Pear Crumble with Golden Topping (Printable)

Tender pears with a thick, crunchy golden topping. A comforting British dessert ready in under an hour.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pear Filling

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

# Directions:

01 - Set oven to 375°F 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, spreading 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 pea-sized chunks remaining.
04 - Distribute crumble topping evenly over pear filling, gently pressing down to form a thick, cohesive layer without compacting completely.
05 - Bake for 35 minutes until topping is golden brown and filling begins bubbling at edges.
06 - Allow crumble to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Present warm, optionally garnished with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It turns ripe pears into something golden and irresistible without needing any fancy technique.
  • The crumble topping stays crunchy on top and soaks up just enough juice underneath to stay flavorful.
  • You can throw it together on a weeknight and still feel like you made something special.
  • It tastes even better the next morning, cold from the fridge with coffee.
02 -
  • If your butter is too soft, the topping will turn greasy instead of crisp, so cube it straight from the fridge and work fast.
  • Don't skip tossing the pears with flour, or the filling will turn soupy and soak through the crumble.
  • Let the crumble cool for a few minutes before digging in, or the filling will be scalding hot and runny.
03 -
  • Press some of the crumble topping into small clumps before sprinkling it on top so you get those big crunchy pieces everyone fights over.
  • If the top is browning too fast, tent the dish loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
  • Use a clear baking dish if you have one so you can see when the pear juices start bubbling, which means it's ready.
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