In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. I mix mine by hand using a blending fork, but you could use a mixer if that's easier for you. Stir in pumpkin puree and molasses.
Add flour, soda, spices, and salt. Mix together until almost combined. Add chopped raisins and stir until combined. (If you want to use pumpkin pie spice instead, omit the spices listed and use 4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice)
Quick chill the dough in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes, or chill in the refrigerator overnight if you want to bake the next day.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide the chilled dough in half and form each half into a log about 13 inches long. Place each log on a parchment lined baking sheet. I like to bake one log at a time. If you have a large baking sheet, you might be able to bake both at once. The logs spread quite a bit during baking, so you might want to try baking one at a time to see how the dough works for you.
Bake at 350 degrees for 21 to 24 minutes. I've tried baking in different styles of ovens. In my convection oven, it only baked 21 minutes. In a standard electric wall oven, it baked for 24 minutes. All ovens are different, so watch closely for browning. The logs will puff up and crackle and brown nicely. They'll settle as they cool. See video for the appearance of the baked hermits. Cool for 5 minutes, and glaze while still warm. Allow to cool, then cut each log in 9 bars. You will end up with 18 hermit bars total.
