Pear Crisp
This delicious Pear Crisp recipe is easy to make with brown sugar cinnamon spiced fresh pears topped with a buttery oat brown sugar streusel. The warm fruit crisp is best served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top! It's a delicious fall dessert for pear season.
Servings 6
Ingredients
Fresh Pear Filling
- 3 pounds pears (peeled and sliced)
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Crisp Topping
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole old-fashioned oats (not quick oats)
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter cubed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together the peeled and sliced pears, light brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg until the mixture is well combined and all the pears are coated well. Evenly spread the pear mixture out into the baking pan.3 pounds pears, 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- In a medium bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, oats, light brown sugar, and baking powder.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup whole old-fashioned oats, 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Add the cold cubed butter and use your clean hands and fingers to pinch together and mix the butter and flour together until it forms pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle it evenly over top of the pears inside the baking dish.1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve the pear crisp warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, enjoy!
Notes
3 pounds of fresh pears is equal to about 6-8 pears.
What Am I Looking For When Selecting My Pears At The Store?
When you're at the store or the orchard and picking out pears for your pear crisp, the best pear to go with are the ones that are ripe, slightly soft, but still slightly firm to the touch. They need to have just barely any give when you squeeze them and no soft spots.
How Do I Get A Crisp Topping But Not A Too Crispy or Burnt Topping?
If your topping is not as crisp as you would like it, but the pears are done, you can put it under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes. This is an extremely fast process, so be very careful in doing so. However, if you find that your topping is starting to become too brown or burn, but the pears are not yet done, then you can loosely place a sheet of aluminum foil over the top to keep it from burning while the pears finish cooking.
What Kind of Pear Should I Use?
There are several options to choose from.The Bosc pear has a unique flavor that intensifies when baked. It is also the firmest of the pear family and hold its shape when baked. The Anjou pear has a delicate sweetness and retains its structure when baked. Then there is the Bartlett pear which is the most common in grocery stores. Its buttery sweetness stands up to baking when they are just ripe and tender pears but not too soft.
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- All-Purpose Flour - Use unbleached all-purpose flour or bleached; I use unbleached all-purpose flour for all my baking. For a gluten-free pear crisp option, use 1:1 GF flour. However, be sure to add 2 more tablespoons of butter (so a total of 10 tablespoons butter).
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- Whole Old-Fashioned Oats - I would not recommend anything but whole old-fashioned oats for the crisp. Steel cut oats won't soften properly in time, and quick oats will become like mush in the cooking process.
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- Salted Butter - If you only have unsalted butter on hand, simply add a pinch of salt when mixing it in, and the dish will still be good.