My Grandma had a persimmon tree, something very common in northern California. It was a huge, spreading, shady tree, that produced copious amounts of fruit every year. If you are not familiar with persimmons, they are a fruit the size of an apple, but with a completely different texture. They start off hard, astrigent and bitter when they are hard and not yet ripe. As they ripen, they become soft and sweet, and the skin very glossy and thin. The ripening process is exacerbated by a cold snap (it seldom freezes in the San Joaquin Valley). They are deffinately an aquired taste. When the weather turns, all persimmon lovers collect as many off the tree as can be reached. Then they are
placed on newspaper in a cool dry place to ripen. As they do so, people have to find ways to use them. After eating her fill, Grandma froze what she did non use (whole and in baggies, to puree later), made persimmon leather (not a fan!), persimmon bread (meh!), and persimmon cookies. The cookies are soft and moist and absolutly delicious with coffee!
This is the basic recipe. You can add walnuts, dates, currents, raisens...
If you are fortunate enough to find persimmons in the store, you need 2 to make this recipe. Yumm!
Yum! These were definitely a favorite growing up. I can't believe it only takes TWO persimmons!