Spiced Pear and Cranberry Crisp
Sinkology is proud to present Emily Schuermann, our food-loving guest blogger who runs Food for a Year. Emily is here to share some recipes she has created exclusively for the Sinkology blog that reflect her view of a copper sink: simple, timeless, affordable, and beautifully rustic.
Spiced pear and cranberry crisp – the best of winter comfort food (in my opinion). Whether it’s winter or summer, my go to simple dessert is a fruit crisp. As a kid, my mom could whip up a fruit crisp in a matter of minutes. Eventually I picked up her tricks and tips and now it’s a staple in my home too. You may be wondering ‘what’s a fruit crisp?’
It’s a baked crustless pie of sorts with
- any seasonal fresh or
- frozen fruit
- a brown sugar + oat crumble topping and
- maybe some spices depending on your mood
It’s truly one of the easiest desserts out there!
Spiced Pear and Cranberry Crisp – as easy as 1-2-3
This recipe makes use of
- a few warm winter spices,
- fresh cranberries and
- (a little hack?!) canned pear halves
Toss everything together in a mixing bowl and layer with a jar of your favorite caramel sauce.
Jarred caramel sauce is what makes this crisp extra special – but be sure and save a few tablespoons to drizzle over your bowl of warm crisp.
Crisp Topping – my favorite part!
This fruit crisp topping uses a shortlist of ingredients and really is the best part of this dessert. Start with a cold stick of butter and combine it with oats, brown sugar, flour and salt. Work the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry knife, leaving pea-sized bits of butter throughout. Pile the crumble topping over the fruit and caramel sauce, being sure to press it into gaps and spaces between the fruit.
Bake the spiced pear and cranberry crisp until hot and bubbly all the way through. Serve with a little sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. I L-O-V-E this combination of sweet pears and tart cranberries, every bite has the perfect amount of spice and sweet and every so often there’s a burst of cranberry. The caramel and winter spices and crisp topping makes this dessert especially wonderful!
Spiced Pear and Cranberry Crisp
spiced pear and cranberry fruit filling
- 12 oz caramel topping
- 32 oz canned pear halves, drained
- 1 c fresh cranberries
- 1 t ground cinnamon
- 1/4 t ground ginger
- 1/2 t ground cloves
- 1/4 t freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 T finely diced crystalized ginger
- 1/4 t fine sea salt
- 1 T flour
- 2 T salted butter, sliced into 6-8 thin pats
spiced pear and cranberry crisp topping
- 1-1/2 c quick cook oats
- 1/2 c flour
- 1 stick butter, salted
- 1 c brown sugar
- 1/2 t salt
garnish
- sweetened whipped cream – or –
- vanilla iced cream
Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare a round 8” to 9” x 2.5” baker (or a square 9”x9”) by coating with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Spoon 1/2 c caramel sauce into the bottom of the prepared dish.
Add one layer of pears and 1/3 c cranberries on top of the caramel.
In a medium mixing bowl combine remaining pears, cranberries with spices, flour, salt and crystallized ginger. Mix thoroughly.
Pour spiced pear mixture into the baking dish, add butter pats and top with remaining caramel.
In the same medium mixing bowl, combine crisp topping ingredients, working with hands or fork to incorporate butter (should be worked into pea-sized bits). Sprinkle crisp topping over the caramel.
Last, place the prepared crisp on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until cranberries burst, crisp topping is golden and the filling is bubbly (35-45 minutes).
Serve with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Serves 8
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