Autumn Colours Part 3

Autumn Colours Part 3 - Japan!

We are firmly in autumn territory now, and so it's time for some autumn baking!

Here at Crumbs to Crunch, we've already been bowled over by autumn in England and Scotland, but there's nothing quite like autumn in Japan. It's one of the most beautiful times of year to see the country, and people come in their hordes to see the stunning autumn trees. I was lucky to explore the colours in Nihonmatsu, a city in Fukushima prefecture.

In Nihonmatsu they have a yearly chrysanthemum doll festival, during which local gardeners grow the beautiful flowers onto the bodies of historical figures. After looking round the fantastic displays, we climbed to the top of the hill where the remains of Nihonmatsu castle are. It was a spectacular walk, with some of the finest trees that I have ever seen.

After a slightly blustery day, nothing is better than going home and chowing down on some cookies. I decided to give my cookies an autumnal twist. Persimmons are the autumnal fruit of choice in Japan, as around this time of year they are inescapable. They are a bit rarer in the UK, so I decided to make the most of their availability and do some experimenting.

Firstly, I used our beloved 1,2,3 cookie method, throwing some lumps of chocolate and 2 or 3 chopped up persimmons into the mix. These cookies were a massive hit, so I would definitely recommend giving it a try!

I also tried out this persimmon cookie recipe, which uses the pulp of the fruit. The final result was undoubtedly rather ugly, but the wonderful, unusual flavour of the persimmons still made them a lovely treat.

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