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Persimmon Cookies With the Best Holiday Spices!

September 22, 2020 by Madalaine 4 Comments

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Persimmon cookies are a rare treat. They have all the cozy flavors you crave when the weather turns cool: cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves! Persimmons themselves (when completely ripe) are incredibly sweet with a touch of their own unique spice.

stack of persimmon cookies in front of a bowl of fresh persimmons

Why are the above persimmon cookies so flat?

Truth be told, getting the pulp from these tiny fruits is a real pain the in butt. It’s worth it, but it’s not easy. So I started experimenting with different ways to do it.

When I was making this batch, I cooked the persimmons down with a little water then ran them through a food mill. I believe this process modified the fiber structure and increased the liquidity of the pulp. The cookies still had lots of deep rich persimmon-y flavor, but the texture was completey off!

How to Make Big Fluffy Persimmon Cookies

Yesterday Deb came over with 3 cups of persimmon pulp and 2 giant zucchinis. We spent the day making cookies and zucchini bread. YUM!

cracking open a fluffy cookie to see nuts and raisins

Since did not cook down the pulp and I did not increase the liquid, we ended up with big fluffy cake-like persimmon cookies!

Classic Persimmon Cookies Recipe

This recipe only calls for 7 ingredients. I love persimmon cookies that are thin and chewy, like these pictured in this post. My husband likes them thick and cake-y. To make them thin and chewy, add 1/4 cup water to the pulp before adding it to the recipe.

Persimmon cookie recipe ingredients: brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, egg, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, persimmon pulp, butter
  1. Preheat oven to 350F / 175C.
  2. Extract pulp from persimmons until you have 1 cup. Set pulp aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, sift dry ingredients together: 2 cups flour (11 ounces) , 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.
  4. In another bowl, cream 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) of unsalted butter with 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar. Then beat in 1 egg, and 1 tablespoon vanilla.
  5. Carefully stir flour mixture into the creamed butter mixture.
  6. Add persimmon puree and mix until thoroughly combined.
  7. Use a spoon or a disher to place dough (1 1/2 inch) on parchment lined baking sheet.
  8. Bake for 20 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

NOTE: I’ve updated this recipe at the bottom of this post to make it simpler and just as tasty. It uses vegetable oil instead of butter and I’ve cut back on the sugar. Plus, you don’t need an electric mixer.

dishing out persimmon cooking dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment
Using a small disher to portion out cookie dough

Persimmon Cookie Variations

Add each of the follow or any combination:

  • 1 cup walnuts or pecans
  • 2/3 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
stack of thin and chewy persimmon cookies next to an American persimmon
Thin and chewy persimmon cookies with no add ins
square image of a stack of persimmon cookies

The 3 types of persimmons

There are 3 types of persimmons: Fuyu, Hachiya, and a rare American variety. When completely ripe, the latter is the juiciest, sweetest and best for baking!

Occasionally you can find either Fuyu or Hachiya persimmons in the grocery store. However, the best persimmons to use for baking are not sold in stores. These are a small delicate American variety native to parts of the mid-west and southern states.

American persimmons, one is very ripe and one is less ripe
On the left is a very ripe super sweet American persimmon and on the right is an unripe extremely bitter persimmon.

These persimmons are not sold commercially because they are extremely soft and delicate at the height of ripeness. The ripe fruit is terribly ugly but the pulp is incredibly sweet and slightly spicy. A true novelty!

On the other hand, the unripened fruit is gorgeous but extremely unpleasant to eat. An article from Purdue University puts it best:

Unripe persimmons have a high tannin content that makes the fruit very astringent – I describe it as feeling like your head is shrinking while simultaneously trying to expel a glue ball from your mouth! 

Purdue University – Forestry & Natural Resources
box of ripe fresh American persimmons
Thank you, Amanda, for this huge box of persimmons!!!

