Gluten-free persimmon cookies with cranberries, white chocolate chips, and almonds. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice add winter-inspired flavors to each bite. These festive treats are perfect for sharing during the holiday season!
Recipe Science
- Use very ripe Fuyu persimmons; the flesh is naturally sweet and flavorful, creating a delicious puree to add to the cookie dough.
- Adding the persimmon puree to the cookie dough creates a soft, muffin-like texture because of the added moisture. It’s lovely!
- Baking soda reacts with persimmons’ natural acidity to release carbon dioxide, creating a soft cookie texture.
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Featured Comment 17
“Absolutely fantastic. Thank you so much!”—Barry
Why It Works
Could this persimmon cookie recipe be the ultimate holiday treat? The dough is packed with warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice, delivering a festive burst of flavor. But what sets it apart is the addition of persimmons, a golden-hued fruit available only in fall and winter. With their unique honey-like sweetness that intensifies as they ripen, persimmons add a distinctive touch to the dough.
These gluten-free persimmons cookies are made with wholesome ingredients like gluten-free flour, rolled oats, coconut sugar, and coconut oil substituted for butter. To complement the natural sweetness of the fruit, tart cranberries and white chocolate chips are mixed into the dough. After baking these fragrant cookies in the oven, it will be hard not to resist grabbing one hot from the tray!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Persimmons: Persimmons are in season four months out of the year, October through February. There are different varieties, although the most commonly available in the market are Fuyu and Hachiya. This cookie recipe uses the Fuyu persimmon, which is delicious even eaten raw when the flesh is still slightly firm.
- Coconut Oil: Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, giving the dough structure, but it softens quickly during mixing, ensuring even distribution.
- Sugar: The coconut palm sugar adds an earthy, molasses flavor to the base which nicely complements the spices and persimmon.
- Eggs: Eggs act as a binder, providing stability and moisture to the dough while contributing to a tender crumb. The proteins in eggs help set the cookie as it bakes, preventing it from falling apart.
- Leavening Agents: Baking soda reacts with the natural acidity of the persimmons to create carbon dioxide bubbles, helping the cookies rise and achieve a light, soft texture.
- Flour: I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour. For those with a gluten sensitivity, this flour blend gives a flavor and texture comparable to wheat flour.
- Spices: Warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice complement the fruit’s natural sweetness and honey-like taste.
- Mix-ins: Gluten-free rolled oats, dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, and almonds bring a delightful variety of textures and flavors to the persimmon cookies.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
These gluten free persimmon cookies are easy to customize! Try these tasty options:
- Coconut Oil Swap: Use unsalted softened butter instead of coconut oil.
- Coconut Sugar Swap: Use granulated or packed golden brown or dark brown sugar. Alternatively, use an equal mix of the two sweeteners to mimic the caramel-like flavor of the coconut sugar.
- Spices: Add pumpkin pie spice, cardamom, or cloves to the spice mix. Boost the basked notes with vanilla extract.
- Dried Fruit: Add chopped apricots, raisins, golden raisins, or cherries.
- Chocolate: Add a bittersweet flavor with milk chocolate, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate chips.
- Nuts: Add walnuts, peanuts, or pecans.
How to Make Gluten-Free Persimmon Cookies
Step 1: Preheat the Oven
Position the oven rack in the center to ensure even heat circulation. Preheat the oven to 325ºF (163ºC), a lower temperature that helps gluten-free persimmon cookies bake gently, preventing over-browning while allowing the structure to set.
Step 2: Puree the Persimmon
Ripe persimmons are preferred to maximize the fruit flavor of this recipe. A soft and mushy fruit texture makes it easier to mash the pulp into a smooth puree. I add both the skin and pulp to the blender to make the puree. If the fruit is soft enough, you don’t need a mixer to puree it. Watch out for the large black seeds; make sure to remove them before processing.
Step 3: Mix the Wet Ingredients
Cream the coconut oil and sugar at medium speed using a stand or hand mixer’s paddle attachment until smooth and airy. This creates a tall cookie structure. Add the egg and mix until fully incorporated, then add the persimmon puree and mix until evenly combined.
Step 4: Mix the Dry Ingredients
Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice, then whisk to ensure even distribution. Gradually add the flour mixture to the mixer on low speed, blending until combined to avoid overmixing.
Step 5: Add the Mix-ins
Combine the oats, dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, and almonds. Add the mixture to the dough and mix on low speed, ensuring the mix-ins are distributed without overworking the dough.
Step 6: Shape the Cookies
Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the dough into 1 ¼-tablespoon-sized rounds, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Flatten each dough ball into ½-inch thick discs using your fingers or the bottom of a cup, as these cookies have minimal spread during baking.
Step 7: Bake
Bake on the center rack, allowing the cookies to set and develop a lightly browned surface. This step ensures the proteins and starches are fully cooked while maintaining a tender texture. The process takes about 15 minutes.
