Chocolate Persimmon Muffins

Yield: 8-10 muffins

Straight from Good to the Grain, these muffins are glorious. Ripe persimmon pulp is a natural puree, so just scoop the ripe pulp from the fruit and move on with the recipe! I baked my muffins for 37 minutes. Wait for them to spring back when you touch them lightly on top before removing them from the oven.

Dry mix:

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Wet mix:

• 3 ounces (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 2 cups Hachiya persimmon puree, from 2 large or 4 small ripe persimmons
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, 50 to 60 percent cacao, cut into roughly 1/4-inch pieces

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with pan release.
2. Sift the dry ingredients together into a large bowl.
3. With a mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, for 5-10 minutes.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl to incorporate them completely. Add the yogurt and mix well.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on low speed until combined.
6. Fold the persimmon pulp and the chopped chocolate into the batter gently by hand. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula, ensuring that the ingredients are completely combined.
7. At this point, pick out 8-10 large pieces of persimmon pulp from the batter and set them aside. Scoop the batter into the muffin tins, mounding the batter ever so slightly. Drape the pieces of persimmon on top of the muffins – they look so pretty like this when they come out of the oven.
8. Bake the muffins for 33 to 37 minutes (mine took 37 minutes), rotating the muffin pan midway during baking. The muffins are done when they spring back from a light touch with your finger.
9. Let the muffins cool for a few minutes in their tin and then remove them to a cooling rack, otherwise they will get soggy as they cool.

Adapted from Good to the Grain