Persimmon Crisp Recipe

Oh persimmons, how gorgeous you are!

When I bought persimmons, I thought persimmon crisp. I love the simplicity of crumbles and I'm a huge fan of fruit desserts so I tend to make crumbles quite often. I've been making my crumble recipe with quinoa topping for a while but this time I opted for a classic crumbled dough topping.

When buying persimmons, be sure to pick ripe, soft ones. Unripe persimmons are astringent and feel a bit fuzzy in your mouth. Persimmons are very sweet when ripe, so you will need to sweeten them minimally when baking desserts. For sorbets, smoothies and other uncooked desserts, you may want to leave them unsweetened, and even add a few drops of lemon juice to counterbalance the sweetness.

In the ramekin above is how big I cut the persimmon pulp the first time I tried this recipe. The persimmon pieces hardened after they were baked. You basically want to prevent that from happening by chopping the pulp a lot smaller, almost to a puree consistency.

Persimmon and Cranberry Crumble Recipe

4 servings

For the fruit
5 very ripe large Hachiya persimmons (substitute peaches)
1/3 cup cranberries (substitute another tart fruit such as blackberries)
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the topping
1 cup brown rice flour (or other flour)
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut the persimmons in half. Scoop out the pulp using a spoon and chop it finely on a cutting board. Place the persimmon pulp in a large mixing bowl and mix in the cranberries, honey and butter. Transfer to an 8-inch rimmed baking dish or individual ramekins.

For the topping combine all the dry ingredients for the topping in a medium bowl. Add the egg and butter. Mix with your fingers to crumble and form small dough pieces. Scatter the topping evenly on the fruit. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla or clove ice cream.