Step 8: Cool
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes to set their structure and prevent breakage. Then, transfer them to a cooling rack. The moisture in the fruit will give the cookies a more cake-like texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Persimmons are primarily picked from the tree when the fruit is still very firm. When unripened, they are crunchy and have an unpleasant astringent taste. The good news is that these fruits continue to ripen after they’re harvested. The quickest way to ripen them is to enclose them in a paper bag at room temperature. A banana can also be added to speed up the process as it strongly emits ethylene gas. They can even ripen in the refrigerator, but it takes longer.
For cookies, I recommend using Fuyu persimmons. Their naturally sweet flavor makes them perfect for pureeing. If using Hachiya persimmons, make sure that they are very soft to remove bitterness. Fuyus can be used when slightly firm, yielding a smooth, flavorful puree that blends seamlessly into the dough.
Fuyu and Hachiya persimmons differ in shape, texture, and ripeness requirements. Fuyus are short and squat with a crisp texture when firm, making them versatile for eating raw or using in recipes. They are naturally sweet and can be pureed when slightly soft. Hachiyas, on the other hand, are elongated and heart-shaped with high tannin levels, requiring full ripeness—soft and jelly-like—to avoid astringency. Once ripe, they are exceptionally sweet and often used in baking or desserts.
More Gluten Free Recipes
If you tried these Gluten Free Persimmon Cookies, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Gluten-Free Persimmon Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup persimmon pulp, from 3 to 4 very ripe and soft persimmons
- 7 ½ tablespoons coconut oil, softened at room temperature
- 1 ⅛ cups coconut sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups gluten-free flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ⅓ cup old fashioned oats, gluten-free
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips
- ¼ cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven – Place the oven rack in the center position of the oven. Heat to 325ºF (163ºC).
- Puree the Persimmon – Remove the stem from the persimmon and leave the skin on. Cut the fruit in half and then place into a blender or food processor. Puree until very smooth, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Measure out 8 ounces (1 cup) of puree and set aside.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients – Using the paddle attachment on the mixer, cream the coconut oil and sugar on medium speed until combined, 2 minutes. Add the egg and mix on medium speed until combined, 30 seconds. Add 1 cup of the persimmon puree and mix on medium speed until combined, 15 seconds.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients – In a medium-sized bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. Whisk to combine. Slowly add flour mixture to the mixer on low speed until just combined 30 seconds.
- Add the Mix-ins – Combine the oats, dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, and almonds in a medium-sized bowl. Add to mixer and mix on low speed until combined, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.
- Shape the Cookies – Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper. Portion the dough into 1 ¼ tablespoon-sized rounds, making sure the cookies are at least 2-inches apart. Use your fingers or bottom of a cup to flatten each dough ball into ½-inch thick discs. The cookies do not spread very much during baking.
- Bake – Bake on the center rack until lightly browned and the surface is set, about 13 to 15 minutes.
- Cool – Cool on a baking sheet for 3 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
- Coconut Oil Swaps: Use softened unsalted butter.
- Coconut Sugar Swaps: Use granulated sugar, brown sugar, or an equal mix.
- Storing: Store in an airtight container for up to one week or freeze for up to one month.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Davi Rodrigues says
I made them for me, but my wife ate most of them. As an aside, I didn’t have cranberries, so I substituted some of our homemade dried persimmon, thinking it might give it a more persimmon like flavor. It did, although I should have chopped them into bigger chunks. when you’re eating the cookies, you also get to chew on the chunks. A little more authenticity. I’m sure it’s good the other way too though.
Jessica Gavin says
I really like the idea of adding dried persimmons to the cookie for a burst of flavor and chewy texture. Bravo!
Melissa says
Thank you! I was wanting to use butter as well! Cant wait to try these!
Jessica Gavin says
Let me know what you think about the cookies!
Ann hiyt says
Coconut oil is listed in ingredients, but directions say to cream BUTTER with sugar. Are they interchangeable? I’m not needing cookies to be vegan, just gluten free.
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Ann! I’ve updated the recipe to say coconut oil. However, you can use softened butter in the recipe.
Peg says
Is 18 T of coconut sugar correct?! Seems like a lot.
Jessica Gavin says
Yes, it’s correct. It’s 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar.
Sandy Alexander says
What’s the best way to store persimmon cookies?
Jessica Gavin says
They pick up moisture after the first day, so they will be softer. I would store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
Lucy Tobin says
What’s the best egg substitute for this persimmon cookie recipe?
Jessica Gavin says
Make a flax egg by combining 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoon water. Let it sit until it thickens up, about 10 minutes, then add to the cookie dough.
Tracey Cahill says
The texture is great but the cookies were bitter. I think it might be the baking soda. I had an open box about 6 months old. Next time, I’ll try a fresh box of baking soda.
Barry says
Absolutely fantastic. Thank you so much!
Jessica Gavin says
Thanks for your feedback Barry!
Cindy Camille says
The cookies came out great, but I think you forgot the instructions for the nuts, oats, cranberries and chips. I assumed you wanted me to fold in at the end of which I did. I also placed the dough in the fridge for awhile to firm it up a bit.
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you Cindy! I’ve updated the post to reflect the addition of the mix-ins. Great tip for chilling the dough!