Warm Pear Crumble Dessert (Print View)

Tender pears beneath a thick, golden crumble topping. Perfect served warm with vanilla ice cream.

# Components:

→ Pear Filling

01 - 6 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
02 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
03 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
04 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
05 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
06 - 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

→ Crumble Topping

07 - 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
08 - 1/2 cup rolled oats
09 - 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
10 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
11 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
12 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed

# Directions:

01 - Set oven to 375°F and allow to reach full temperature.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine sliced pears with lemon juice, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and flour. Toss until pears are evenly coated. Transfer mixture to a greased 9-inch baking dish and spread in an even layer.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add cold cubed butter and work into mixture using fingertips or a pastry cutter until texture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining.
04 - Distribute crumble topping evenly over pear filling. Gently press down to create a cohesive, thick layer without compacting excessively.
05 - Place baking dish in preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes until topping is golden brown and fruit filling is bubbling at edges.
06 - Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Serve warm, optionally with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The crumble topping gets ridiculously crunchy and golden while the pears stay tender and juicy underneath.
  • You can have this bubbling out of the oven in under an hour, which means dessert when you suddenly need it.
  • It's forgiving enough for a lazy cook but impressive enough to serve when people drop by.
02 -
  • Don't use warm butter thinking it'll speed things up—the cold butter is what makes the crumble actually crumbly instead of dense and cakey.
  • Toss your pears with the lemon juice first thing or they'll oxidize and turn brown, which affects the final look and taste.
03 -
  • If the topping starts browning too quickly, loosely tent with foil for the last 10 minutes so it doesn't burn while the pears finish cooking.
  • Use a mixture of butter and oats in your topping—that combination is what creates the perfect crunch and golden color that people remember.
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