Pear Crisp Recipe: How to Make the Crunchy Pear Dessert
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Jun 29, 2022 • 2 min read
A pear crisp recipe takes less than an hour to produce a sweet, crunchy, and fruity dessert you can enjoy with ice cream, whipped cream, or salty caramel.
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What Is a Pear Crisp?
A pear crisp is a sweet and crunchy fall dessert consisting of fresh pears, warm spices, and a crispy topping. The flavors of a pear crisp are similar to that of an apple crisp or an apple pie. A crisp differs from a crumble and a cobbler. A crisp topping contains oats, while a crumble topping is more of a classic streusel topping. Meanwhile, a cobbler contains a pie crust or a biscuit dough topping.
3 Ways to Serve a Pear Crisp
Spoon your pear crisp into a bowl while it’s still warm, then top it with the extra ingredients of your choice. Here are three ways to serve the pear dessert:
- 1. With a dollop fresh whipped cream: Like other fruit crisps, a pear crisp pairs well with sweet and soft whipped cream. Combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip the cream until soft peaks form, and then serve it atop your crisp.
- 2. With a drizzle of salted caramel sauce: Use a store-bought or homemade salted caramel sauce to add more sweetness and a hint of salt to a pear crisp. Salt in desserts brings out the natural sweetness of the ingredients while also balancing out the sugars.
- 3. With a scoop of vanilla ice cream: A classic pairing for fruit crisps, pies, and other desserts is vanilla ice cream. It’s sweet, creamy, and cold, which contrasts with the warmth of the crisp. As the ice cream melts over the crisp, it creates a sauce.
Pear Crisp Recipe
makes
prep time
20 mintotal time
50 mincook time
30 minIngredients
For the pear filling:
For the oat topping:
Make the pear filling:
- 1
In a large bowl, combine the sliced pears, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and cardamom.
- 2
Let the pear mixture sit at room temperature until there is noticeable liquid at the bottom of the bowl, about 30 minutes.
- 3
Add the cornstarch.
Make the oat topping:
- 1
In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, rolled oats, chopped pecans, ground cinnamon, and salt.
- 2
Cut the cold butter into cubes.
- 3
With your hands, work the butter into the oat mixture until it’s the size of peas, about 5 minutes.
Assemble the pear crisp:
- 1
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 2
Grease a square baking dish with cooking spray or melted butter.
- 3
Pour the pear mixture into the baking dish.
- 4
Top the pears with an even layer of the oat topping.
- 5
Bake the pear crisp until the top is golden brown and crispy and the pear filling is bubbling, about 30 minutes.
- 6
Serve the pear crisp warm or at room temperature with ice cream, whipped cream, or caramel sauce.
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