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Where did this year go? For me, this is the beginning of the Holiday Season. Persimmons are bitter sweet. I love to receive them, especially FREE, but they can be a pain in the rear. Every year my friend Roger the "Golden Bear Grouch" brings me persimmons that are not ripe, they are hard as a rock. This year he brought 2 big boxes full.  He does this because he knows if he brings them to me I will make him persimmon cookies throughout the year. It's like Christmas all year!  It's obvious these cookies are his favorite, because he keeps his money way deep down in his pockets and with the cost of gas, he travels great distances searching for these orange jewels. I'm guessing he's taking them from trees encroaching in what he calls "free space" in the alleys in East Bakersfield.

Each year it's an ordeal to figure out how to ripen them, catch them at the right time before they rot. I've tried several ways I've read about, like putting them in a brown paper bag way back in the pantry where it's dark, check on them every other day, turn them, check on them again, forget about them....TOO late. I remember them when I open the pantry door and it's a fog of Gnats. Not a pretty sight and you should hear my husband, "I told you that was going to happen".  I promised him I would faithfully keep an eye on them, I failed. What a mess.

So this year when Roger brought me the 2 big boxes full, I smiled & thanked him & let him know he would receive the first batch of cookies. After he left, my husband said "we are not going through the persimmon ordeal this year. I'm taking them down to the community mail boxes and we'll let the neighbors go through the persimmon ripening fiasco!". I immediately went to the computer and Googled "how to ripen persimmons". God, I wish I had bought that stock when it was $90.00 a share, I wouldn't' be screwing with these stupid rock hard persimmons, I'd step up and pay $1.00 each for them at the grocery store.

The information I got from Google was to put them in the freezer for 24 hours, let them defrost and they would be ripe. IT WORKED!  It takes about 3 persimmons to make 1 cup of pulp for my cookie recipe. I mash them, put in a baggie, press it flat for fast defrosting & have persimmon pulp all year. Be sure to bring the pulp to room temperature before using for cookies. The pulp will last up to 2 years in the freezer. As it ages it will turn an ugly brown, but it does not affect the taste.               

Here's my persimmon cookie recipe. Most recipes are pretty much the same, but these always turn out yummy.

1 cup persimmon pulp at room temp.

1 tsp. soda

1 well beaten egg

1 stick butter soft.....Real Butter ONLY

1 1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp PURE vanilla, if you have imitation, THROW IT AWAY!  YUK

2 cups + 2 T flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cloves

1  cup pecans or walnuts

1 cup raisins - optional I don't use

Dissolve soda in room temperature persimmon pulp. Let stand until it resembles Gelatin about 10 minutes. Cream butter & sugar, add vanilla & egg. Then add persimmon pulp. Sift dry ingredients together & add to wet mix. Fold in nuts & raisins. Spray cookie sheets with Pam. Bake @ 350 for about 16 minutes, sometimes more, just keep watching. I also alternate the cookie sheets half way through.  Makes approx. 3 dozen. I use a small cookie scoop so they are consistent in size.Take out of oven & let stand for about 10 minutes & then transfer to a rack for about 20 minutes. If stacking, use wax paper or they will stick to each other. Don't ask how many calories or fat grams, during the holidays they don't count, but they do on Jan. 2nd. Enjoy