Dear Pears,
I’m really and truly sorry, but when it comes to fall baking- I generally neglect you. It’s not that I don’t love you, I mean you’re actually one of my favorite fruits of all time, but you just get a bit overshadowed by your sister the apple the ever so popular pumpkin. I hope that you can forgive me if I promise to include you in at least a couple delicious recipes this fall starting with this crumble.
Love, Audra
Ok phew, I had to get that apology out of my system. I have been feeling so guilty about it and I really wanted to start this post with a clean slate. (Also yes pregnancy has made me a bit nuts.)
I do love pears, so why do I always forget about them? Luckily I picked up a huge bag from Trader Joes, and have been dreaming of something to make with them all week. The inspiration for this deliciousness came from none other than Shake Shack, my and most of NYC’s favorite burger and custard joint. One of their October flavors is “Cinnamon Pear Cobbler” and it is so darn good I just needed to make something similar. (Though I never know what makes something a crisp, cobbler or crumble- anyone know? This seemed more crumble-like than cobbler like to me.)
Because I always look for reasons to eat dessert for breakfast, I aimed to make something not overly sweet that could be enjoyed with a scoop of greek yogurt instead of ice cream. (Though ice cream would obviously be amazing as well.) I had this for breakfast yesterday and then also for a late night snack. Andy seemed to have the same ideas as me considering the entire pan was polished off in less than 24 hours. I mean we have juicy pears tossed with ginger and cinnamon and the most crispy, crumbly topping ever- how can you go wrong?
(I made this very *non* sweet so I could rationalize eating it all day long, but I indicate in the the recipe notes how you can adjust this to your liking.) Have a great weekend!!!
- 5 pears*, peeled and chopped into chunks
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon sugar**
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup oats
- ⅓ cup brown sugar (I used dark, either is fine.)
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 stick of butter, melted
- Preheat over to 350F.
- Toss pears with ginger, cinnamon and sugar and place in an 8x8 pan (or something relatively similar in size.)
- To make the topping, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup and butter. Mixture will become moist and dough-like.
- Use your hands to break it apart and sprinkle evenly over the pears.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the topping is crispy and golden. Serve warm with ice cream or greek yogurt
*I made this on the very not-sweet side so I could eat it for breakfast! Add up to ⅔ cup of sugar if you want this to be more dessert-like.
Recipe loosely adapted from: The Pioneer Woman
Caroline @ chocolate & carrots says
I always forget about pears too! This would be a great dessert to give to Liam, too! He loves pears! :D
Elisa @ Insalata di Sillabe says
I love baking with pears during Fall and am always looking for new recipes to add them into! This would make for a great switch from the usual pies and cakes! Also, I wanted to let you know I tried your pumpkin bread for a dinner with a couple of guests the other evening and it was a true hit! Thanks so much, everyone loved it!
xo, Elisa
Audra says
Thanks dear! I am so glad the pumpkin bread turned out for you!
Jennifer | Bake or Break says
Love this! Pears beat out apples any day for me, and I actually don’t like pumpkin at all. By the way, cobblers have a biscuit topping, crumbles usually have oats, and crisps usually have no oats. But, I don’t know how well those rules are adhered to anymore.
Audra says
Thanks for clarifying friend!! xoxo
Baker Momma says
I really like the idea of a not-too-sweet dessert based in healthy fresh fruit. Great idea about the Greek yogurt topping. I hope to try this one!
Audra says
This would totally work with some pecans and whole wheat flour too! I used to love your healthy Apple Crisp for breakfast :)
stephanie says
I adore pears and this looks FANTASIC.
Rebecca says
I looove crumbles, but I have to admit that I also usually do it with apple… have to try this recipe once, though :D I also just recently baked with pears and was astonished that I didn’t do it earlier ;)
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says
lol I totally neglect pairs unless it’s fruit on a plate for the kids at mealtime. But I’m in love with this crumble!! Definitely want to stuff my face.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
I need to bake more with pears in a major way!! Yum!
Nutmeg Nanny says
Pears are so overlooked! I am glad to see a delicious pear recipe :) I think this would be gone even faster in my home ;)
Audra says
Thanks Love. If I had been left home alone with it I can’t guarantee Andy would even have gotten to try it ;)
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
One of my favorite winter breakfasts is oat bran cooked with pears, so good. This is my kind of dessert (or breakfast)!
Joanne says
I’m definitely not as into pear baking as i am apple baking…which is kind of mean and oh so sad! I could see this crumble being a fabulous breakfast though.
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes says
I live for warm fruit desserts repurposed for breakfast. Good call on making the sugar adjustable. Lol that pregnancy is making you crazy:)
Two Red Bowls says
Yummmm. Crumbles are one of my favorite desserts ever, and I absolutely love the idea of putting ginger into a pear crumble. Genius. Definitely doing this next time I make one! Thank you for posting!!
Ally @ The Cheery Baker says
I am the same way with pears! I feel like I am always neglecting them.. this looks like such a great recipe to use them in! Sounds delicious!
Rachel @ Bakerita says
Mmm, I LOVE crumbles, and this one looks outrageously delicious. Love the pears! Pinned :)
Tracey says
I’m the exact same way with pears – I always forget about them every fall! But on the occasions where I do make something I kick myself for not doing it more. This crumble is gorgeous, I love a simple fruit dessert this time of year :)
Coco in the Kitchen says
Ok, I have to have this tonight….
There goes my waist! xo
Leslie says
Just made this for my family of boys, without the extra sugar. Fabulous!