Last week, I enjoyed the most amazing dessert at Millennium Restaurant- it was a decadent combination of a walnut date pudding topped with a scoop of ginger ice cream and garnished with a candied dried hachiya persimmon. It was delightful, to say the least. This recipe was inspired by that delectable combination of persimmon, ginger, and walnuts...
INGREDIENTS:
For the wet ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
- 3 Tablespoons water
- 1 cup organic pumpkin puree
- 1/4 c. blackstrap molasses
- 1/3 c. melted coconut oil
- 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1/2 c. packed coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1 fuyu persimmon, finely chopped and diced
For the dry ingredients:
- 1 2/3 c. whole wheat flour
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
Garnishing ingredients:
- Dried persimmon (I finely sliced a fuyu persimmon and using the 'dehydrator' function on my toaster oven, dried these over 90 minutes)
- chopped walnuts
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
- In a small cup, whisk together the chia seeds and water to make a 'chia egg.' Let it sit for a few minutes to thicken.
- Mix together all the wet ingredients in one bowl.
- Mix together all the dry ingredients in a larger bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly over the 12 muffins. Add chopped walnuts and dried persimmon on top for garnish.
- Bake for 20-24 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the muffins in the pan for 5-10 minutes, and then gently transfer onto a cooling rack until completely cool. Enjoy!!
These are now my favorite muffins. It's like an explosion of all the fall flavors combined into one moist muffin. Moist, heart-healthy, plant-based and delightful. Totally dietitian-approved!