Apple Pear Crisp
Apple Pear Crisp is a warm fruit dessert with a tender crumble topping. Similar to a fruit crumble, this crisp recipe is best served warm, preferably with a scoop of ice cream.
I had loads of apples in the fridge plus pears ripening on the counter, so when I got an email request to bake something for a funeral luncheon, I decided on an Easy Apple Crisp with Pears. I set aside some of the fruit filling and oatmeal crumble so that Bill, and Nick, who was home for winter break, would have some dessert, too!
Why You Should Make this Crisp Recipe
- When you need to make a dessert to serve a crowd, a fruit crisp is an easy solution. The hardest part is peeling and slicing the fruit (and how difficult is that???). The rest is a breeze. The sliced apples and pears are tossed with sugar and warm spices, then a buttery oatmeal streusel is crumbled over the apple and pear slices.
- Nothing compares to the blissful aroma of baking apples punched up with cinnamon and nutmeg. I baked this apple pear crisp till the fruit was tender and the juices were thick and bubbly.
- I almost hated giving away the 9 x 13 pan, but I knew I could whip up another for the family in no time. By adding pears to an easy apple crisp recipe, a new, EASY fall favorite dessert was born!
Ingredient Notes
- Kitchen Staples – Sugar, Brown Sugar, Baking Soda, Flour, Cinnamon, Butter
- Baking Apples – peeled, cored, and sliced. I like using a combination of Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, etc.
- Fresh Pears – peeled, cored, and sliced. Still slightly firm. I prefer Bartlett pears.
- Nutmeg – I grind fresh nutmeg but ground nutmeg works well, too.
- Quick Oats – Softer than old-fashioned oats so it makes a more tender crumble.
- Baking Powder – Unlike baking soda (which is also used in this recipe), baking powder has a much shorter shelf life. It usually expires in your pantry, so check the can for the expiration date. If you’d like to test it, put a spoonful in a cup of very hot water. If it’s still active, it will bubble vigorously.
How to Make a Fruit Crisp Recipe for One or More
- Choose your favorite baking apples. I like using a combination to offer a variety of textures and flavors. Your pears should be starting to ripen for the best flavor, but not too soft. Bartlett is my favorite variety.
- Feel free to cut the recipe in half—just use 5 cups of fruit. The proportions don’t really matter. I happened to have more apples on hand and a few perfectly ripe pears. A half recipe would be excellent to make and serve in (affiliate link)single serve ramekins. Who doesn’t love having their own dessert?
- The fruit will shrink as it bakes so make sure to fill your small baking dishes to the top, leaving just a bit of space for the oat crumble.
- The time in the oven will be slightly shorter using ramekins, but don’t pull them out till the fruit is thoroughly cooked. To check, pierce the fruit with a sharp knife. It should slide in easily without any resistance when the crisp is done.
- This dessert would be perfect for company or Sunday supper dessert. Serve your easy apple crisp with pears with a scoop of premium vanilla bean ice cream and even a drizzle of caramel sauce. Heavenly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Just as there are a variety of baking apples, there are some options when baking a pear dessert. I used Bartlett pears, but Bosc and Anjou work well, too. They should be slightly firm so they don’t turn to mush when baked.
A crisp is a fruit dessert with a crumble topping made with butter, sugar, flour, and sometimes oatmeal. The terms fruit crisp and fruit crumble are interchangeable.
You can keep the crisp at room temperature for a day, then refrigerate. It will keep for about 3 days. You can also freeze your crisp before or after baking, just make sure your baked crisp has cooled completely before freezing. Wrap it in heavy-duty foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Just defrost a baked crisp overnight in the refrigerator and either reheat for 20-30 minutes in a 350° oven or microwave single servings until hot.
If your crisp is unbaked when frozen, defrost overnight in the refrigerator, and bake as directed but extend the baking time since the ingredients are all cold. Watch for bubbling juices indicating the filling is cooking, then check the fruit with a knife to make sure it’s tender before removing it from the oven.
A crisp is best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. With an apple or pear crisp, a drizzle of caramel sauce over the ice cream is a tasty option. You may also serve this crumble with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream with a light sprinkle of cinnamon.
