Persimmons are a winter fruit. There are two kinds of persimmons: Fuyu and Hachiya. The Fuyu is like an apple. They’re round in shape, crispy, and sweet. I purchased a flat of Fuyus from Costco earlier this fall, thinking that I got the right kind. Once I realized my mistake, I decided to enjoy them with slices of blue cheese and a nice, unoaked Chardonnay…very tasty. Still, I was craving Persimmon Spice Cookies, so when the right kind, Hachiyas, appeared at my local Whole Food Market, I snatched few right up.
Hachiya persimmons are acorn shaped. They are bitterish but once fully ripened are soft, squishy, and sweet. Once they ripen, you can scoop out the flesh with a spoon and eat it as is. They are perfect for baking.
I think Persimmon Spice Cookies are healthy for you. Anything that is made from a fruit or vegetable that is saturated in color is typically loaded with a ton of nutrients. Think: strawberries, blueberries, zucchini, cherries. My photos are not touched up for color. This is exactly what you’ll get when you scoop out a ripened Hachiya persimmon.
Colorful goodness = yummy healthy cookies.
I like my cookies fluffy and chewy, so I take care to do two things: first, I keep the dough chilled. Once it is made, I put it in the fridge for about an hour to get really cold. I also put the dough back in the fridge between baking the batches.
The second is to use two baking sheets, being sure to put the one not in use in the fridge to get cold, too. This ensures that the cookie dough is always cold and never on a hot tray until going in the oven.
The result? Fluffy, chewy cookies.
Like banana nut bread, Persimmon Spice Cookies are a lightly sweetened treat that goes great with a tall glass of milk, coffee, or tea.
Hachiya persimmon trees often yield a lot. Should you find yourself the lucky recipient of someone’s extra bounty, consider making Persimmon Spice Cookies.
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Ingredients
- 2 cups Hachiya persimmon pulp about two persimmons
- 1 cup two sticks unsalted butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground clove
- 2 cups raisins
- 2 cups chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Cut the tops off the persimmons and scoop out the pulp into a small bowl, like a Pyrex cup.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar with a hand held mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, baking soda, and pulp. Mix together by hand with a spoon. Mixture will be a bit clumpy. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour and all the spices. Using a balloon whisk, combine thoroughly.
- Stir in the dry mixture into the wet mixture a little at at time, being sure to combine by hand with a spoon.
- Stir in raisins and walnuts and combine thoroughly.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for about an hour. This will result in fluffier, chewy cookies.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicon mat.
- Drop cookie dough by the spoonful on the baking sheet. Space out the cookies.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden around the edges.
Notes
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