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Classic Persimmon Cookies

October 31, 2019 by Nicole 82 Comments

Persimmon Cookies Recipe | pinchmysalt.com

Persimmons are perhaps the most beautiful fruit of the fall, but have you ever wondered if they have a purpose other than table decoration? These classic persimmon cookies are filled with raisins, walnuts, and warm spices and are the exactly what I crave this time of year.

This post was originally published in November of 2008 but has been updated and now has a printable recipe.

Where I grew up, persimmon trees were abundant. While we didn’t have persimmon trees of our own, every fall my grandmother had persimmons ripening in the fruit bowl, thanks to generous neighbors.

Bowl of Persimmons | pinchmysalt.com

And at Gigi’s house, persimmon cookies were always the inevitable destination of those glowing orange fruit. Wonderful, moist, sticky, spicy persimmon cookies.

Thinking back on it, it seems odd that the only thing I ever learned about persimmons was that they turned into cookies. Growing up, I never tasted an actual persimmon and I never knew about other persimmon recipes. 

It was just understood that they would turn into cookies. And since persimmon cookies are one of my all-time favorites, it never occurred to me that they might be used for anything else.

Why mess with a good thing, right?

Persimmon Cookies Cooling | pinchmysalt.com

Well, it turns out that there’s a reason why no one in my family ate raw persimmons. The variety we grew up with were hachiya persimmons, and they can’t be eaten raw until they are so completely ripe, they’ve turned into a gelatinous goo. 

Doesn’t sound very appetizing, right?  If this astringent fruit is eaten too early, you’ll apparently never forget the experience. And it’s for this reason, that hachiya persimmons have gotten a bad rap.

But the ripened hachiyas are excellent for baking, and they make a really good cookie!

Persimmon Cookies Recipe | pinchmysalt.com

Luckily, it turns out that there is another type of persimmon that is good for eating. And I just tried it for the first time this year. 

Fuyu persimmons are the short and squat variety that can be eaten raw like an apple, even when they aren’t fully ripened. Fuyus are very sweet and don’t have the mouth-puckering astringent quality present in the hachiya varieties.

Two types of persimmons | pinchmysalt.com

Fuyu persimmons (left) are good for eating raw, while hachiyas (right) are best for baking.

As I mentioned earlier, I tasted fuyu persimmons for the very first time this year, and although it was good and sweet, I didn’t feel like it had a very distinctive flavor on it’s own. 

I think fuyu persimmons would be best chopped and added to a green salad, or even mixed with another type of fruit.  But since it is a very new discovery to me, I haven’t done much experimenting.

When it comes to persimmons, my true love will always be these cookies made with the misunderstood hachiya.

This recipe calls for one cup of persimmon puree and you’ll probably need about three extremely ripe hachiya persimmons to get that amount of puree. 

When I say extremely ripe, I mean the insides of the fruit have turned completely to mush and the skin has become translucent.  Leave the persimmons on the counter for a few days if they aren’t ripe enough when you purchase them (they probably won’t be).

I put my persimmons through a food mill to get a smooth puree and remove the skins all at once, but you could also squeeze the pulp right out of the skin and puree with a blender or food processor.

Persimmon Pulp | pinchmysalt.com

This was my very first time making persimmon cookies.  My grandmother had always made them for me, so I never felt the need to learn.  But now that Gigi is no longer with us, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

I don’t have her exact recipe, but my friend Ruby found one for me that sounded very similar.  It seems like everyone in my hometown makes the same type of persimmon cookies and I really wouldn’t be surprised they all come from the same recipe!

These cookies are not the prettiest things in the world.  They don’t spread when you bake them, so whatever shape comes off your spoon onto the baking sheet is they shape they’ll stay in after baking. 

They also turn very moist and sticky after a day of storage, which is one thing I really like about persimmon cookies.

When I baked these, I was a bit disappointed when they came out of the oven because they didn’t really look like the cookies I remembered.  But one night of storage in a Tupperware container brought out the familiar sticky and moist texture.

Persimmon Cookies Recipe | pinchmysalt.com
Persimmon Cookies Recipe | pinchmysalt.com
Persimmon Cookies Recipe | pinchmysalt.com

The cookies are chock full of raisins, walnuts, and warm spices so they really are the perfect cookie for fall.  They also freeze well, so you can make a bunch of them now to enjoy throughout the winter.

