Persimmon Thumbprint Cookies | chewy + spiced + vibrant

Persimmons are one of many lovely gifts the high-carb vegan lifestyle has given me. A more fruity diet has made me a more adventurous fruit buyer. All those freaky, funny-shaped pieces of produce I used to pass up for my usual apples, grapes, and bananas now end up in my basket.

In the past few months, I’ve tried lots of new fruits. Some were quite unusual, some were just unusual to me…

• Rambutan…reminded me too much of an eyeball
• Boysenberries…tasted like tart raspberries
• Dragon fruit…mine was kind of flavorless, but I think I need to try another
• Durian…tasted too onion-y, but I’m probably the only person who has ever said that
• Dried mulberries…love em!
• Papaya…no. I wish yes, but no
• Figs…oh yes
• And, of course, persimmons!

Sometimes it was love at first bite, and other times I was glad I had only bought one. That’s a lot of fruits, so for now let’s just focus on persimmons.

Forget the jam, these thumbprint cookies have a dollop of persimmon jelly in the center instead. The cookie component is spiced with the usual suspect, cinnamon, and a dash of cardamom too. Just a little bit really amps up the flavor with a citrusy vibe. This soft chewy cookie is the perfect compliment to the beautiful persimmon center. I mean look at that color!

Persimmon Thumbprint Cookies

Makes 6-8

1 1/2 cup rolled oats

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp non-dairy milk

1/3 cup coconut sugar (or any granulated sweetener)

1 very ripe hachiya persimmon

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Grind the oats to a flour in a blender or food processor.
3. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, spices, and oat flour.
4. Add the milk. Mix/knead to form a dough.
5. Roll the dough into balls, then flatten them on a pan lined with parchment paper.
6. Use the back of a measuring spoon to form a circular well in the center of each dough ball.
7. Pull the top off of the persimmon and scoop out the pulp.
8. Fill the well of each cookie with a teaspoonful of persimmon.
9. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes.