Description
This Pear Crumble recipe is a comforting and delicious dessert featuring tender pears coated in a spiced maple syrup mixture, topped with a crunchy, buttery crumble made from oats, nuts, and spices. Perfectly baked until golden brown and bubbling, it’s an ideal treat to serve warm with vanilla ice cream or caramel syrup.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Filling
- 5 medium pears, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick (can substitute half with apples)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon candied ginger, finely minced or 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
For the Crisp/Crumble Topping
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned/rolled oats
- 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9-inch pie dish, skillet, or 9×9 square baking dish and set aside.
- Prepare Pear Filling: Peel and slice the pears into ¼ inch thick slices. Toss the sliced pears with lemon juice to prevent browning, then spread them evenly in the prepared baking dish.
- Make Maple Syrup Mixture: In a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, candied or ground ginger, vanilla extract, salt, and cornstarch until fully combined.
- Coat Pears: Pour the maple syrup mixture over the pears and toss gently to ensure all pieces are evenly coated with the spiced mixture.
- Prepare Topping Mixture: In a medium bowl, combine oats, chopped nuts, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir to mix evenly.
- Brown Butter: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the unsalted butter. Continue cooking until the butter foams and begins to brown, turning speckled and fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Whisk occasionally to prevent burning.
- Combine Topping: Pour the browned butter into the bowl with the dry topping ingredients and stir until the mixture forms crumbs and is evenly coated.
- Assemble Crumble: Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the prepared pear filling in the baking dish.
- Bake: Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the fruit juices are bubbling and the topping is golden brown. If the topping browns too quickly, tent the dish loosely with foil.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the pear crumble to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy warm or at room temperature, ideally paired with vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of caramel syrup.
Notes
- Half the pears can be swapped with apples to add a different flavor and texture.
- Use unsalted butter to better control the saltiness in the topping.
- Browning the butter adds a rich, nutty flavor; watch carefully to prevent burning.
- If you prefer, substitute pecans with walnuts or other nuts of choice.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream or caramel sauce for an extra decadent dessert.
- Allow crumble to cool slightly before serving to avoid burning your mouth.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 1/8 of the crumble)
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 44 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
