Persimmon Cookies2

If you’ve got persimmons going soft on the counter, these are their calling. The persimmon pulp keeps these drop cookies remarkably soft and moist, almost cakey, with a gentle fruity sweetness that’s hard to place but easy to love. A teaspoon of cinnamon and a handful each of raisins and chopped nuts round them into a cozy autumn cookie.

A bit of kitchen know-how matters here: use fully ripe, squishy persimmons. Underripe ones are mouth-puckeringly astringent, and only the soft, jammy pulp gives the right sweet flavor. The baking soda reacts with that pulp to help the cookies rise into their characteristic pillowy texture.

They mix up fast, creamed like any drop cookie, and bake into soft mounds rather than crisp, spreading rounds. They keep well and taste even better the next day.

Kitchen Tips

• Use only fully ripe, soft persimmons. Underripe pulp is bitter and astringent, which no amount of sugar fixes.
• Scoop the pulp from Hachiya-type fruit when it’s almost jelly-soft for the sweetest flavor.
• These are soft, cakey cookies, not crisp ones, so don’t expect them to spread. Drop them in neat mounds.
• Don’t overbake. Pull them while still soft, since persimmon cookies dry out quickly.

Variations

• Use walnuts, pecans or a mix, toasting them first for deeper flavor.
• Add a pinch of nutmeg, cloves or allspice for more warm spice.
• Drizzle with a simple spiced glaze, or swap the raisins for dried cranberries.