These stuffed persimmons are filled with chopped nuts, dates, chestnuts and lots of cinnamon; a healthy holiday treat at it’s best!
When you’re 31 and 99.9% of your friends are married, pregnancy announcements (usually via facebook and some lovely picture of the inside of your friend’s uterus now front and center as their profile pic) become so commonplace it’s like saying “oh, yeah I went to the movies this weekend, nbd.”
Honestly, I can’t say I mind this new age way of announcing this kind of news because at least my eye rolls behind the computer screen aren’t visible.
Oh, you’re pregnant? Awesome, one less person that will be able to do ANYTHING for the next 10 years.
It’s kind of funny actually, because as a couple that doesn’t want kids and wants (and is able!) to do things, we have no one to do them with anymore since all our friends have babies or kids in school even (this is the point where my mother would say “so just have them too then!”).
Dinners become planned events weeks in advance, vacations are barely even logistically possible and nights out when they do happen end at 10 at the latest since babies don’t know how to sleep in.
We’re a couple consciously without kids living the life of a couple with kids because all our friends have them. Ain’t that ironic.
I know what 99% of you are thinking right now: I’m a selfish bitch.
And to that, I say, I won’t argue there isn’t a bit of truth.
However, sometimes you meet or know that certain person who is just made to be a parent. The kind of person that is just so genuinely nice and good-hearted that when you’re around them they make you want to be a better person.
I’ve met and hung out with Audra 3 times and each one of those times has left me with that feeling of “ok Gina, you need to be more like THAT”.
Audra’s having a baby boy next month and I honestly couldn’t be more happy for anyone.
She actually came to my house to help show me how to (successfully) make strawberry rhubarb macarons when she was only 6 or 7 weeks along and told me she was pregnant in the car ride from the train station. The usual eye-roll/”there goes another one” reaction didn’t even cross my mind.
I was and still am SO happy for her. So, happy (virtual) baby shower, Audra!
Thank god this is only virtual because I think the amount of sugar in all the recipes below might induce labor if you actually ate it all!
Oh, and these pretty little stuffed persimmon things?
Those would be nuts, chestnuts, dates, cinnamon and pistachios all chopped up and stuffed inside a juicy, ripe persimmon drizzled with honey.
Don’t tell me the holidays can’t be healthy and delicious.
MORE PERSIMMON RECIPES TO TRY:
Persimmon Vanilla Bean Smoothie
Cinnamon Nut Stuffed Persimmons
Ingredients
- 6 ripe hachiya persimmons, they’re the more oblong shaped ones
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1/4 cup whole, peeled and cooked chestnuts
- 2 large medjool dates
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios
- honey for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice the top of each persimmon and set aside. Slice a small amount off the bottom so that the fruit can stand up.
- Using a sharp paring knife, cut around the core and scoop it out with a spoon creating a circular hole in the middle of the fruit for stuffing.
- Place all remaining ingredients in a food processor except fot the pistachios and honey).
- Process until finely chopped.
- Scoop the nut mixture into each persimmon filling to the top.
- Place persimmons in a baking dish, put their tops back on and bake for about 15-20 minutes until they just start to wrinkle.
- Remove from the oven, remove the tops, sprinkle with the chopped pistachios and drizzle with honey.
- These are best served warm and would be delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
This recipe must use persimmons that are riper than mine? Although to slice a persimmon of this variety, you can not wait too long or you will end up with a jelly gooey mess. Could you describe what texture of fruit to use? I have baked this dish at 400 degrees for an hour and the fruit is still hard and extremely bitter. This tastes worse than anything I have ever cooked, and I have a persimmon tree so I bake often with them. Also, I have no idea how you got this amount of filling into six persimmons. How much fruit did you scoop out? There are a lot of comments here about ultrasounds but, did anyone make this recipe with success? I was looking forward to a lower sugar persimmon option and wanted this recipe to work but it was a total fail!
I am also looking for some more details on how to make these- How much do you scoop out, and what do you do with the fruit that you’ve scooped out? Is it mixed in with the nuts to be stuffed back inside? One thing I do know is that this variety of persimmon must be super soft (often described as feeling like a water balloon) to be ripe, otherwise the tannins will make it inedible…
So funny. When I was in my early 30’s, I thought I didn’t want kids. Fast forward 4 years and I wanted one right then and there. I would love these no matter what my age. I’ve been looking for something to do with persimmons and now I’ve found it.
It’s very true about the ultrasounds…sometimes I think I didn’t even have to go to medical school to learn how to read one, I could have just learned from facebook!
these stuffed persimmons are fabulous. I adore persimmons but never know what to do with them other than just EAT them. Such a fun way to fancy them up!
I’ve never had a persimmon before! I think I need to get on that and follow this recipe. The cinnamon filling sounds like it’d be the perfect pairing for a persimmon to bring out all that flavor!
LOL, I totally know what you mean. We’re in our mid-30’s and are still trying to decide if we want kids. But yes, sometimes it seems like every single one of my friends is pregnant, and while I’m happy for them I definitely miss the way our friendships were pre-kids. But anyway, these persimmons are gorgeous! I’ve never actually had one, but now I know at least one way to eat them :)
I’m 34 – I don’t want kids either and am thankful every day that I don’t have them! Thanks so much for your lovely post as usual!! :)
Couldn’t agree more! Oh, and yes, persimmons are so dang delicious!
Oh goodness, I have a massive bag of persimmons in the pantry and was wondering what I could do with them. This is PERFECT! Thanks so much :)
For the record, don’t put yourself down for not wanting to have kids. There’s nothing selfish about it – saying that it’s selfish insinuates that you are SUPPOSED to have kids, and the decision not to is somehow a detriment to society. Totally not the case. I know a fair share of people who probably should not have been parents (wonderful, loving people, but they are just more inclined to live life for themselves and do not have those maternal/paternal instincts) but go on to have 1 kid or 4 because of the pressure from their families, society, etc. THAT is probably a mistake. Sucks that you won’t have anyone to vacation with until retirement though ;-)
Well said – couldn’t agree with you more!
It’s kind of like baklava stuffed in a persimmon…kinda! Love it!