Cranberry Persimmon Pie Recipe With Crumble Topping

• FAQ’s, Tips & Tricks
• Ingredients For Cranberry Persimmon Pie
• How to Make Cranberry Persimmon Pie

This beautiful seasonal pie brings together the bright, tart flavor of fresh cranberries and the delicate sweetness of ripe persimmons. Baked in a buttery, flaky crust and gently spiced with warm notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and all-spice, each bite offers a perfect balance of sweet and tangy with the warmth of fall. The cranberries add a lovely pop of color and brightness, while the persimmons create a soft, luscious pie filling. A cozy, elegant dessert that captures the warmth and flavors of autumn and the holiday season.

FAQ’s, Tips & Tricks

What type of persimmons should I use? I use ripe Fuyu persimmons for this recipe because that what I have must readily available to me during the persimmon season. I hear Hachiya persimmons are better for baking and jams and I have no reason to think that they wont work well for this recipe, they may work even better. I’ll have to try them sometime to let you know.

What is the difference between Fuyu and Hachiya Persimmons?  There are many different varieties of persimmons. Fuyu Persimmons are short and stout, the are firm but get softer as they ripen. They are sweet and can be eaten like an apple. Fuyu Persimmons are what’s called non-astringent. Hachiya Persimmons are more oblong or heart shaped. When unripe are very bitter and can make your mouth feel very dry. When they are ripe the are juicy and so very sweet. Hachiya Persimmons are astringent.  To learn more about these two different types of persimmons you should check out what Dianna says at The Fruit Grove, “Astringent persimmons should be eaten when fully ripe and soft, while non-astringent persimmons are sweet when still firm. Ripe astringent types are extremely sweet and jam-like, but unripe they are bitter and dry. Non-astringents have a milder sweetness, and are crisp or soft depending on ripeness.”

How to ripen my persimmons faster? Your persimmons will ripen faster and become sweeter fruit when you place them in a paper bag or in leave them in a bowl with bananas.

*What do I do if my persimmons are not braking down or getting soft when I cook them? If you use unripe persimmons they may not soften as you cook them. When this happens to me I use my immersion blender to brake them down a little more. However, do not blend them so much that they become persimmon puree. You could also use a blender or food processor if needed. 

Can I make a gluten-free version? Yes the pie filling is already gluten free. Here is a gluten free pie crust that will make this cranberry persimmon pie competently gluten free. 

TIPS & TRICKS Preheat your oven to 400 degrees but bake your pie at 350 degrees. This will cause the butter in your pie crust to melt really fast causing more steam bubbles in the crust. The steam bubbles are what make your crust flaky.

Ingredients For Cranberry Persimmon Pie

Persimmons

I use ripe Fuyu persimmons for this recipe because that what I have must readily available to me. I hear Hachiya persimmons are better for baking and jams and I have no reason to think that they wont work well for this recipe, they may work even better. I’ll have to try them sometime to let you know. 

Cranberries

You can use fresh or frozen cranberries for this recipe. I love the tartness that the cranberries bring to the sweetness of the persimmons. 

Brown Sugar

You can white granulated sugar is you don’t have brown sugar and it wont make a difference to the recipe. Brown sugar adds more depth of flavor and pairs so well with the warm spices that we tend to use in our autumn pies. If you have molasses you can add a tablespoon of molasses to 1 cup white sugar to make brown sugar. 

Honey would also be a great alternative and taste amazing in this pie. I use honey as my sweeter in my cranberry persimmon jam and it is so good! 

Cinnamon, Nutmeg & All Spice

These 3 warm spices are becoming my new fall favorite spices to use in my recipes. Some of use like a little more cinnamon or a little less all-spice in our recipes so feel free to adjust the amounts of these spices to your liking. I suggest adding or subtracting 1/4 a teaspoon at a time till its just how you like it. 

Salt

If your looking for a good salt to use in all your cooking and baking check out the benefits of Redmond’s Real Salt. 

Water

The water in this recipe well help cook your persimmons. Persimmons and cranberries have a natural pectin that is released when they cook. This water will not make your pie runny but will help the fruit filling cook and eventually set. 

How to Make Cranberry Persimmon Pie

Step 1 Make your Pie Crust.

Here are some simple recipe options for your pie crusts that work well for this recipe. You can also use a premade pie crust from the store. No judgment there.
To make a crumble topping I just take one of my pie crusts and instead of rolling it out I crumble it up in a medium bowl and sprinkle it on top of the pie. To make a nut crusts crumble topping or pecan crumble topping, chop up a few nuts of your choosing and mix them in with your pie crust crumble for a bit of crunch. 

Once you have your crust made, but before you roll it out and place it in the pie pan, refrigerate the pie crust for at least 30 minutes. Enough time to make your pie filling. 

Step 2. Make Your Pie Filling.

Slice your persimmons nice and thin and add to a large pot with your cranberries, water, sugar, slat and spices. Cook your filling on a medium heat – high heat till the persimmons and cranberries start to fall apart. Don’t boil them but just a light simmer. Taste your persimmons if they are still crunchy after 30 minutes of cooking likely they were not ripe enough to soften up all the way when cooked. At this point I typically use my immersion blender to cut them up a little more for a softer fruit filling.
*Don’t be afraid to add more water while you are cooking the fruit filling if needed, the cranberries and persimmons both have a natural pectin that is released as they cook thickening your pie filling. 

Step 3. Let Your Pie Filling Cool & Roll Out Your Pie Crust.

When you persimmons are soft let your filling cool down to room temperature. While it’s cooling, PREHEAT your oven to 400 degrees (when you put the pie in to cook reduce the temperature to 350 degrees). Roll out your 1 pie dough and place in your pie pan. Take your 2nd pie dough and crumble it up in a bowl for a crumble topping. Feel free to add some nuts or extra spices to your crumble topping if you like. 

Step 4. Assemble & Bake Your Pie.

Once your pie crust is ready and you oven preheated, pour your filling into your pie pan. Crumble your topping evenly over the sweet cranberry and persimmon filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake your persimmon cranberry pie for 45-50 minutes.