This is the best last-minute recipe for using up ripe pears. Though honestly, it's worth buying pears just for this. Small Batch Pear Crisp is cozy, quick, and perfect for two. I only made it because one giant Bosc pear was lingering in the fridge, but once it baked down under that buttery oat topping… wow. I was not prepared for how good this was.
The Best Pears for Baking
Pears are one of those fruits that get overlooked for crisps, but they're fantastic when baked, especially the Bosc. The second best for baking would be Anjou, third Bartlett and last Comice, but use what you have. A little lemon juice brightens the flavor, while vanilla and cinnamon deepen it just enough without overpowering the pear itself. The topping is classic oat-brown sugar-butter, scaled down so you get a good ratio of crumble to fruit.
Baking and Serving
What I love about this recipe is that it's small batch by design. You can bake it in a casserole dish, an 8x4 inch loaf pan, or divide it between two mini loaf pans as I did -- one to enjoy for dessert, one to freeze for later. It's the perfect dessert when you want something sweet without committing to a giant 9×13 pan. And you may save the life of a pear. Sort of. Here's what mine looked like before baking. The lighting is weird because I took the pictures in the dark.
Spicing it Up!
I kept mine pretty basic, but if you want to spice up your pears with something other than cinnamon, you can add a pinch of ginger, cardamon or even or spice blend. Nut are optional, but I've been working my way through a bag of Trader Joe's hazelnuts and they worked beautifully with the crunchy top. I'd definitely add nuts again.
Adding Vanilla Ice Cream
Small Batch Pear Crisp is good without ice cream, but if you add a small scoop of really cold vanilla ice cream to the warm pear crisp you'll flood your senses with different temperatures and flavors. The vanilla ice cream is really the finishing touch. If you've had a nice dinner and just want a taste of something sweet, warm up one mini loaf pan of crisp, add a scoop of ice cream and share.
Recipe
Small Batch Pear Crisp
Ingredients
- 1½ cups chopped fresh pears (about half pound/228 grams)
- 1 tablespoon sugar (12 grams)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/16 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch use 2 if pears are very juicy
Topping
- ¼ cup old-fashioned oats
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (25 grams)
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar (36 grams)
- 3 tablespoons cold salted butter, diced (42 grams)
- 1 tablespoon chopped nuts (hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a small baking dish, an 8x4 inch loaf pan or two ceramic or metal small loaf pans (3x5 inches).
- Toss the pears with the sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and cornstarch. Spread in the dish or little loaf pans.
Topping
- Mix oats, flour, and brown sugar. Add cold butter and work it in with your fingers until crumbly. Stir in the nuts.
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the pears.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden and the edges are bubbling.
- Let cool for about 10 minutes so the filling thickens. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
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