Warmly spiced pear crumble features a buttery crisp topping, maple syrup, ginger, and more in one easy seasonal dessert. Simple enough for casual gatherings and holiday meals alike, this recipe has multiple make-ahead steps to make your life easier.
6mediumBartlett pearsslightly underripe (just under 3 pounds)
2Tablespoonsmaple syrup
2teaspoonslemon juice
1Tablespooncornstarch
½teaspoonvanilla extract
½teaspoonground cinnamon
⅛teaspoonground ginger
Pinch ofground nutmeg
Pinch ofsalt
Topping:
½cuppacked brown sugar
¾teaspoonground cinnamon
6Tablespoonsunsalted buttermelted
1cup plus 2 Tablespoons (140g)all-purpose flour
Instructions
Prep: Heat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking dish with unsalted butter.
Fruit: Peel pears, remove and discard the core, then cut into chunks approximately ¾- to 1-inch wide. Add to a mixing bowl along with the maple syrup, lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Stir so that the pears are coated evenly.
Filling: Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl, then stir in the melted butter. Scatter flour over top and stir into the mixture. The consistency should hold together when you press it into a shape, but be scatterable into larger crumbs. If it's a little too wet, work in an additional sprinkle or two of flour until it reaches the desired consistency.
Assemble: Pour out pears, including the liquid, into the prepared baking dish. Gently press to level off the surface into an even layer. Scatter crumble topping over the pears.
Bake: Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the pears are tender, everything is bubbling, and the crumble topping is golden-brown. If the crumbs are browning too quickly, loosely tent a sheet of aluminum foil over top of the dish until bubbling and fully baked.
Serve: Let the pear crumble cool for 10-15 minutes before scooping and serving.
Notes
Pears: Slightly underripe pears will have a very slight give when you squeeze them. Too underripe pears are completely hard and will lack flavor, while overly ripe pears that are easy to indent will mush and fall apart when baked.Order of Operations: To streamline preparation, I will often first prepare the crumb topping ahead of time and refrigerate it until ready to assemble and bake. Briefly leave it out at room temperature if it hardens too much to easily handle after being chilled. This is also helpful if you'd like to form really big crumbs.Make-Ahead Tips: Beyond prepping the topping ahead of time as mentioned above, you can assemble the whole pear crumble, cover it, then refrigerate for 1-2 days before baking. It can also be frozen in this manner for several months.Nutrition: This is an estimate for the pears and crumble, not ice cream or whatever else you'd like to serve it with.
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.