Description
This delightful Pear Crumble recipe combines tender, spiced pears with a buttery, crunchy oat and nut topping. The pears are coated in a warm maple syrup mixture enhanced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, then baked under a golden, brown butter crumble topping. Perfect for a cozy dessert, this crumble is easy to prepare and serves well warm or at room temperature, especially when paired with vanilla ice cream or caramel syrup.
Ingredients
Scale
Pear Filling
- 5 medium pears, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick (can substitute half with apples)
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- â…“ cup light brown sugar
- 1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon candied ginger, finely minced or ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
Crumble Topping
- ½ cup old-fashioned/rolled oats
- ½ cup pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter
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 it aside for assembling the crisp.
- 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 the maple syrup, light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground 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 the oats, chopped nuts, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt. Stir to mix everything evenly.
- Brown Butter: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the unsalted butter. Continue cooking until the butter foams and starts to turn golden brown 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 to prevent burning.
- 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 for added indulgence.
Notes
- You can substitute half the pears with apples if desired for a mixed fruit crumble.
- To prevent the topping from burning, use foil to tent the dish if it browns too fast during baking.
- The crumble is best served warm or at room temperature and pairs wonderfully with vanilla ice cream or caramel syrup.
- For a nuttier flavor, try pecans or walnuts depending on your preference.
- Make sure to brown the butter carefully to avoid burning and to enhance the topping’s flavor.
