If a persimmon cookie and a piece of taffy had a love child, you’d get something close to persimmon candy. It’s a chewy, sweet, rich caramel. It’s a delicious gluten free treat and like nothing else you’ve had before!
This recipe works best with wild persimmons found in the Midwest. If you’re lucky enough to have a persimmon tree or know someone who does, pick the fruit after the first frost.
They’re best after they’ve just fallen off the tree (before the raccoons find them!) or just barely hanging on to their branch.
The fruits are small, squishy, and have large seeds. I’m not going to lie: extracting the pulp is a pain in the butt.
I’ve tried several methods. All (except one) have left me cursing up a blue storm. I’ve tried:
boiling them
pressing them through a colander
microwaving them (don’t do this, they explode)
mashing them through a fine sieve
putting them through a food mill
This past fall I finally decided to take a simple straight forward approach and it worked beautifully.
How to get the most pulp from your persimmons
I’m rolling my eyes at myself as I’m writing this, because I can’t believe I didn’t do this the first time. However, I was under the assumption that heat and pressure would be a far superior way to go. I was wrong. Try this with your next batch of persimmons:
Gently wash the fruit and remove the top leaves and stem.
Pry fruit open with your fingers and remove seeds.
Use remaining pulp and skin.
This only works with overly ripe super soft wild American persimmons, not the Japanese varieties found in the grocery store. That’s a bummer, but it’s also why persimmon candy and cookies are such a treat!
How to make persimmon candy
This recipe makes one 1 1/2 pound log of persimmon candy.
Put 2 cups sugar, 1 cup milk, and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Cook syrup until it reaches the soft ball stage* (240F). If you want a harder candy bring the temperature up to the hard ball stage 250-265F.
Add persimmon pulp (1/2 cup) and cook until temperature reaches 240F again.
Turn off heat and add vanilla (2 teaspoons), 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Beat until mixture is slightly warm.
Spoon caramel into small silicone candy molds and refrigerate or freeze for 1/2 an hour.
How do I know my candy has reached the soft ball stage if I don’t have a thermometer?
Another way to know if your candy has reached 236F if you don’t have a thermometer, is to carefully take a piece of it and drop it into cold water. If it forms a soft ball when touched, you’re there!
Persimmon Candy Variations
Stir in a cup of chopped toasted pecans or walnuts at the very end before putting into candy molds.
Persimmon Cookie Recipe
Here’s my favorite persimmon cookie recipe I got from my friend, Deb H. who got it from her fiancé. It might be his mother’s or grandmother’s recipe. Either way, it’s pure persimmon bliss!
A special thank you to my friend, Amanda, for letting me raid her trees this year.
Amanda, her daughter Leah, and I climbed her golf cart and picked the last remaining persimmons on her trees. In return, I promised them a batch of persimmon candy and a batch of cookies.
4.5 from 4 votes
Print
Persimmon Candy
Rich, tangy, sweet with deep notes of cinnamon – this chewy candy is a treat made with wild persimmons found in the Midwest.
They usually have several large seeds, so they are best eaten out-of-doors, just spit the seeds out as you go. The best way to harvest American persimmons is to find a wild tree and check on it every fall for free fruit. Gather the fruit as it falls. Trees will usually drop fruit continuously for 3-6 weeks.
The fruits of Diospyros virginiana were used by the Cherokee, Comanche, Rappahannock, and Seminole for food and beverages. The fruits were dried like prunes for storage. Traditional medicinal uses ranged from treating sore throats and mouths, to indigestion, thrush, and bloody bowels.
In order to make persimmon paste, run persimmons through a Foley food mill using the plate with the largest size holes. Alternately, ff you don't have a food mill, pick out all of the seeds from the persimmons by hand and mush up the remaining paste with potato masher or with your hands until its shiny and smooth.
Their colorful appearance indicates the presence of beta-carotene, a carotenoid antioxidant that has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease. They also contain flavonoid antioxidants, which have been linked to better heart health and lower blood pressure, inflammation and "bad" LDL cholesterol.
Persimmons have a delicate honey-like flavor and silky texture. They can be eaten fresh, dried, or cooked, and are very versatile in recipes. Persimmon peels are completely edible. Whether or not to peel the fruit is a matter of personal preference and the recipe that you're using.
When fully ripe, American persimmon is very sweet with a soft grainy texture similar to fresh dates. But instead of a date flavor, it has a delicious persimmon flavor. The fruits are round, sized between one and two inches diameter, with one or more seeds in the middle. The seeds are large, and resemble pumpkin seeds.
Persimmons are a good source of vitamins A and C as well as manganese, which helps the blood to clot. They also have other antioxidants, which help reduce the risk of many serious health conditions including cancer and stroke. One serving of persimmons contains approximately: Calories: 118.
The persimmon tree is just one of those sources of weather superstition. The old-time theory is that when you dig into one of the tree's fruit, the appearance of the seed inside gives clues to winter weather ahead. As the saying goes, a spoon shaped kernel inside the seed means lots of heavy wet snow will fall.
Tea and persimmon contain tannins, which have been found to make protein harder to digest. So when tea and persimmon are eaten with crab, which is rich in protein, we might experience indigestion.
When baking soda is added, a reaction with the moist and slightly acidic persimmon creates carbon dioxide (CO2), which also plays a role in encouraging the pulp to thicken. With other fruits, this gelling doesn't happen because they aren't as high in tannins.
The fruit might cause allergic reactions in some people, but this is uncommon. Eating the fruit in very large amounts might cause blockage of the intestines. Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about the use of Japanese persimmon during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
Persimmon have a detoxifying effect on the liver and provide both a diuretic and laxative effect. In Taiwan, sour persimmon fruit is sealed into jars along with baking soda to make them sweeter. It's a popular fruit in Iran as well.
The top fruits for lowering blood pressure include bananas, apples, pears, apricots, grapes, raisins, kiwis, mangoes, watermelon, pomegranate, plums, prunes, avocado, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, tomatoes, citrus fruit, berries, and more.
There are two kinds of persimmons. Fuyu persimmons are sweet, shaped like a pumpkin, and can be eaten fresh. Hachiya persimmons are tart, shaped like an acorn and are usually cooked.
A ripe persimmon will have a deep orange or reddish color, depending on the variety. It should also feel soft, but not mushy when gently pressed. The texture should be akin to a ripe tomato. The ultimate test, however, is its taste: a ripe persimmon will be sweet and free from any astringency.
Nutrition. Persimmons are a good source of vitamins A and C as well as manganese, which helps the blood to clot. They also have other antioxidants, which help reduce the risk of many serious health conditions including cancer and stroke.
When Are American Persimmons Ripe? American persimmons ripen in early fall, between September and October in most parts of the country. The fruit takes on a deep orange-yellow hue and the skin becomes almost translucent when fully ripe.
Address: Suite 609 315 Lupita Unions, Ronnieburgh, MI 62697
Phone: +2424755286529
Job: District Education Designer
Hobby: Yoga, Gunsmithing, Singing, 3D printing, Nordic skating, Soapmaking, Juggling
Introduction: My name is Moshe Kshlerin, I am a gleaming, attractive, outstanding, pleasant, delightful, outstanding, famous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
