom.

Before completely cooled cut into bars.

Your home will smell amazing!

Thanks for reading.