The recipe
A Fall Cookie With a Remarkably Local Persimmon Story
Persimmons Cookies, attributed to Freida Fritz of Jerseyville B, may be one of the most distinctly local recipes in 75 Years of Caring and Sharing. The cookie itself is warmly spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, but the real story is in the contributor’s note about gathering persimmons around Eldred, Illinois.
Freida describes looking for the fruit in fall after a big frost, removing the skins, and pushing the pulp through a strainer by hand to remove the seeds. She also warns that heating the fruit during that process can make it puckery and bitter.
Why it matters
Why This One Is Worth Bringing Back
Persimmons Cookies are worth preserving because the recipe is inseparable from Freida Fritz’s note about finding and preparing local persimmons. She specifically describes gathering them around Eldred, Illinois, after a big frost and processing the pulp by hand.
The cookies themselves are described as soft and moist, with raisins, nuts, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. That makes them a strong seasonal recipe, but the real value is the local knowledge attached to the ingredient.
That kind of first-person instruction is exactly what can disappear when an old community cookbook stays closed on a shelf. Here, the note is as important to preserve as the formula.
For another fall recipe from the archive, try Caramel Apple Delight, or browse more recipes from 75 Years of Caring and Sharing.
Modern kitchen notes
If You're Making It Today
These are modern editorial suggestions, not changes to the archived recipe. When a variation comes directly from the original source, we will say so.
Read the persimmon note first
The contributor’s handling instructions are part of the source. Freida advises removing the skins, pushing the pulp through a strainer to remove seeds, and not heating it during that process.
Measure everything before mixing
The printed method specifically tells the cook to have all ingredients ready and measured before starting.
Do not overbake
The source gives 8–10 minutes at 375°F and says the finished cookies should remain soft and moist.
Treat different persimmon varieties as an adaptation
If you use a different type of persimmon than the one Freida describes, keep that distinction clear rather than silently rewriting the source.
Recipe card
The Preserved Recipe
Persimmons Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 c. persimmon pulp
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 c. chopped nuts
- 1 c. raisins
- ½ tsp. cloves
- ½ tsp. nutmeg
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 c. flour
- ½ c. cooking oil
Instructions
- Have all ingredients ready and measured.
- When you start mixing, add soda to persimmon pulp.
- Stir in remaining ingredients as given.
- Bake on greased cookie sheet 8 to 10 minutes in 375° oven.
- Do not overbake.
- These cookies are soft and moist.
Notes
Give Something Back
Help preserve the community behind the cookbook.
This recipe traces back to a Jersey County community cookbook created in the spirit of sharing, service and local connection. If you’d like to carry that spirit forward, consider supporting the Jersey County Historical Society and its work preserving local history for future generations.
Support Jersey County History →
Nostalgic Foodie is not affiliated with the Jersey County Historical Society and does not receive any portion of donations.
From the archive
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