These Spiced Vegan Persimmon Cookies are the perfect holiday cookie! Full of warming spices and fresh citrus flavor, you will love these!
Every year during Christmastime, my family makes persimmon cookies. The tradition started with my grandma and has been going on for as long as I can remember. There is something so special about that one recipe that you make as a family and hold close as a tradition. We look forward to these cookies every year and this year I decided I wanted to share the recipe with you! I changed a few things from our classic recipe to veganize them and I added an orange glaze on top that really ups the flavor. I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as our family does!
For some more delicious holiday recipes, check out this Vegan Christmas Crack or this 5 minute Vegan Microwave Fudge.
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Ingredient Notes
- Persimmons-There are two common Persimmon types that are sold in the United States. Fuyu and Hachiya Persimmons. This recipe uses the Fuyu kind. They have a mild, vaguely pumpkin-like flavor. Persimmons are in season during the late fall and aren't typically sold year-round. That is why they make great holiday cookies! Look for fresh persimmons from October to January at grocery stores, specialty markets, Asian grocers, and farmers' markets.
- Chickpea Flour- The chickpea flour that this recipe calls for will take the place of the egg. Chickpea flour and water are combined and act as a great binder for the cookie dough. If you don't have chickpea flour handy, you can substitute it for a flax egg, or if you aren't vegan a regular egg.
- Coconut Sugar- I like to keep the amount of refined sugar low. This recipe does have an optional glaze that uses powdered sugar but the actual cookie contains no refined sugar. Feel free to swap with the same amount of white sugar or your favorite sugar substitute.
See the recipe card for the full ingredient list.
Instructions
How to Slice Persimmons
Make sure you have super ripe persimmons for this recipe. If your persimmons are not ripe they will be bitter and tart and you will have a hard time getting any of the pulp. To tell if your persimmons are ripe, they should be soft and squishy to the touch and have no blemishes on the outside.
- Slice the persimmons in half all the way through.
- Scoop out the inside pulp into a bowl
How to Make the Spiced Vegan Persimmon Cookies
- Peel and add the persimmon pulp to a small bowl
- Make the chickpea egg and set it aside
- Add the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt to a bowl and mix to combine
- Add the coconut sugar and butter to a separate bowl and mix until combined.
- Mix the chickpea egg, persimmon pulp, raisins, and walnuts into the bowl with the flour mixture. Mix until well combined. The dough will be sticky.
- Scoop the dough into balls and place it on a cookie sheet
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Combine ingredients for the glaze and set aside
- Cool completely and then top with glaze
Hint: I like to press the cookie dough down slightly with the back of a spoon after I take them out of the oven as these cookies will not spread. I prefer a flatter cookie so I like to flatten it when I take it out of the oven.
Substitutions
- Paleo - Make these cookies paleo by swapping the all-purpose flour for almond flour and leaving off the glaze.
- Sugar-Free - If you leave off the glaze, these cookies are refined sugar-free, however, to make these sugar-free, swap the powdered sugar and the coconut sugar for your favorite sugar-free alternative.
- Flax-Egg - This recipe uses chickpea flour to make the egg substitute but you can easily use 1 flax egg as a substitute instead.
Variations
- Chocolate Chips - Swap the raisins with chocolate chips to make these persimmon cookies full of chocolate flavor!
- Oatmeal - Give these vegan persimmon cookies an extra chewy bite by adding ½ cup of oats to the mixture.
- Dried Cranberries - Make these fun and festive cookies with dried cranberries in place of the raisins to give it more of a fruity flavor.
Check out this other delicious recipe here!
FAQ's
No, these vegan persimmon cookies are made with All-Purpose flour, however you can make these with your favorite gluten-free flour blend to make them gluten-free.
Yes of course! Feel free to leave the raisins out of this recipe if you don't like them or replace them with your favorite dried fruit or chocolate chips!
Yes, you can make these vegan persimmon cookies without the orange glaze. The glaze, in my opinion takes these to the next level but they are just as delicious without it as well! If you leave off the glaze these persimmon cookies will be refined sugar-free.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. See below for the equipment you will need for this recipe.
- Mixing Bowls
- Cookie Sheets
- Silicone Baking Mat
- Stand Mixer
Storage
Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to four days. These cookies also freeze really well! To freeze the cookies, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.
