Pear Crumble with Golden Topping (Printable)

Tender pears with thick, golden crumble topping. A comforting British dessert perfect with vanilla ice cream.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pear Filling

01 - 6 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
02 - 2 tablespoons fresh 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

# How to Make It:

01 - Set oven to 375°F (190°C) and allow to reach 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 dry ingredients using fingertips or a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized chunks remaining.
04 - Distribute crumble topping evenly over pear filling, gently pressing down to create a cohesive, thick layer without compacting excessively.
05 - Place baking dish in preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and fruit filling bubbles at edges.
06 - Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve warm, optionally accompanied by vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It turns humble pears into a dessert that feels fancy but takes almost no skill to pull off.
  • The crumble topping is so good you'll want to sneak bites of it straight from the bowl.
  • It fills your kitchen with the kind of smell that makes people wander in asking what's cooking.
  • You can throw it together on a weeknight and still impress weekend guests.
02 -
  • If your butter isn't cold enough, the topping will turn greasy instead of crumbly, so cube it straight from the fridge and work quickly.
  • Don't skip the tablespoon of flour in the filling or you'll end up with a soupy mess instead of tender, saucy pears.
  • Let the crumble cool for at least 10 minutes or the filling will be molten lava hot and too runny to scoop properly.
03 -
  • Use a pastry cutter or your hands to mix the topping, a spoon or mixer will overwork it and ruin the texture.
  • Press the crumble topping down gently before baking so it doesn't blow around in the oven and creates a thicker, more substantial crust.
  • If the topping starts browning too quickly, tent the dish loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
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