This easy Pear Crisp recipe has juicy pears and a crunchy oat topping the whole family will love. Make it all year round with fresh or canned pears for a warm, comforting dessert. I’m also sharing a rum-spiked variation for grown up desserts.
My pear crisp recipe is the one my late mom used – although she never wrote it down. We just used a few pears and her standard “crisp mixture” to make a delicious dessert. I have finally taken the time to do some measuring so I can share this special recipe with you!
Tips for Making Pear Crisp
- I use light brown sugar for my Pear Crisp Recipe, but if you want to use a darker brown sugar it makes the topping more treacle-like. Both work, it’s just a matter of taste. And if you don’t have brown sugar, you can use white sugar instead.
- Pears vary wildly in size so it’s hard to give an exact measurement or number. Basically you want to cover the bottom of your pan or dish with a fairly thick layer of fruit.
- If you are worried about fresh pears turning brown while you are peeling them, sprinkle a teaspoon or so of fresh lemon juice over the sliced, peeled pears and stir through with a spoon.
- I don’t use sugar in the pear mixture as pears are normally very sweet, particularly the canned variety. If you are using very tart, fresh pears, feel free to add a tablespoon or so of white sugar.
- You can use regular (whole) or rolled oats in this recipe. However, please do not use instant oats. Their texture is too fine to work for crisps and crumbles.
- I call for 1 teaspoon of ginger in the recipe, but you can of course use more or less.
How To Serve Pear Crisp
This easy Pear Crisp recipe is best served warm with ice cream (vanilla or rum raisin are my favourites), cream or custard.
Cool leftover Pear Crisp and store in the fridge. For a special, once in a while treat, serve it with a spoonful of yogurt for a decadent breakfast.
Recipe Variations
- Use dried cranberries or sultanas instead of raisins
- Instead of soaking the raisins, stir 1 teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract into the sliced or chopped pears (and raisins if using).
- Add a grating of fresh nutmeg to deepen the flavours
- Add a half a teaspoon or so of ground cinnamon
Easy Pear Crisp Recipe
To serve 4 you need
1 teaspoon butter
About 4 cups of peeled, cored and sliced pears – that’s 4 to 5 pears or you can use 2 to 3 tins of canned pears, drained and chopped
½ cup raisins (optional)
2 tablespoons of rum (optional)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (plain flour) or corn flour (corn starch)
⅓ cup melted butter
a generous ½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
½ cup oats
½ cup all purpose (plain) flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger (you can add more ginger if you like)
Preheat the oven to 350º F (175ºC).
If desired, put the raisins in a small dish and pour the rum over top. Set aside to soak.
Grease a 7 x 11 inch pan (18 x 27 cm) or an 8 inch (20 cm) round pan with the teaspoon of butter.
Lay the pear slices or chopped canned pears in the bottom of the pan.
Sprinkle the raisins over top. If you have soaked them in rum you can pour in any leftover rum.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and oats.
Add the sugar and ginger and mix through.
Drizzle the butter over top, and stir it evenly though the mixture with a fork, working to obtain a crumbly texture.
Sprinkle this crumbly mixture over top of the pears.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the pears are tender and the top of the crisp is beginning to turn golden brown. If you are using canned pears, you need to reduce the cooking time to about 25 to 30 minutes, cooking only until the topping is lovely and golden.
This easy Pear Crisp recipe is best served warm with cream, ice cream or custard.
More Recipes with Oats
Pear Walnut and Ginger Oatmeal
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