December 13, 2012
These cookies hold a special place in my heart. My friend, Bernadette Bagley, baked them for me when I came home from the hospital with my first baby. I raved about them so much that she brought another batch over for baby number two (winter is baby season around here). I hit the compliments/hinting jackpot one Christmas when Bernadette brought over a plate of fresh cookies and tucked the recipe in too.
The cookies are more of the “cakey” variety; the persimmon pulp makes for an incredible texture. Soft, round and spiced to perfection – I know, it looks like a ton of cloves in the recipe, but it tastes amazing! While the Fuyus are crunchy and sweet, these Hachiyas are meant to be consumed when completely softened. When I asked the lady at the farmers market if she had some ripe ones and she pulled out a whole stash of perfectly soft ones. To extract the pulp, just remove the stem, peel off the skin with your fingertips and mash with a fork – easy breezy.
Love you, Bern!
Ingredients Note: Personally, I like the taste of golden raisins best, but feel free to use your favorite variety. After reading about red walnuts, I decided to try them out. I love the red color for the Christmas holiday. For these cookies any fresh walnuts will do, our farmers market has some killer ones right now.
1 cup Hachiya persimmon pulp (about 2 large persimmons)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
Walnuts or Dried Persimmon Slices (optional)
Mix persimmon pulp and baking soda in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, spices, and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until very fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the persimmon mixture and the egg. Add dry ingredients and gently incorporate. Fold in the raisins and walnuts. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease 2 baking sheets or line with Silpats or parchment paper. Using a small 2-teaspoon ice cream scoop or a mounded teaspoon, drop the dough onto the baking sheet*. Bake until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool completely. (Can be made 5 days ahead. Store in an airtight container.)
* You can leave the cookie dough plain or press a walnut half or a slice of dried persimmon on the top just before baking to create a more finished look. The dried persimmon slice will almost cover the whole ball of dough, but the cookie will spread out beneath as it bakes.
