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Holiday Ginger-Pear Crisp is My New Favorite Dessert

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Despite its rustic appearance, the pears in this Ginger-Pear Crisp bring an incredibly delicious and elegant taste to your table. A bright and festive tasting dessert to end a perfect holiday meal.

Looking down on a freshly baked Ginger-Pear Crisp baked in a white round ceramic dish next to a serving of Ginger-Pear Crisp on a plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I remember being a bit apprehensive as I assembled this Ginger-Pear Crisp for the first time. I wasn’t sure how much I would like it. Boy was I in for a surprise! This dessert is now one of my all-time favorites. And that’s saying a lot, coming from a mega-chocolate lover.

A closeup of a serving of Ginger-Pear Crisp showing the crumbly brown topping and thinly sliced cooked pears below.

Using perfectly ripe pears is essential for this recipe, so a little planning ahead is required since most grocery stores sell under-ripe pears.

How do you know when pears are ripe?

Finding out if a pear is ripe is relatively easy. Squeeze the top of the fruit just below the stem. If it’s ripe, it will be soft and give a little. If it’s under-ripe it will be firm and not squishy at all. If that’s the case, place pears in a paper bag on your counter until they’re ripe, then store them in your fridge for up to three days.

Golden, red and brown Bosc variety pears sit upright on a wooden table.

There are of course many varieties of pears, each with a unique taste. I chose these beautiful Bosc pears for my Ginger-Pear Crisp. They had just the right amount of sweetness with spicy undertones. Anjou variety would also work well with this recipe.

How to make Ginger-Pear Crisp

Looing down into the bowl of a food processor filled with the ingredients for the Ginger-Pear Crisp topping.

A food-processor will come in mighty handy for this recipe. It quickly creates the perfect “crisp” texture with the flour, spices, pecans and cold butter.

Ginger-Pear Crisp topping blended with pecans in the bowl of a food processor.

I got fancy when slicing my pears for this photo, and it turns out that it wasn’t worth my time. I was hoping to show off that beautiful “pear shape”, in the finished recipe, but it didn’t show through the topping. Just dice them up into pieces and you’ll be fine. :0)

Toss the diced pear pieces with freshly grated ginger root, lemon zest and sugar. Then spread the crisp topping over the top. So simple and EASY!!!

Sliced pears tossed with lemon zest, sugar and grated ginger fill a white round ceramic baking dish.

This Ginger-Pear Crisp bakes up in about an hour, and I would definitely recommend serving it warm with ice cream.

A Ginger-Pear Crisp fresh from the oven and bubbly on the sides.
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Ginger-Pear Crisp served on a plate and topped with melty vanilla ice cream.

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I am extremely confident you will fall in love with this recipe as much as I have. Enjoy! -Emily

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Ginger-Pear Crisp

  • Author: Emily
  • Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
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Description

This delectable Ginger Pear Crisp is made from perfectly ripe pears tossed with fresh ginger, sugar, and lemon, then baked to perfection with a spiced sugar-nut crisp topping. 

Ingredients

Scale

Crisp Topping

  • 6 tablespoons flour
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Pear Filling

  • 6 ripe pears (I like Bosc for this recipe)
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger root
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 and 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, spices, and salt about three times to mix. Add the cold cubes of butter and pulse the food processor until no large clumps of butter remain; about 10 pulses.
  2. Add the nuts and process until the mixture looks like clumpy sand, about 10 – 15 seconds. Don’t overmix into a large clump. Place the mixture into the fridge to chill while making the filling.
  3. Set your oven to heat to 375 degrees F. and move an oven rack to the lower-middle position.
  4. Peel, cut, and core the pears into 1/2 inch chunks. Stir in the ginger root, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar. Transfer mixture into a brownie pan or deep-dish pie plate. (Any 2 to 3-quart oven-safe dish will do.) Sprinkle the chilled crisp topping over the fruit.
  5. Bake for 40 minutes, then increase the oven temp to 425 degrees F and bake until the topping turns deep golden brown and the fruit is bubbling around the edges, about 10 minutes. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes and serve warm. 

Notes

This Ginger-Pear Crisp practically screams to be served with a scoop of ice cream!

Using ripe pears to make this delectable treat is essential. Ripe pears should be firm around the middle yet give a little when squeezed right below the stem. If your local grocer only has underripe pears, bring them home and place them in a paper bag on the counter at room temp until they ripen. They can then be stored in the fridge until needed, up to 5 days.

  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 55 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: about 1 cup
  • Calories: 492
  • Sugar: 46.1
  • Sodium: 169
  • Fat: 26.7
  • Saturated Fat: 7.8
  • Carbohydrates: 66.2
  • Fiber: 9.3
  • Protein: 4.2
  • Cholesterol: 25

Keywords: Pear, Pie, dessert, crumble, ginger, spice, Christmas, Thanksgiving

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