I love the taste of persimmons. I grew up with Fuju and Hachiya persimmon trees outside my house and always look forward to persimmon season. The Fujus are eaten when the fruit is firm, they are a super fun addition to salads or just cut up with cheese as a snack. Hachiya persimmons are only meant to be eaten when the fruit is soft. Once they are at peak ripeness they are wonderful for cooking and baking as they give a delicious creamy texture to any recipe. 

I tend to make muffins about once a week, since the boys love having them as a snack. Since it is persimmon season, I thought this could be a simple way to incorporate a favorite fruit into a family treat. If you don’t have persimmons on hand you can substitute them with two mashed bananas and the recipe still works great!

Persimmon Chocolate Chip Muffins

(Makes 12 Muffins)

Total time: 40 minutes
Active time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 eggs
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 ripe Hachiya persimmons, mashed 
• 12 oz of semi- sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°and prepare your muffin tray with liners.
2. Using a medium bowl sift the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg together. 
3. Transfer all sifted dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl, then add the sugar, butter, eggs and lemon zest with a hand-held mixer (or a stand mixer with a flat beater). Mix well until everything is combined. Then add in persimmons and mix until fully incorporated. 
4. With a spoon, mix in chocolate chips. 
5. Using an ice cream scoop or two spoons, fill your pre-lined muffin tins evenly. 
6. Bake the muffins until a toothpick (or wooden tester) comes out clean, about 25 minutes or until golden in color.
7. Let cool to room temperature and enjoy!

Check out my Persimmon Chocolate Chip Muffins Reel on Instagram to watch me make them!

Enjoy!

Elizabeth Poett

Photos by Elizabeth Poett and Standish Ryan