Chewy Hachiya Persimmon + Pecan + Date + Bourbon Cookies

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Chewy Hachiya Persimmon + Pecan + Date + Bourbon Cookies

Say hello to these chewy thick persimmon date pecan cookies! These cookies add sweet custardy hachiya pulp to a standard brown sugar cookie and are studded with caramelly date pieces and warm nutty pecans. To amp up the warm nutty notes of the cookie, a touch of bourbon and molasses are added to the dough which take this cookie to the next level. These cookies are insanely moist, chewy and thick. Roll them in a little bit of raw sugar to make them sparkle! If you have not baked with persimmons yet I highly recommend that you do! Persimmons add beautiful notes of caramel, an element of chewiness and this indescribable warmth to anything you add them to. If you have more hachiya persimmons than you know what to do with go make yourself a big batch of these cookies! They are the ultimate autumn cookie in my humble opinion.  

Use super bright ripe orange red hachiya persimmons to make these cookies! The riper they are the sweeter and more custard like the flesh will be.

Chewy Hachiya Persimmon + Pecan + Date + Bourbon Cookies

Serving: Makes 24 cookies'

Adapted from: Sarah Kieffer’s Brown Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour (390 grams)

  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 cup hachiya persimmon pulp (136 grams) (About 2 large very ripe hachiyas)

  • 2 sticks of butter, at room temperature (226 grams)

  • 1 3/4 cup of dark brown sugar (350 grams)

  • 2 teaspoon molasses (10 grams)

  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

  • 1 teaspoon bourbon

  • 1 egg

  • 1 egg yolk

  • 1/2 cup of chopped pecans (65 grams)

  • 1/3 cup of Medjool dates, chopped (90 grams)

  • 1/4 cup of raw sugar, optional

Method:

  1. Combine all purpose flour, baking soda, salt and whisk until incorporated. Set aside.

  2. Scoop the pulp out of the hachiya persimmons, discarding the skins and crown. If there are any seeds, make sure to discard them as well. Measure out 1/2 a cup of the soft custardy pulp and then blend it in a food process or blender until smooth and uniform. Set aside.

  3. In a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, beat butter for about a minute on medium speed until fluffy and pale.

  4. Add dark brown sugar to the butter and beat for another 2 to 3 minutes until light in color and creamy.

    • Note: Scrape the sides of your bowl in between to ensure that everything is combined.

  5. Add molasses, vanilla extract, bourbon, egg and egg yolk into the creamed butter/sugar mixture and beat until combined.

  6. Pour in the hachiya pulp and gently blend until just combined.

  7. In batches, add the dry flour mixture to the wet mixture and blend on low speed until barely combined.

    • Note: Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to get any dry bits that haven’t been incorporated.

  8. Add chopped pecans and chopped dates and blend to the mixture until they are incorporated and the entire mixture is combined.

  9. The dough will be slightly sticky. Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, measure out cookie dough onto a parchment lined tray. For super accurate cookie dough balls, measure out the cookie dough into 46 gram dough balls. Pop the pre-scooped cookie dough balls in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

    • Don’t skip this step, doing this helps the dough firm up a bit and makes it easier to roll your cookies in the sugar.

  10. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees in the meantime and set up a bowl with raw sugar.

  11. Once the cookie dough as chilled in the freezer, gently roll the cookie dough in the raw sugar.

    • Note: Make sure you don’t roll too much or your cookies will be too sweet and crunchy from the raw sugar.

  12. Place 5 to 6 balls of dough on the baking tray, leaving about 2 inches or more of space between each and bake for about 10-12 minutes. It’s okay if they look slightly under baked in the center, they will firm up as they cool.

    • Note: Pulling them out when they look under baked will help keep them chewy and soft after they cool.

  13. Once cookies are finished baking pull them out. If any cookies seem wonky or spread into each other slightly, use a cookie cutter or small sharp edged bowl larger than the cookies and scoot the cookies so they are put back into shape and are separated from each other. A little trick I learned from the amazing Cloudy Kitchen ;)

  14. Eat them hot or let them cool and enjoy them later!