Persimmon Muffins

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If you ever find yourself with an abundance of super soft persimmons, baking with them is the way to go! These persimmon muffins have a hint of persimmon but they are incredibly moist from the persimmon pulp and yogurt. My ideal muffin always has a streusel topping for added flavor and texture.

Persimmon Muffins with Crumb Topping on dark wooden background

My Hachiya Persimmon Introduction

The fall of my junior year of college, my friend Jenny and I took a bike ride to this bridge which is famed for its graffiti. Neither of us had ever been on our bikes for that long of a distance (5 or so miles), where the wind to the west and east is as cruel in one direction as it is exhilarating in the other. After spending some time inspecting the graffiti, we found a few persimmon trees along the road. I treasured mine, like a bright orange egg waiting to be hatched. Having never really been exposed to persimmons, especially those of the hachiya variety, I took it home and immediately cut it open. Since it was a hachiya persimmon (and not even close to being ripe) I immediately experienced to my first bout of astringency. 

And let me tell you, it was a pretty awful experience. All the saliva was sucked out of my mouth and for some of the longest minutes of my life, I didn't know if it would ever come back. It eventually did but after that experience I decided that persimmons were not meant for me.

Persimmon Muffins with Crumb Topping on dark wooden background

My Fuyu Persimmon Introduction

My second exposure to persimmons was by my roommate in college, Magdalen, who loved persimmons and would have her array of fuyus lined up on the counter until they were perfectly ripe. She often described them as having little crunchy bits in the flesh which my sister and I didn't understand until we became just as persimmon obsessed.   

I was further introduced to persimmons in a salad that my Auntie Carleen makes for Thanksgiving. It has lettuce with slices of fingerling potatoes, sweet and tender haricot green beans, strips of prosciutto, slices of persimmon with cheese and a slight coating of a simple vinaigrette. But even then, persimmons still didn't stand out to me. 

It wasn't until I ate a plain fuyu on my own volition (even though it was of the chocolate variety), did I understand what Magdalen meant by the crunchy bits in the flesh. It wasn't the astringent hachiya that I had been first exposed to but I was finally able to understand what a true delight a delicious persimmon can be.

Persimmon Varieties

To break it down, persimmons live in two camps—astringent varieties and non-astringent varieties. The astringent varieties i.e. hachiya persimmons are inedible until ripened to a soft squishy pulp. Visually, these are the ones that are oblong. Non-astringent varieties i.e. fuyu persimmons can be eaten hard or soft. These are the ones that are short, squat and pictured in this post. If you want to learn more, there is a very in-depth article by Serious Eats which I’ll link here.

Fuyu Persimmons on dark wooden background

Persimmons for Baking

I’m still not the biggest fan of hachiya persimmons as the jelly-like interior doesn’t appeal to me but they are fantastic for baking. Fuyus can also ripen like hachiyas if you let them sit long enough. I’ve had some from a local farm friend that were too astringent to eat so I let them ripen like hachiyas. The pulp can be used like you would applesauce or mashed bananas and that’s what we have in these muffins.

This muffin recipe is very straightforward. It uses standard techniques like the creaming method and mixing dry ingredients into wet ingredients. I also added a streusel topping as it makes them just a little bit more special.

Persimmons in baked goods have a very subtle flavor but with fall spices, these muffins are perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack. 

Persimmon Muffins with Crumb Topping on dark wooden background

I still don’t like the thought of experiencing astringency again but I promise you that no astringency exists in these muffins!

Persimmon Muffins

Adapted from this recipe

Yields: about 18 muffins 

Ingredients

Streusel Topping

  • ¾ cup flour

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • ¼ cup oil

  • ¼ cup brown sugar

Muffin Base

  • 2 cups whole wheat or regular flour

  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon

  • 1 teaspoon ginger

  • 2 teaspoons baking soda

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • ½ cup butter, softened at room temperature

  • ¾ cup white sugar

  • ½ cup brown sugar

  • 3 eggs

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1½ cups persimmon pulp

  • ½ cup yogurt

Steps

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin. Set aside. 

In a medium bowl, mix together all of the streusel ingredients until thoroughly incorporated. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 

In a stand mixer or a large bowl and a hand mixer, cream together butter and both sugars. Add in eggs, one at a time until incorporated. Add vanilla, persimmon pulp and yogurt. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Lumps are okay.  

Fill muffin tins about ⅔ of the way full. Top with a tablespoon of streusel. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown and an inserted skewer is removed clean. Set to cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.