Kitchen equipment used for this recipe:
the following are Amazon Affiliate links

  • 2-Tablespoon Cookie Scoop
  • Half Sheet Pan
  • Parchment Paper Half Sheets (the BEST quality)
  • Cooling Racks

Related Recipes:

  • Whole Wheat Persimmon Bread
  • Tabbouleh with Persimmons and Almonds
  • Pumpkin Spice Scones
  • Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread
  • Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll

Around the Web:

  • Persimmon Pudding Cake from Simply Recipes
  • Persimmon Bread from David Lebovitz
  • Persimmon Cake from Recovered Recipes
  • Persimmon Spice Cake from What’s For Lunch, Honey?
  • Gluten-Free Persimmon Pecan Pudding Cake from Gluten-Free Bay
Persimmon Cookies | pinchmysalt.com

Persimmon Cookies Recipe

Yield: 2 to 3 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

A classic persimmon cookies recipe with raisins and walnuts.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup persimmon pulp
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon*
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 cup raisins

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, salt and spices; set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, cream the shortening with the sugar using a hand mixer. Beat in egg then beat in persimmon pulp. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until everything is combined. By hand, stir in the nuts and raisins.
  4. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. They can be placed close together because these cookies don’t spread much.
  5. Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets for five minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

*You may use 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice to replace the cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 36 Serving Size: 1 cookies
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 114Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 67mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 2g
© Nicole Cross
Category: Cookies

Filed Under: Adventures in Baking, Christmas, Cookies, Desserts, Holiday, NaBloPoMo Tagged With: autumn, Cookies, fall, Holiday, NaBloPoMo, persimmon, recipe

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Virginia says

    November 27, 2020 at 1:29 pm

    Jean, if you leave Fuyus long enuf, they get almost as soft as Hachiyas and they're equally good, I think - I discovered that by accident: found one on my tree that was totally soft but no holes from squirrels or birds - and it was delish! One of my friends just chops them in her machine (don't recall what kind of machine she said) to make "puree".
    Reply
  2. Ann says

    December 5, 2020 at 5:28 pm

    This is a very similar to kaki cookie recipe from family in Italy. Use butter instead of shortening. Mix the baking soda into the persimmon puree and set aside. A quick way to ripen Hachiyas: Put them in a pot with an apple and cover with a lid.They will ripen within a week or less, but it depends on how ripe they are to begin with.
    Reply
  3. Vivian Cheeseman says

    December 6, 2020 at 8:17 am

    Is it safe to mail persimmon cookies, or do they need to be refrigerated?
    Reply
    • Nicole says

      December 6, 2020 at 9:53 am

      They do not need to be refrigerated and if you seal them up well, they should stay fresh long enough to mail.
      Reply
  4. Debbie Pendergast says

    December 10, 2020 at 12:29 pm

    I live in Visalia as well...I am trying this recipe this weekend!
    Reply
  5. Sheri Edwards says

    December 12, 2020 at 7:37 pm

    Freezing whole persimmons will allow them to ripen to the gelatinous consistency you need for the pulp.
    Reply
  6. Andrea says

    December 14, 2020 at 5:20 pm

    My Nonnie always made these cookies for our family and I took over the Tradition from her. I believe she was always anxious to make the cookies so she would put the hard Hachiya persimmons in the freezer overnight then let them thaw on the counter and they were the perfect consistency. The freezer takes the place of an outdoor frost which is how the texture changes naturally. I was given some Fuyus and did the same process, then put the pulp in the food processor and measured 1cup into sandwich baggies, layed flat, froze, and now I can make cookies anytime without all the fuss.
    Reply
  7. Barbara says

    December 19, 2020 at 3:58 pm

    I used fuyu also (that is what I have). Mine were JUST starting to get a bit soft....turned out good. Used chocolate chips for raisins and pecans for nuts.
    Reply
  8. Christiana Peters says

    December 23, 2020 at 8:03 pm

    I have a tree, so this year I made the cookies. Beautiful I used butter instead the shorting.I also soaked the persimmons in Triple Sec.
    Reply
    • Nicole says

      December 29, 2020 at 11:59 am

      I made these a few times this year using unsalted butter instead of shortening and thought they were even more delicious. I'll be updating the recipe soon to include this as a recommendation. I bet your cookies with the extra flavor of Triple Sec were delicious!
      Reply
  9. Georgette says

    December 25, 2020 at 10:33 am

    I use to live in Sanger!!! Now I’m in Montana, making these today???
    Reply
    • Nicole says

      December 29, 2020 at 11:54 am

      Small world! :-)
      Reply
  10. Mary says

    December 26, 2020 at 8:54 pm

    I have revised this wonderful recipe to make the cookies Weight Watchers friendly. My revised recipe makes 36 two point (on the Blue Plan) WW Persimmon Cookies. Below is my revision. Ingredients ¼ cup Brummel and Brown spread with Yogurt 7 pts ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce 1 egg 1 teaspoon orange extract 1 cup persimmon pulp ¾ cup sugar substitute 2 cups all-purpose flour 25 pts 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon cloves 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon allspice 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans 18 pts ½ cup raisins 14 pts Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. 2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sweetener, soda, salt and spices; set aside. 3. Put the nuts and raisins in a separate small bowl. Mix 2 tablespoons flour with the nuts and raisins. 4. Put the following ingredients in a blender jar: margarine, persimmon pulp, orange extract, applesauce, and the egg. Turn on blender and mix thoroughly. 5. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Pour the persimmon pulp mixture into the flour and mix until everything is combined. 6. Stir in the nuts and raisins. 7. Drop by rounded spoonsful onto prepared baking sheets. They can be placed close together because these cookies don’t spread much. 8. Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets for five minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
    Reply
    • Nicole says

      December 29, 2020 at 11:54 am

      Thanks for sharing, Mary!
      Reply
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