Spiced Pear Cranberry Crumble (Printable Version)
Tender pears and tart cranberries with warm spices and a buttery oat topping, baked to golden perfection.
# Ingredient List:
→ Fruit Filling
01 - 4 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
02 - 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (120 g)
03 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar (65 g)
04 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
05 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
06 - 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
07 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
08 - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
→ Crumble Topping
09 - 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (90 g)
10 - 3/4 cup rolled oats (75 g)
11 - 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (100 g)
12 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
13 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
14 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed (115 g)
# Directions:
01 - Set oven temperature to 350°F.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine pears, cranberries, granulated sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons of flour. Toss until fruit is evenly coated.
03 - Place the fruit mixture into a greased 2-quart baking dish.
04 - In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Rub cold butter cubes into the dry ingredients with fingertips until coarse crumbs form.
05 - Evenly distribute the crumble topping over the fruit layer.
06 - Bake for 40 minutes or until topping is golden brown and fruit bubbles along edges.
07 - Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The buttery oat topping gets impossibly crispy while the fruit stays tender and juicy underneath.
- It comes together in under an hour and feels fancy enough to serve guests, but casual enough for a weeknight treat.
- The balance of warm spices with bright lemon and tart cranberries keeps each bite interesting.
02 -
- Don't skip the cooling time, no matter how impatient you feel; the fruit filling sets during those 10 minutes and won't fall apart when you serve it.
- If your crumble topping browns too quickly, tent it loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes so the fruit underneath has time to soften.
03 -
- The secret to a crispy topping is keeping the butter cold and never overworking the crumble mixture; the moment it starts to clump, stop mixing.
- If you want extra jammy fruit filling, use a peeler to shave off the pear skin instead of peeling with a knife; it removes less of the flesh and keeps the pears more intact.