Spiced Persimmon Cookies
Wonderfully spiced and full of walnuts and chewy cranberries, these Spiced Persimmon Cookies are the perfect way to welcome the fall season. These pillowy cookies have a soft, cake-like texture and a delightful flavor. This is a wonderful fall recipe to make especially when persimmons are in season. Can be made vegan & dairy free!
To learn how to make this easy persimmon cookie recipe, see the printable recipe card below or take a look at the recipe video. For other recipe variations (including vegan and dairy free) and to find out how to make this persimmon recipe any time of year, please visit the Pimp My Recipe section in my Blog Comments & Tips below.
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RECIPE
(Printable recipe card below.)
SPICED PERSIMMON COOKIES
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place oven rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 350°F. Line two baking sheet pans with parchment paper, and set aside.
- Using an immersion blender or a high speed blender, purée persimmon pulp (about 2 large, very ripe Hachiya persimmons). In a small mixing bowl, add puréed persimmon, and baking soda, and stir to combine, then set aside.
- Place a fine mesh strainer on top of a medium mixing bowl. Add flour, sea salt, cinnamon, ground cloves, and nutmeg, and sift ingredients. Then whisk until completely combined, and set aside.
- To a stand mixer, add room temperature unsalted butter (or plant-based butter), and sugar, and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stop the mixer, and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Beat for another 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy (total of 3-4 minutes). Scrape down the bowl again.
- Lightly beat a room temperature egg. On medium-low speed, slowly add egg a little at a time until incorporated with the butter & sugar mixture. Slowly add persimmon mixture, then vanilla. Increase speed to medium until fully combined.
- Remove the bowl, and scrape again. Then using a silicone spatula, fold in flour mixture until halfway incorporated. Then fold in chopped walnuts, and cranberries (or raisins), until just combined. Cover the bowl, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Remove bowl from fridge, and using a medium cookie scoop (2 inch), scoop, level off batter, and drop onto prepared cookie sheets (about 9 per cookie sheet). Bake for about 13 minutes (see Note #2). Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely, and enjoy!
Notes
- To learn more about how to handle and use persimmons, visit my Tips & Tricks page and watch the video for TIP #26 - How to Cut & Peel Persimmons.
- To ensure even cooking, you will have to bake these cookies in batches. For more baking tips, visit my Blog Comments & Tips on the website for this recipe.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container, separating each layer of cookies with a piece of parchment paper. Enjoy within 4-5 days!
- Makes about 24 cookies (1 cookie per serving).
Nutrition Facts
Calories
168.92Fat (grams)
7.4 gSat. Fat (grams)
2.83 gCarbs (grams)
25.85 gFiber (grams)
2.33 gNet carbs
23.51 gSugar (grams)
10.52 gProtein (grams)
2.2 gSodium (milligrams)
98.18 mgCholesterol (grams)
17.92 mgNutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods. Nutritional calculations include dried cranberries (reduced sugar) which have approximately 2 grams sugar per cookie. Regular dried cranberries have approximately 4.833 grams per cookie.
SERVING
VIDEO
How to Make these Spiced Persimmon Cookies!
Blog Comments & Tips
An easy & deliciously spiced cookie recipe!
The flavors of autumn come together in these Spiced Persimmon Cookies! Between the blend of sweet, fruity, and spiced elements, and the delightful texture from the nuts and cranberries, these wonderfully soft cookies are the perfect treat for the season! These persimmon cookies are both comforting and flavorful, making them a favorite of mine for fall baking.
Even though persimmons are seasonal, don’t count this recipe out for the rest of the year! There is an easy way to enjoy baking these delicious spiced cookies year round. Just visit the Pimp My Recipe section below for details.
A question that always comes up when I make persimmon cookies is, “why do you have to separately mix the baking soda with the persimmon pulp and let it rest?” Combining baking soda and persimmon pulp and letting it rest is a baking technique that has two effects:
It helps neutralize the tannins and acidity of the persimmons.
It acts as a leavening agent. Baking soda on its own does nothing unless it’s combined with an acidic element. The combination of baking soda and acidic persimmons creates a chemical reaction that will help the baking soda do its job as a leavening agent. In other words, if you want your cookies to rise and become soft and pillowy, be sure to follow the instructions and let these two ingredients rest while preparing the rest of the recipe.
How do you ensure the best results from this recipe?
My 5 tips to making these yummy Spiced Persimmon Cookies:
Use Hachiya persimmons and make sure they are overly ripe, and squishy soft. That will ensure that they are sweet, otherwise, they could turn your sweet treat into something more bitter and acidic.
Mixing baking soda into fresh persimmon pulp and letting it rest will ensure that your cookies will rise nicely, and will balance the acidity.
Make sure your butter is softened, and the egg and persimmon pulp are at room temperature. Add them slowly into the creamed butter and sugar, otherwise your batter will curdle. Although it won’t affect the taste of your cookies, it looks a bit weird until you incorporate the dry ingredients.
Don’t over bake these cookies. The type of baking sheet pans along with ovens vary; therefore, your baking times may vary as well. In my oven, 13 minutes yields a perfect cake-like texture to these cookies. If you want a cookie-like texture, you might want to extend the baking time to 14-15 minutes.
Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container on the counter. Please note that once they are stored in the container, they will become even softer and have a cake-like texture.
Have any dietary preferences that won’t quite work with this recipe? It’s time to customize and Pimp My Recipe.
Pimp My Recipe:
Make it Vegan & Dairy Free: Replace softened unsalted dairy butter with the same amount (i.e., ½ cup) of unsalted plant-based butter (such as Miyoko’s Creamery organic vegan unsalted butter). For vegan, replace the egg with a “flaxseed egg.” In a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon organic golden flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons filtered water. Stir to combine, and let sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. Although the cookies may not turn out quite as fluffy with a flaxseed egg, they will still be moist and delicious!
Don’t Like Dried Cranberries? Instead of using dried cranberries, replace them with the same amount of raisins. A combination of golden and dark raisins are wonderful in this recipe.
Don’t Like Walnuts? These cookies are delicious with pecans. Just omit the walnuts and use a total of 1 cup chopped pecans. Chopped roasted & unsalted almonds would add an even crunchier texture and milder flavor.
Allergic to Nuts? Just omit the nuts from this recipe.
Persimmons Out of Season? Just puree and freeze the persimmon pulp in mason jars, freezer safe airtight containers, or freezer bags. They can be frozen for up to 12 months! When ready to bake, just defrost the pulp in the refrigerator 24 hours prior to making the recipe!
Enjoy and let me know what you think by commenting below, rating my recipes, subscribing, following, and liking Prep My Recipe on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Happy Baking!
Mich
Footnote: Remember to combine the baking soda and persimmon pulp and let it rest while you prepare all the other ingredients.
Adapted from the Persimmon Cookies recipe from Allrecipes.com. I made a few changes to the preparation and baking techniques, as well as some of the ingredients.
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