Date: Wed, 29 Oct 1997 10:49:51 -0800
From: bwatson@cisco.com (Bethann D. Watson)
The persimmons that are acorn shaped are terrific for cooking.
This cookie recipe has been in our family for years. We got the recipe
from an old family friend who said she couldn't remember not making
these cookies every fall (in other words, this recipe is as old as the
hills). I modified the recipe a few years ago to make it fat free and
to reduce the amount of sugar. You can't tell the difference from the
original recipe because the persimmon and applesauce make the cookies
so sweet and moist.
A bit of a chuckle here---my mother freezes the whole, acorn-shaped
persimmons. When we were kids, sometimes the persimmons would fall out of
the freezer when we opened the door. We called these persimmons "Mom's
frozen cannon balls" and always made sure that we jumped out of the way
before the frozen persimmons could hit our toes!
You can use the pulp from the frozen persimmons in any recipe that calls
for mashed persimmon and many recipes that call for applesauce. Just thaw
the persimmons in a bowl and then peel. They'll be really mushy, but will
taste just fine.
Persimmon Drop Cookies
1 cup persimmon pulp (mashed well)
1 tsp. soda dissolved in the pulp (set aside)
1 cup raisins, chopped
2/3 cup sugar (I use 1/3 cup white sugar plus 1/3 cup brown sugar)
2 cups flour
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup liquid egg substitute
1/2 tsp. each cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
Combine applesauce and sugar. Add egg substitute and beat until well
blended. Add persimmon mixture and mix well. Add sifted dry ingredients to
the wet mixture. Stir in chopped raisins.
Let dough sit in refrigerator over night (original recipe said ice box!).
Drop dough from a teaspoon on cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick spray and
bake for 12 minutes in a 350 degree F oven.
These cookies keep well in a can with a tight fitting lid and ship very
well. Instead of making drop cookies, you can spread the dough in a large
(13 x 9-inch) pan coated with nonstick spray and bake to make bar cookies.
I've never done this, but my mother did when she needed to save time.
You'll need to adjust the baking time, so just watch the pan while the bar
cookies are baking.
kwovo ovo