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 Snowballs and Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles to 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:)
Persimmon Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup persimmon pulp, from about 3 persimmons
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
- 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries, optional
For the orange glaze:
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
- 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.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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This was my first experience using fresh persimmons. I substituted date sugar, which made them darker, and also added another layer of flavor. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks!
I am glad you enjoyed the cookies! They are fun ones!
I’m not a baker, but I keep trying and have some recipes from grandmother to mother that I manage to bake delicious! THESE are definitely in the cookie rotation. We had persimmons picked out of our friends ranch in coastal central California. Most we just ate like an apple but I wanted to bake something and found your recipe. My overripe persimmons were perfect for the recipe which I followed exactly! Glazed or not ( well you have to try both ways) the cakey cookie is delicious. A keeper. Thanks for sharing. Take care.
I LOVE THIS RECIEPE!! It’s the first recipe that I’ve EVER use to make persimmon cookies and it’s now my GO TO. I’ve made this recipe at least 8 time and changed it a bit to my own liking. I use slivered almonds instead of walnuts (friends allergies) and I use dried cranberries instead of raisin’s. Great both ways too!!
Have not iced yet. My husband and I tried one and we both loved them how much better they will be with icing
Came out very fat and cakey!…taste like Fall in a cookie! Thanks for the recipe!
I just made these cookies this morning, i used one cup all purpose flour and one cup bread flour plus i put in crasinis and walnuts and no orange glaze. Loved them! A new favorite for the holidays for sure
These are really good. They’re pretty easy to make. I used 3 persimmons & only got 3/4 of a cup so I’m glad for the 1 cup directions & guess that they will be really amazing with a full cup of persimmon! My child kept eating them before they were glazed.
I tweaked the recipe and used pumpkin pie spice in dough and icing (pear wine in icing).
Wonderful!!
I thought these were wonderful and the perfect use of the extra fruit that I had.. The 1st batch went within 3 days so I’m currently doubling the recipe and making the next batch to put in with my Christmas cookie tin gifts. Thanks so much! Ps I used cranberries instead of raisins because I had a bunch. They went very well with the orange.
These are super sweet! I decided not to make the glaze frosting, and I’m so glad. They would have been inedible.
A note about the persimmon pulp: I cut up very ripe persimmons in a bowl using a knife and fork. Used the skin and pulp in the cookies and they came out fine.
I won’t be making these again, as the sweetness was too much but others may want to try them.
I made these cookies for my family and they loved them…even my brother-in-law who doesn’t eat sweets couldn’t get enough of them…he said he figured they’re healthy since they contain raisins, walnuts, persimmons and orange!
I have been baking these cookies for several years at Christmas. Friends and family wait for their share all year! Everyone loves them. I make my persimmon puree by cooking down the persimmons in a slow cooker with some cinnamon and remove the skins and seeds with a food mill after its all cooked down. I leave out the nuts and double the cranberry raisins. Thank you!
You are welcome! I am glad you love the recipe!
Love these cakey cookies! Nice spice and the orange glaze I made was delicious! I used ripe Fuyu persimmons since that is what I had on hand.
The cookies came out fine but glaze was a total waist of products. It was extremely thin and dripped from the cookies. Ended up with almost no glaze on them at all.
* waste *
Sooo. I tried to third this recipe to make 12 instead of 36 (because I’m the only one who will be eating them), and I ended up with a cake constancy because of the egg ratio to everything else. I also left out the cloves, nutmeg, raisins and walnuts, and just added in a sprinkle of ginger.
They still taste good, and I think it’d make a great cupcake recipe with the ingredient proportions I ended up using It actually tastes a lot like a carrot cake!
I also love the glaze! I used a little too much orange zest, so it’s a little bitter, but it’s so good and I definitely want to use this glaze again on different bakes as well.
I have 3 more persimmons. I’m going to freeze them and save them to retry this recipe again – hopefully next time I’ll get them to be an actual cookie texture
I have a freezer full of containers with persimmon pulp to use throughout the year for various recipes. I have not made these cookies yet but look forward to making these for my grandchildren. I generally use non-melting powdered sugar to keep icing from melting (disappearing). Also, place persimmons in airtight container with an apple for faster ripening. They will ripen within 3-5 days.
I’ve made these twice now. The first time, I followed the recipe exactly, adding craisins with the walnuts. They turned out amazing! This time, I substituted Splenda for the sugar. I also added in chocolate chips with the walnuts and craisins. Yeah, not sure why I substituted Splenda to just add chocolate, but I feel better eating them LOL They turned out really good!! Kids love them!
Ha! So glad you love the cookies.