I’m having a bit of a fling with persimmons this winter. First, there was the chutney included in this pretty project. Next came that red leaf and fuyu persimmon salad (I ate it again today). Today, I took very ripe hachiya persimmons and made a batch of hearty, not-too-sweet oatcakes.
When I bought this pair of hachiya persimmons, my plan was to make a batch of cookies. I have a recipe from my grandma Bunny’s little file box that I’ve long intended to make (she died when I was 15 and cooking her dishes brings her back a little). But when I pulled the card out to see what I’d need, I realized that I wanted something just a little more virtuous than a cookie made with two sticks of butter and lots of white sugar.
And so, I took the recipe and started rewriting. I cut the butter in half (who needs two sticks when you’ve got all that luscious persimmon pulp to lend moisture?). I used a little coconut palm sugar to sweeten (if your pantry doesn’t run to such things, use sucanat or brown sugar). I added some toasted pecans for protein and crunch. And I used a combination of rolled oats and oat flour for backbone (make your own oat flour in your food processor or blender. Takes 90 seconds and keeps things simple).
Unlike the salad I wrote about last week, this recipe uses the pointy-ended persimmons. This variety is incredibly astringent when firm, but when ripe, becomes super sweet and perfect for baking. I let mine soften on the counter for more than a week, until they felt soft, heavy and a little like a full-to-bursting water balloon. To use them, you simply cut off the stem end and scoop out the flesh with a spoon.
The finished oatcake is tender and moist, but still manages to hold its shape nicely. I used a 1/4 cup disher to portion the dough into little mounds, but you can also grab a couple soup spoons and scoop the old-fashioned way. These guys are nice toasted for breakfast, tucked into packed lunches or gobbled in front of a computer with a cup of tea as a late afternoon snack.
A couple notes:
- If you don’t have easy access to persimmons, you could also make these with a cup of mashed banana.
- If you use gluten-free oats, these oatcakes become gluten-free. A nice feature these days.
- If pecans are too pricey, use toasted walnuts. Or skip the nuts entirely. Sometimes I substitute toasted millet for nuts in baked goods, when I want some crunch but I know someone in my eating audience is allergic.
- Because these oatcakes are quite moist, they should be tucked into an airtight container and kept in the fridge or freezer within a day or so of baking.
Hachiya Persimmon Oatcakes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup coconut palm sugar or sucanat
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup hachiya persimmon puree
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 1/2 cups oat flour
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans toasted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and sugar together (do this in the bowl of a stand mixer, in a regular mixing bowl with a hand mixer, or with a wooden spoon and elbow grease).
- Once they're incorporated, add persimmon puree, eggs, and orange zest. Stir until combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk the oat flour, rolled oats, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg together. Add to wet ingredients and mix until incorporated.
- Stir in the nuts.
- Scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the oatcakes are browned. Rotate sheets halfway through baking, so that they cook evenly.
- When time is up, remove oatcakes to a rack and let them cool.
- Store oatcakes in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen for longer storage.
oh yum these sound good-I happen to have a couple persimmons in the frig too-thanks for the recipe
When I was growing up we lived on a property my dad turned into a gentleman’s farm. The house was built in about 1812 and the property had all sorts of fruit trees, quince, sour cherry, pear and a giant persimmon tree. My dad took me outside one time when I was about 10, to taste them after they had fallen to the ground and the only bite I ever took made my mouth draw or become really dry and it wasn’t sweet or enticing at all…I have never been brave enough to try them since.
Maybe I’ll give them another chance…you’re recipes really make them sound luscious and worth another look!
I’ve been wanting to try persimmons for ages. What do they taste like???
I love native persimmons… I lived in Texas most of my life & we always had wild Persimmon trees all over the place.. It was always there in an overabundance but I never knew of anything I could do with them besides just eat them out of hand.. so thats what I did
I love their sweet custard flavor but I have a really difficult time getting commercial persimmon to get to that same custardy consistency. They’re not as sweet or custardy either. I read somewhere to put them in the freezer and when they thaw, they’ll be edible so I did that. I found I have some in my freezer now.. I tucked them in a container I keep in there for bits & pieces and promptly forgot about them .
I don’t have persimmons available, but I do have applesauce. Would I need to switch from baking soda to powder? I’m assuming not, but I don’t know how acidic the persimmons are. I take full responsibility if my version fails spectacularly, by the way. 🙂
I honestly don’t know what changes you’d need to make to ensure that the switch worked.
Do you think this would work with apple butter?
I’ve not tried it, but I imagine it would.
This sounds like a great recipe to use with Hachiya persimmons. I have some ripe ones I froze awhile ago. I think it’s time to defrost them and try this out. Thanks for sharing!
I recently picked up your book at my local library and I am in love! What a fresh departure from my Ball Blue Book. I can’t wait to try your Curd recipes. I have already told my husband to add this book to the top of my Birthday Gift list.
I’ve never had persimmon before, and I’m always looking for homemade goodies to take to work for breakfast. Thanks for the inspiration!
Could you use regular sugar instead of the coconut sugar? I have some frozen persimmon pulp in the freezer these would be perfect for!
Yep, you can use whatever sugar you have.
I have some pears that have gone soft, and this will be a great way to use them.
These are adorable, and such a great use for persimmons! I’ve been on a huge persimmon kick myself this winter, so I’m really glad to find another recipe to try with those orange beauties.
Now it’s time to see how persimmon tastes like. Been ignoring this all the time in the market thinking there’s no good use of it in cooking. Thanks for sharing this recipe! But how do you thaw it when frozen?
I just pop them into the toaster oven for a few minutes.
..it would be more inspiring to make homemade oatcakes for breakfast:) thanks for sharing some tips and recipes in making on it more easier:)
No oat flour at three grocery stores, and I didn’t want to bother with making my own. At the third store’s bulk foods section I found “Scottish Oats”—rolled oats reduced to a rubble of oat pieces, including meal and flour size particles as well as bigger pieces. And only $0.63/pound. Three cups seemed to substitute well. I also doubled the toasted pecans, substituted brown sugar, and added 1/16teaspoon of ground cloves (I LIKE cloves!).