More Apple Desserts You’ll Love:
Crisps are perfect when you need a quick, comforting dessert. Make with the best fruit of the season no matter what season. Try this Pear Crumble with Apples if you’re looking for something a little different. Here are a few favorites plus more fruit desserts.
- Classic Peach Crisp
- Easy Rhubarb Crisp
- Fresh Raspberry Crisp
- Easy Apple Crisp
- Apple Crisp Cheesecake
- Perfect Apple Pie
- Best Apple Recipes
- More Dessert Recipes
Apple Pear Crisp
A cinnamon spiced crisp featuring apples and pears.
Ingredients
Fruit Filling
- 7 cups baking apples peeled, cored and sliced
- 3 cups Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and sliced
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Topping:
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Mix apples and pears in a large bowl. Add sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and gently toss. Place in a greased 9x13-inch pan.
- Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and melted butter.
- Crumble evenly over the fruit.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes or till the fruit is tender when pierced with a knife.
- Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream if desired.
Notes
Can be made with other seasonal fruit.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 323Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 118mgCarbohydrates: 63gFiber: 4gSugar: 46gProtein: 2g
26 Comments on “Apple Pear Crisp”
Sounds so delicious and perfect for apple season. I’ve got tons of apples too and peaches. I might try that combo. Thanks.
This combination of fruit is the best for a crisp in my opinion.
My husband is a chocoholic but he loves this recipe. First time had pears going bad so looked for a good recipe and boy did I find it. Second time to make it. I do about a half more topping for his sweet tooth.
Shared some with my sister and she was delighted to hear I was making it again. Great summer comfort food.
I’m always game for extra topping, too!! Crisps are one of my favorite desserts, too. Thanks, Sue!
Calorie count per serving or for the whole thing anyone? Thank you!
Hi, Catherine, I ran it through my nutrition app and it’s about 318 calories if serving 12. More, of course, if you serve 8.
Hi Liz,
Yummy Blog! Interesting recipe, I am not into fruit crisp but will definitely try this dish, Its healthy and I think easy, I am making this for the kids, I hope they love it. Can I use a non-fat butter or any optional (less fat) ingredients to butter?
I have never used a non-fat butter, so I don’t know how that would work. I’d probably just reduce the butter a bit or just make half the topping to cut the fat. Hop your kids enjoy it!
I love the idea of apple and pear together. Pears are my fave winter fruit. I haven’t made a crisp is ages. Now you’ve got me inspired. YUM.
This fruit combo has been on my radar since early fall and I haven’t gotten around to it yet. Thank you for the delicious reminder and individual servings would be the way to go for me.
What a cozy crisp! I know this is a winner, and perfect for this rainy Tuesday!
Looks like the perfect winter-warmer-upper, Liz! Inspired to make the minis =) P.s. Looks like people know who to call when they need sweets =)
Who can refuse such a delicious recipe? Apple and pear crisp rocks 🙂
Liz, love the combination of pears and apples!!! This looks delicious!
Hello Liz! Fruit crisps are one of my favourite desserts. I always think they seem quite impressive, but as you say they are SO easy to make. LOVE the idea of serving them in those cute (but very posh!) little ramekins.
I like yo serving dish, always makes it taste better.
I really like the apple and pear combination. Crisp is always a delicious dessert.
Perfect for Valentine’s Day breakfast!
This recipe makes me salivate and hungry!! Will have to make some soon , i love apple crisp especially with some icecream
I love an apple crisp and so does my family. The idea of adding pears is fabulous. Must try this soon. Yum!
Apple Pear Crisp is a favorite dish of mine! I especially love the way the house smells while it is baking. 🙂
Since I don’t do pie crusts, these are perfect for me!
We associate crisps with summer but yeah it is perfect any time of year, for a crowd or single dish. And love the apples and pears combination.
Awwww – comfort food!!! Love the apple pear mixture idea too.
That’s funny, recently I’ve been thinking about the individual apple crisps I used to make for breakfast, gotta do that again… Yours sounds wonderful, I love apples and pears mixed together:@)
Brilliant and perfect timing. I have a load of Asian pears sitting on my counter at the moment that I need to do something with very soon. I know a different kind of pear but hoping that it works well. Wishing you a super weekend!