Persimmon pulp is the secret to the fluffiness in these persimmon cookies and is the perfect match with cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg.

I got this recipe originally from my old landlord Greg’s mom over a decade ago. I’ve adapted it slightly over the years and am excited to get to share this with all of you!

Cookies stacked on a glass pedestal.

🌟Why you’ll love this recipe

  • Just like ripe bananas become a mush that’s great for baking, really ripe persimmons create a pulp that works really well in quickbreads like persimmon bread, cake batters, and cookie dough. The sweet, unique flavor sets persimmons apart from other fruits you’d typically bake with. Sometimes, I’ll make a persimmon semifreddo and serve it with these cookies or the persimmon bread.
  • This wet persimmon cookie dough is an easy drop-and-bake recipe. Made in one bowl, and no fancy equipment is required.
  • This cookie dough is amazing as is, but I include an option to add chocolate chips and nuts into the dough to add extra flavor and crunch. I even share my favorite nuts and chips for this recipe.

🧾Ingredients in this recipe

Persimmon pulp and other ingredients to make cookies.
  • Sugar – regular granulated sugar or cane sugar work best in this recipe.
  • Unsalted butter – I like unsalted butter for this recipe the best, but have also used margarine (vegan butter) or shortening with great success in this recipe.
  • Persimmon – Wait until your persimmons are really ripe before using them in this recipe. Over-ripe Hichaya persimmons work best for these cookies, but other persimmons work well if just as smushy and ripe. Persimmon season runs from October through January. It’s a short window to make the most of it while you can! Here’s my pro tip though – you can make persimmon pulp and freeze it so you can still cook with persimmons when they’re not in season.
  • Flour – Use unbleached all-purpose flour.
  • Baking soda – Make sure not to use baking powder. Baking soda and baking powder react differently in recipes depending on the acid content of the ingredients.
  • Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg – Use dried versions of these spices, which you can easily find in the spice aisle at the grocery store.
  • Nuts – This optional ingredient can be walnuts or pecans, and my preference in this recipe is pecans.
  • Chocolate chips – I usually leave these out because the flavor of the persimmon can be slightly masked when adding chocolate chips. If you are adding them, you can use white, bitter-sweet, semi-sweet, or dark.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Chocolate Chip Tip

I have found that dark chocolate chips can be a little strong in this recipe, so use a little less if you’re choosing dark chocolate.

👩‍🍳How to Make This Recipe

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Cream together your 150 grams (3/4 cup) of sugar and 1/2 cup of butter or shortening until combined in a creamy mixture.

Scrape out the innards of the persimmon, leaving the skin behind. Though edible, it will make your batter less smooth.

Pulp Consistency

Use a food processor/blender to blend your over-ripe persimmons into a pulp. Blend it, but don’t completely puree it as you still want small pieces of persimmon in the cookies.

Add an egg and the blended persimmon pulp to the creamed butter and sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl before adding the dry ingredients.

Scraping the sides of a metal bowl with a rubber spatula.

Add the 200 grams of all-purpose flour (1.5 cups), 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg to the mix.

If you’re doing the optional addition, add 3/4 cup of chocolate chips and 3/4 cup of pecans (or another nut of choice).

Mix gently and thoroughly to get the dough to come together.

Drop the dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet (or on a silicone baking mat) in equal sizes, approximately 2+ tablespoons each, with only 6-8 cookies per half baking sheet. This recipe makes 20 persimmon cookies.

Cookie dough on a baking sheet.

Bake the cookies for 13-18 minutes until the bottom edges begin to golden. Allow to cool slightly then enjoy!

Persimmon Tips

For more expert tips and tricks on baking with persimmons, check out my Ultimate Guide to Baking with Persimmon!

Top view of a pyramid of cookies.

Craving more ways to enjoy your persimmons? Try these favorite recipes out!

I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m up to.

Top view of a pyramid of cookies.
Author: Candice Walker

Persimmon Cookies

4.80 from 5 votes
Print Recipe Save
Persimmon pulp is the secret to the fluffiness in these persimmon cookies and is the perfect match with cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Kosher, Vegetarian
Servings: 20 cookies
Calories: 172kcal

Ingredients

  • 150 grams sugar 3/4 cup
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature (or margarine, or shortening)
  • 1 egg room temperature
  • 1 cup persimmon puree very ripe and mushy
  • 200 grams all-purpose flour 1.5 cups
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp cloves
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips* optional
  • 3/4 cup pecans optional

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350.
  • Cream together your 150 grams (¾ cup) of sugar and ½ cup of butter or shortening until combined in a creamy mixture.
  • Add an egg and the blended persimmon pulp to the creamed butter and sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl before adding the dry ingredients.
  • Add the 200 grams of all-purpose flour (1.5 cups), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon cloves, and ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg to the mix.
  • If you're doing the optional addition, add ¾ cup of chocolate chips and ¾ cup of pecans (or another nut of choice).
  • Mix gently and thoroughly to get the dough to come together.
  • Drop the dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet (or on a silicone baking mat) in equal sizes, approximately 2+ tablespoons each, with only 6-8 cookies per half baking sheet. This recipe makes 20 persimmon cookies.
  • Bake the cookies for 13-18 minutes until the bottom edges begin to golden. Allow to cool slightly then enjoy!

Video

Notes

* I have found that dark chocolate chips can be a little strong in this recipe, so use a little less.
Note on pulp consistency: Use a food processor/blender to blend your over-ripe persimmons into a pulp. Blend it, but don’t completely puree it as you still want small pieces of persimmon in the cookies.

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 148mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 156IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you try this recipe?I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a Review to let us know how it came out, if you have a successful substitution or variation, or anything else.

2 Comments

  1. 4 stars
    Recipe is good. I sprinkled a little sugar on each lump on dough before they went in oven and that was extra yummy – also like the choco chips in them. Love that I can adjust the yield, but all the ingredients amounts did not change when I upped the number of cookies, so watch out for that. More crazy is a statement in instruction 6:
    “(did not use nuts because you and you dad did not like them.” ??

    Reply
4.80 from 5 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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