How To Make Thumbprint Cookies with Persimmon Filling

How To Make Thumbprint Cookies with Persimmon Filling can be made easily using this recipe. These are a great treat for a seasonal snack, and festive enough for a holiday party or to leave a plate for Santa. Thumbprint cookies are so fun to make, even your little one will enjoy making them. Don’t miss your chance to bake with this seasonal fruit; try making these this holiday season.

How to Eat Persimmons

Persimmons are a delightful fruit. When ripe, they have an incredible jelly, pulpy texture that is oh-so-sweet. The key is to wait for them to ripen, I have a Fuyu Persimmon tree on our homestead, and every year, I wait for the perfect time to eat them fresh off the branch.

Before the birds and chickens demolish the last of the fruit, I pick some to store inside and let them ripen. Otherwise, I would lose them all to the animals. I even give my dogs & chickens persimmons for a nice, fibrous treat. Even after feeding all these mouths, the tree still has fruit hanging, just waiting to be picked.

If you are patient enough, they ripen very slowly but it is well worth the wait. I don’t like Fuyu Persimmons as hard as an apple, so I wait to eat them when they are nice and soft. The flavor comes through in a soft persimmon.

How to Bake With Persimmons

Fuyu Persimmons are delicious alone but can be added to baked goods as a festive way to add flavor and pizzazz to a normal cookie or dish. For example, if you are growing tired of apple crisp, try making my Cardamom Persimmon Crisp for a fall twist.

This fruit has a nutty taste, so I tend to always pair it with cardamom spice. I feel that the two were made for each other. They bring out the best tastes and combinations.

As I mentioned before, ripe Fuyu Persimmons are the best and full of flavor. If you happen to have a batch of persimmons that are about to spoil, that’s when you have delicious and ready-to-use persimmons. Another way to know when to bake with persimmons is when they are messy to peel. The fruit is slippery and can be hard to grasp while peeling…which makes it all the fun to peel!

How To Make Thumbprint Cookies with Persimmon Filling

1. Make Persimmon Filling

The filling is what ties a thumbprint cookie together. You can use jam or make your own filling like I did using Fuyu Persimmons. This filling using this fruit becomes more of a compote rather than a smooth jam. The chunks of persimmon are still present, especially if the fruit is not super ripe.

All you need is 4 ripe (peeled and chopped) persimmons, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Let these ingredients stew over low heat for 20 minutes while mashing the larger chunks.

Once jam-like, take off the heat and let it cool in a glass container.

2. Make the Sugar Cookie Base

The foundation for these holiday cookies is simple sugar cookie dough. This is the ultimate dough for the holiday season; it is quick and easy to make, as well as soft and delicious! The dough should feel like playdough with moisture making it very pliable.

This sugar cookie recipe is versatile and can be used for any sugar cookie recipe. Making more holiday cookie cutouts? Use this dough recipe for an unforgettable, soft, and delicious experience.

You only need butter, sugar, egg yolk, flour, arrowroot starch, vanilla, and salt. Let’s get baking!

• First, cream the butter with an electric mixer
• Add the sugar and mix well until fluffy and creamy then add the vanilla
• Add the egg yolk and mix until you get a consistent texture
• In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour, arrowroot starch, and salt)
• Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and mix
• You can either knead the dough by hand or use an electric mixer until the dough forms
• Once the dough is ready, tear off small pieces and roll into a ball shape with your hands until smooth on all sides
• Place the balls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet
• Use your thumb or the back of a spoon to make the indent for the jam or filling
• Place the cookie sheets in the freezer for a minimum of 30 minutes
• While the cookies are chilling, prepare your Persimmon Filling and preheat your oven to 375º F.
• When the filling is done, take out the cookies and generously scoop the filling into the cookies
• Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden
• Let the cookies fully cool before serving

How To Make Thumbprint Cookies with Persimmon Filling