These cookies are also the perfect cookie to gift as they do not need to be refrigerated. Add them to a cookie tin and gift them to your friends and family members!
Top tip
These cookies don't spread at all so you don't need to space them out too much on the cookie sheet. I am easily able to fit 8-10 cookies on the cookie sheet.
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Spiced Vegan Persimmon Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 4 Ripe Fuyu Persimmons
- 1 Tablespoon Chickpea Flour
- 1 Cup Vegan Butter
- 1 Cup Raisins
- 1 Cup Walnuts
- 1 Cup Coconut Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 Teaspoon Cloves
- 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
For the Orange Glaze
- Zest of 1 Orange
- 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 4 Tablespoons Soy Milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- In a small bowl, combine the 1 tablespoon of chickpea flour and 1 tablespoon of water and mix well. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, spices and salt and mix until combined.
- In a small bowl, combine the coconut sugar and vegan butter and mix until well combined.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the persimmons in half and scoop out the pulp from the insides. Add the persimmons, chickpea egg, sugar and butter mixture, raisins and walnuts to the flour mixture and mix until well combined.
- Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop out the the cookies and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
- While the cookies are in the oven, in a small bowl, mix together the orange zest, powdered sugar and milk until well combined.
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, dip each cookie into the glaze.
- Once the glaze has set, about 5 minutes, enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Priya Maha says
These cookies are a perfect combination of spices and persimmon. Love them!
Sue says
A lovely holiday cookie!
Natalie says
I have a few persimmons waiting to be used. I think I'll bake these cookies today. Love added raisins and walnuts. SO delicious!
Kyleigh says
This is such a fun way to use persimmons!
Sam says
These are so delicious and perfect for the holidays! I love all the cozy spices.
Amanda Scarlati says
These cookies were delicious! Perfect flavor.
Tavo says
This recipe comes in so handy! I bought some persimmons and I had no clue what to make with them! Thank you!
Colette says
How creative! I didn’t know you can make cookies out of persimmon. I have to try it 😀
Thanks for the recipe!
Gloria says
This sounds like an interesting combination of flavours. I have never cooked or baked with persimmons. This recipe has me very intrigued.
Lilly says
This is such a creative way to use persimmons!
Shilpa says
Perfect for the holidays. I love the use of spices here. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Jacqui says
Wholesome and satisfying cookies! This is a really great recipe, thanks for sharing.
nancy says
so tasty i ate them all in one sitting. Time to make more now!
Bernice says
I have never cooked anything with persimmons and now I'm intrigued. This looks like a great recipe to start with.
Marinela says
Oh, how I love persimmons! I usually eat them fresh and juicy, on their own, or blend them in my morning smoothies. I didn't think that I can use them up to make a delicious dessert. These warmly spiced vegan persimmon cookies are simply adorable, love their unique texture and flavor!
Marta says
I've never worked with chickpea flour before this recipe, but now I think I'll use it more often. I loved the orange glaze paired with my favorite fruit: persimmon.
Holly says
These cookies have great texture and balance of flavors! And the orange glaze brings everything together nicely. Five stars from the family on this one!
Brianna says
Love the combo of orange and persimmon, such a unique cookie!
Toni says
It was a huge hit at my house!
Leslie says
Love that these are vegan!
Dennis Littley says
My family loved these cookies!!
Leslie says
I am totally drooling over this permission cookie with orange glaze! What a perfect combination!
Jessica says
I've never cooked with persimmons before but that's about to change. These look and sound absolutely delicious. I love how unique they are and can't wait to try them.
Veronika says
Made these cookies yesterday and they came out amazing! It was very easy to make and I love the flavors!
Tristin says
My best friend used to make similar cookies but with chocolate chips, so I switched out the raisins for chocolate!! Soooo good!!
Sharon says
I love the spices in these persimmon cookies. The perfect treat for the holidays and I love that they are vegan too.
Aya says
I made these with all purpose gluten-free flour blend and they turned out amazing! I will definitely be making them again.
Heidy says
This was such a wonderful recipe that the entire family loved! Excellent instructions and tips that were easy to follow. We will be making it for years to come. Happy Holidays!