This pear crumble with the classic Fall flavors of cinnamon and vanilla is the perfect winter comfort food. Serve with ice cream for an epic cozy night in!
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Crumbles, or perhaps you call them crisps, are one of my favorite cozy desserts. They are easy to make, very versatile and most importantly delicious!
So when the shelves were groaning with beautiful ripe pears this Fall I just had to turn them into a pear crisp. Pears are naturally sweet so there's not a lot of extra sugar needed in this recipe. But because the pears can release a lot of juice it's best to pre-bake them before adding the crumble topping. This will ensure your pear crisp stays crispy instead of soggy!
Why you'll love this recipe
- Classic Fall flavors of pear, cinnamon and vanilla
- A great way to use unripe pears
- Delicious nutty topping with oats and almond meal
- Make it with canned pears for an easy year-round treat
Looking for more fabulous pear recipes? Why not try making my pear compote, pear ice cream or stewed pears. Delicious!
Ingredients
Pears: The beauty of this recipe is it works no matter how ripe your pears are. If you have crunchy unripe pears you can cook them a little longer to soften them up. It's also great for using up really ripe pears that are on their last legs and are just about to become overripe.
Cinnamon: some ground cinnamon pairs perfectly with these pears (see what I did there?). You could mix things up by adding some other warming spices, such as cloves, ginger or nutmeg.
Vanilla extract: sometimes also called vanilla essence, depending on where you live. You can use either, or imitation vanilla essence, depending on your preference and budget.
Brown sugar: also known as light brown sugar, adds to the caramel notes of this recipe. You could use white sugar if you prefer, or experiment with dark brown sugar.
Oats: rolled oats are best for this recipe. You could try using steel cut or quick oats, however I haven't tested the recipe with these varieties.
Almond meal: my secret crumble topping ingredient! Using almond meal instead of flour brings a lovely light, slightly nuttyness to this crumble topping.
Flakes almonds: to add some color and crunch to the topping. The lovely Donna made this with chopped pecans instead of almonds which would be delicious too!
Butter: the butter mixes in with the crumble topping to help giving it that lovely crunchy topping. For a dairy-free option you could swap the butter with your preferred dairy-free spread.
Corn flour: also known as corn starch or maize starch. It helps thicken the crumble especially when using fresh fruit that can release a lot juices when cooked. You could try replacing the corn starch with tapioca or arrowroot starch.
How to make pear crumble
Pre-heat your oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan-forced).
Peel and core the pears and cut them into bite-size pieces. Add the pear pieces straight into the baking dish with the vanilla extract, cinnamon and sprinkle over the corn flour. Mix well.
Bake the pears uncovered without the topping in the oven for thirty minutes or until starting to soften and the juices have started to bake off and concentrate.
Just before the pears have finished baking make the crumble topping. Add the rolled oats, almond meal and brown sugar to a bowl and mix well. Try using a whisk to help get all the lumps out. Melt the butter in a microwave and add it to the crumble topping. Mix well.
Remove the pears from the oven and give them a good stir. Add the crumble topping, leaving plenty of lumpy bits to get nice and crispy. Bake for twenty-five minutes or until golden brown.
How to serve
This baked fruit crumble is best served warm from the oven. Fabulous on its own or with some of my sour cream ice cream or vanilla ice cream.
How To Store
This crumble is best eaten fresh from the oven. It will keep covered in the fridge for up to three days but the topping may start to go a little soggy over time.
I do not recommend freezing this crumble as I find the topping can go soggy when reheating.
Tips For Sucess and Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this crumble with unripe pears?
Yes you can. In fact this easy pear crisp is a simple and delicious way to use those stubbornly unripe pears.
You may need to cook the unripe pears for a little longer before adding the topping. I recommend an extra five to ten minutes to start with.
You may also need to add a little extra sugar to make up for the lack of sweetness in your pears. Test them before baking and if they are a little tart try adding one to two tablespoons of brown sugar to the pear filling as a starting point.
Can I make this crumble with canned pears?
You sure can. In fact I recently retested this recipe with canned pears and it worked beautifully! Simply replace the fresh pears with 3 cans (15oz each) of sliced pears in juice.
Drain the juice and slice into pieces - a great job for the kids as the pears a soft enough to cut with a kid-friendly butter knife. Add the extra flavoring as per the recipe card.
No need to back the pears first as they are already cooked when canning. Simply add the crumble topping straight away and bake for about 25 mins, or until the top is golden brown.
My crumble is really running, help!
This can happen if you have particularly juicy pears.
If you have not added the crumble topping:
- Remove the crumble from the oven. Scoop out a couple of spoons of juice and pop into the fridge to cool. Once cool mix in half a tablespoon of cornflour to the juice to form a slurry, then mix into the fruit. If you add the cornflour directly to the hot fruit it will go lumpy. Turn the oven down as low as you can and bake for a further fifteen minutes or until some of the water has evaporated and the juices have thickened.
If you already added your crumble topping
Turn the oven down as low as you can and bake for a further fifteen minutes or until some of the water has evaporated and the juices have thickened. You can add some alfoil to the topping, leaving the edges clear to help stop the topping from over-browning
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📋 Recipe
Pear crumble
Equipment
- Baking dish
Ingredients
Pear filling
- 1.1 lbs (1kg) or about 10 small pears
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ tablespoon corn flour
Crumble topping
- 1 cup (100gms) rolled oats
- 1 cup (120gms) almond meal
- â…“ cup (75gms) brown sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick, 115gms) unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons (15gms) flaked almonds (optional)
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan forced).
- Peel, core and dice the pears. Add to the baking dish.
- Add the cinnamon and vanilla and mix well. Add the corn flour and mix well.
- Bake pears in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Melt the butter in a microwave-proof bowl.
- In a separate bowl add the rolled oats, almond meal and brown sugar. Mix well, ensuring all the lumps of brown sugar are well mixed in. Add the melted butter and stir well.
- Stir the softened pears well and add the crumble topping, leaving plenty of lumpy bits to go nice and crispy. Sprinkle with almond flakes if using.
- Bake for a further twenty five minutes or until crumble topping is golden brown and delicious.
- Remove from the oven and serve with custard or a scoop of vanilla or sour cream ice cream. Delicious!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate based on an online database. The nutritional content of ingredients may vary by brand. If you require accurate nutritional information, you should calculate this based on the specific brands and products you are using.
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Donna says
I had 13 pears that would just not ripen so I was happy to find this recipe. My adaptations: I added chopped pecans to the topping rather than the almonds. It was sweet enough using less sugar, too.
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Sarah Brooks says
Hi Donna, You're very welcome, I'm so glad you loved it and used up all those stubbornly unripe pears! Oh pecans would also be delicious with this instead of almonds, great suggestion 🙂