Where to Buy fresh Indiana persimmon pulp

As of this writing, the Indiana farms I’m familiar with (Turtle Orchards and Persimmon Acres) are not selling & shipping pulp. It is unclear if they will have a harvest to sell this fall or not. Please check their sites or back here for updates. – 9/21/20

a stack of puffy persimmon cookies on a white plate in front of a glass of milk and cookies cooling on a rack

How to harvest fresh persimmons

The best time to harvest ripe persimmons is after the first hard frost. My friends Deb and Steve are lucky to have a large persimmon tree in their backyard. When the weather turns cold, they lay down a clean tarp at the base of the tree. At the peak of ripeness, the fruit falls and they are able to gather them in the morning.

bowl of fresh persimmons for persimmon cookies

How to make persimmon puree pulp

Fuyu persimmons

Fuyu persimmons are round and squat. They can be peeled, sliced and eaten raw! Sprinkle them with a little cinnamon and nutmeg for a nutritious and tasty snack. They have a mild sweet flavor.

If you’d like to use these for your persimmon baked goodies, wash 10 Fuyu persimmons and cut them in half. Add 1 inch of water to a slow cooker, the persimmons, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Cook on low for 8 hours.

After cooking, scoop out the pulp and press them through a colander. This will separate the pulp from the seeds and skin.

persimmon cookie pin

Hachiya persimmons

Hachiyas are much more astringent than Fuyu persimmons. They also have an elongated acorn like shape. Prepare these like described above after they have lost their unripe astringency. They should be very ripe and almost a mass of gelatinous goop.

American persimmons

To express the most pulp from these beauties, clean them and remove any top leaves. Make sure they are extremely soft. Press ripe fruit through a sieve, colander or food mill.

These are also best when ripened to a state of gloopy goo. I know that doesn’t sound appealing, but that is when they outshine the other 2 with their deep rich spicy sweetness.

extracting pulp
The American persimmon has a very large seed considering it’s a very small fruit.

I never had persimmon pudding or persimmon cookies until I moved to southern Illinois. If you get your fill of pumpkin lattes, pumpkin pies, pumpkin muffins, and pumpkin cookies, treat yourself to these persimmon cookies. These are a lovely and different way to enjoy the flavors of autumn!

square image of a stack of persimmon cookies
4.45 from 9 votes
Print

Persimmon Cookies

Persimmon cookies are a rare treat. They have all the cozy flavors you crave when the weather turns cool: cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves!

Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword cookies, fruit, persimmon
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
Servings 24 cookies
Calories 124 kcal
Author Madalaine

Ingredients

  • 1 cup persimmon pulp
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves ground

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F/175C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

  2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves and set aside.

  3. In another bowl, mix together the sugar with the egg, pulp, vanilla and vegetable oil.

  4. Gently fold in dry flour mixture until just combined.

  5. Spoon 1 1/2 inch drops onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until the edges are lightly brown.

  6. Cool on a wire rack.

Recipe Notes

Be advised, preparation time is considerably longer if you are making your own pulp.

SALT: if you are using regular table salt, use 1/2 the amount called for in the recipe.

Variations

Add in any of the following or any combination:

  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 2/3 cup raisins
  • 2/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
Nutrition Facts
Persimmon Cookies
Amount Per Serving
Calories 124 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 17mg6%
Sodium 133mg6%
Potassium 56mg2%
Carbohydrates 20g7%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 128IU3%
Vitamin C 7mg8%
Calcium 15mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: cookies, fruit, persimmon

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amanda

    December 1, 2021 at 4:32 pm

    In our part of Indiana, we use chinois strainers with stand and pestle to pulp our persimmons. Looking forward to trying these recipes!

    Reply
    • Madalaine

      December 1, 2021 at 6:29 pm

      Hey Amanda, great idea! Please let me know how you like the cookies. We can’t get enough of them around our house. Lol

      Reply
  2. Shirin

    October 21, 2022 at 5:37 pm

    5 stars
    I made the cookies with California persimmons and came out fantastic, absolutely delicious will make them again and again I am sure😊
    Thank you for your r sharing your recipe

    Reply
    • Madalaine

      October 22, 2022 at 8:29 am

      Hi Shirin, I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Freeze extra pulp so you can make them any time of year. 😋

      Reply

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