Autumn harkens persimmon season but it can be fleeting. If you buy persimmons, they can be expensive. How to make the most of the fruit? I like to use firm Fuyu persimmons for refreshing salads like this one and...

Autumn harkens persimmon season but it can be fleeting. If you buy persimmons, they can be expensive. How to make the most of the fruit? I like to use firm Fuyu persimmons for refreshing salads like this one and this one, dressed with lots of herbs. But with the Hachiya variety, which are too astringent to eat unripe, I prefer to bake with them. I've seen fancy persimmon pudding recipes but an easy going cookie can make two persimmons go a long way!

Looking through my books, I noticed a fluffy, cakey cookie recipe in The Red Truck Bakery Cookbook by Brian Noyes. His bakery is in Virginia and so his take on food is firmly southern American. But the cookie itself is made with a fruit and spices that originated in Asia. What would many of fall's favorite foods in the western world be like without certain pivotal Asian ingredients?

I gave Brian's recipe a whirl. It's a fun cookie that captures the season. It stores super well and gets better (softer and the flavor deepens) with time. The texture is delightfully old fashioned and comforting. You need two (2) ripe persimmons for a batch so get some. Technically, you want the Hachiya variety but super ripe Fuyu work too! You can play with the recipe to change its flavor.

Types of Persimmons

Many people get confused by the types of persimmon, a fruit that is native to China, Northeast India and northern Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, we know persimmons as trái h?ng and differentiate between trái h?ng giòn (crunchy, crisp persimmon, the Fuyu) and trái h?ng m?m (soft persimmon, the Hachiya). When unripe, all persimmons are crunchy, crisp and astringent -- they make you pucker and dry your mouth. They're unpleasant. The squat Fuyu (below, right and bottom left) is edible when it's left to ripen to a firm sweetness; you can let it ripen further until the flesh is gelatinous too. The elongated Hachiya (below, top left), can only be eaten once its flesh has ripened to soft, gelatinous texture. It's the Hachiya that's also used for drying into Hoshigaki. The chocolate persimmon, edible whether firm-soft or super soft, is in between the Fuyu and Hachiya.

Some persimmons have slender, slippery seeds (think large size watermelon seeds) while others don't. The seeds can be a pain in the butt to deal with but it seems like they've been bred out of most of the commercial persimmons cultivated these days.

Persimmon Health Benefits

Persimmon is good for health. They're loaded with Vitamin C and antioxidants, for example. That said, you don't want to eat too much of them. They are astringent so if you eat too many Fuyu persimmons, for example, their natural astringency may cause constipation. Let Fuyu ripen a bit longer and eat in moderation.

Persimmon Pulp Video Tip

For these cookies, you need persimmon pulp. If your persimmon is super ripe, bursting from its skin, you may not need to do this step. But if you want to push the pulp to a super soft state, here's what to do. (Remember to select "Stay" when prompted.)

One medium persimmon yields slightly less than ½ cup pulp. If the pulp is too gelatinous, use an immersion blender or small food processor to whirl the extracted pulp into a smoother, puree that will mix into the cookie batter easily.  

Baking Tips

Most cookie recipes call for a parchment paper-lined baking sheet but Brian's cookie baked directly on the baking sheet. There's a little oil or nonstick spray to prevent sticking. I was skeptical and tried both methods to compare. Son of a Gun! The cookies baked directly on the baking sheet (below, left) were fluffier and bigger. What was clean up like? A quick, light scrubbing was all that was needed to get the baking sheets ready for the next task.

The batter is thick, like a cross between a cake and cookie batter. I used a cookie scooper to quickly portion batter. Here are bonus tips for your consideration before you dive into the recipe!

Equipment Notes

Nordic Ware baking sheets (½, ¼ and ?) are super sturdy and fab for heat distribution. They don't warp! A cookie scoop is very helpful here because the batter is a bit messy. I use it for other cookies like Madeleines. My stand mixer is big so I used an electric handheld mixer for the batter.

Variations and Tweaks

For spicy heat, replace the clove with ¾ teaspoon ground ginger and use chopped candied ginger instead of raisins. Or, do some of each! To reduce sugar, use 5.25 oz (¾ cup) of sugar instead of the full cup. Substitute pecans for walnuts.

The post Persimmon Spice Cookies appeared first on Viet World Kitchen.

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