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Quick Summary
Spicy, soft, and moist persimmon cookies with raisins and a sweet orange glaze. This persimmon cookie recipe uses ripe Hachiya persimmons.
It’s December which means it’s time to turn on the ovens and get baking. My holiday baking list is long so I can’t waste any time. I asked Josh if he had any requests for Christmas cookies this year and of course he added his favorite Lime Coconut Snowballsand Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodlesto the list, but he also asked if we could make Persimmon Cookies. I looked at him with a blank stare. I’ve never even had a persimmon or a persimmon cookie. Josh said his mom used to make Persimmon Cookies every year and he loved them. Well, Josh’s mom came to visit us last week from California and brought us a bag full of persimmons. Guess what we made? Yep, a batch of Josh’s mom’s famous Persimmon Cookies.
Josh’s mom had to show me what to do with a persimmon. I was clueless:) I guess there are two kinds of persimmons, Fuyu and Hachiyas, we used Hachiyas persimmons, which are better for baking. Make sure your persimmons are nice and ripe. We scooped out the pulp from the fruit to use in our cookies. The pulp is bright orange and sort of slimy:) I was a little afraid, but Josh’s mom promised me it was going to produce a good cookie…and she was right:)
The cookies have a few of my favorite spices-cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. The cookies also have raisins in them. If you are a raisin hater, you can leave them out or add dried cranberries, but we love our raisins:) Josh’s mom sometimes adds walnuts to the cookies, but since Josh is allergic, we left them out. The cookies have a cake-like texture and are super soft. They aren’t the prettiest cookie on their own, but the orange glaze dresses them up a bit and compliments the spices.
A big thanks to Josh’s mom for sharing her Persimmon cookie recipe. We will be baking these cookies every holiday season from now on. It will be our family tradition. I am sure Caleb will love these cookies, just like his daddy:)
Cookies
The perfect cookies for the holiday season and a great way to use up persimmons!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar. Beat in persimmon pulp, egg, and vanilla. Slowly add in the flour mixture until everything is combined. Fold in the walnuts, if using, and raisins.
Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for approximately 12-14 minutes or until cookies are brown around the edges and set. Let cool on baking sheets for five minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the orange glaze, in a medium bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, orange juice, and zest together. Start with 2 tablespoons and can add more if the glaze is too thick. Whisk until smooth. Dip the cookie tops into the glaze and twirl the cookie. Set cookies back on wire rack for glaze to harden.
They should be a deep orange color and feel a bit squishy when gently pressed. Because the flesh is very soft, hachiya persimmons are typically used for baking. The flesh is pureed into a pulp, and mixed into quick breads (like muffins), cakes and cookies.
Fuyu persimmons serve a multi-purpose use. They're best eaten raw or sliced and added to salads, cereal, smoothies, but they are also suitable for baking and roasting. Hachiya persimmons, on the other hand, boast a creamy, jelly-like consistency best for baked goods such as muffins, cookies, bread, and puddings.
A number of community members suggest freezing persimmons whole, which results in instant persimmon sorbet (Psst: Recipes don't get any easier than this). You can also dry persimmons: “Do as the Japanese have done for centuries and dry them to make a delicious chewy fruit snack,” says Jan Weber.
Trim the leaves off the top of the fruit, remove the stem, and slice the persimmon in half.Continue slicing the fruit into wedges, removing the black seeds from the center. Eat the fruit slices raw (like an apple), add them to a salad or cheese plate, or use them in baked desserts.
Another set of cold food groupings to avoid include having crab with tea or persimmon. Xie explained: “Crab meat is a very cold type of food in TCM theory, and persimmon fruit is also cold in nature. Most people should avoid eating this food combination, as it can be hard on the digestive system.”
Excess in persimmons, hawthorns, tea, alcohol or food increasing gastric acidity can cause such stones," said Dr Lu Ying, director of Shanghai Yida Hospital's digestive disease department. "Eating persimmons with an empty stomach or eating an excessive amount of raw persimmons is likely to result in a stone.
How to Tell Fuyus and Hachiyas Apart. The one you can eat like an apple—Fuyu—is short, squat, and firm. The persimmon you have to ripen until it is squishy, and then you eat or use the pulp—Hachiya—looks like a large orange acorn.
How to Eat Raw Persimmons. For a sweet (Fuyu) persimmon, you should use them when they're still quite firm. Start by rinsing the fruit, removing the leaves, and slicing it like you would an apple into your desired shape. The peel is edible — so take a bite!
It is better not to eat more than one persimmon or 100 g of fruit in a day. Excessive consumption of persimmons may lead to intestinal blockages, nausea, vomiting, or constipation.
The common persimmon is rarely grown as a food or ornamental plant. One reason for is that it is extremely slow growing. It takes four to eight years for a tree to bloom for the first time. Then the tree often won't begin producing fruit for another three years.
When persimmons are beaten to a pulp, tannins form complexes with carbohydrates, causing the pulp to stiffen to a gel-like consistency. When baking soda is added, a reaction with the moist and slightly acidic persimmon creates carbon dioxide (CO2), which also plays a role in encouraging the pulp to thicken.
Sharon fruits are persimmons that have been placed in a modified atmosphere to remove the astringency typically found in the variety's flesh. Removing astringency allows for the persimmons to be consumed when firm or soft, a trait distinguishing the fruits from Triumph persimmons.
A ripe persimmon will have a deep orange or reddish color, depending on the variety. It should also feel soft, but not mushy when gently pressed. The texture should be akin to a ripe tomato. The ultimate test, however, is its taste: a ripe persimmon will be sweet and free from any astringency.
Persimmons are best enjoyed lightly chilled and eaten from the hand or with a spoon if they have developed their full jelly potential. The skin is edible but not usually eaten. Add to yoghurt, fruit salad, or serve with ice cream for a welcome change of colour, texture and flavour.
They can be eaten fresh, dried, or cooked, and are very versatile in recipes. Persimmon peels are completely edible. Whether or not to peel the fruit is a matter of personal preference and the recipe that you're using.
Persimmons are sweet, versatile fruits full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and beneficial plant compounds. What's more, they may promote heart health, reduce inflammation, support healthy vision, and keep your digestive system healthy. Plus, they are tasty and pair well with many foods.
Because of a perfectly ripe hachiya persimmon's texture, they are good for in baked goods like muffins, cookies and breads. No matter which variety you try, persimmons are sure to provide a sweet and delicious treat this fall.
Introduction: My name is Mr. See Jast, I am a open, jolly, gorgeous, courageous, inexpensive, friendly, homely person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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