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single serving of Blackberry Pear Crisp with full baking dish

Blackberry Pear Crisp Recipe

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5 from 1 review

Bubbly, fruity, crunchy and exploding with flavor, this Blackberry Pear Crisp is comfort-cuisine at its finest, and a wonderful way to show off autumn’s delectable pears. Plus, with my recipe you don’t have to worry about a soggy crisp – including cornstarch or quick-cooking tapioca solves the problem!

  • Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Topping:

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch squares and chilled

1/2 cup quick cooking rolled oats

6 tablespoons chopped pecans

Filling:

2 heaping cups fresh blackberries, cut in half if large (2 6-ounce packages works well)

1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds (around 4) fresh Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and chopped into 3/4-inch pieces (see Tip below)

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch or quick-cooking tapioca granules

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Vanilla or butter pecan ice cream, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish.

Prepare the topping:

  1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
  2. Add chilled butter cubes. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles wet sand. You can use a pastry cutter or your hands – pinch the butter together with the flour mixture. (You can also use a food processor.)
  3. Stir in oats and chopped pecans. Chill while you prepare the filling.

Prepare the filling:

  1. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the blackberries and pears.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch (or tapioca), lemon zest and cinnamon. Sprinkle over fruit and gently toss (I like to use my hands).

Assembly:

  1. Spoon fruit mixture into prepared baking dish.
  2. Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit.
  3. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and top is browned.
  4. Serve warm or at room temperature with a scoop of ice cream.

Notes

Tip on pears: This recipe works best with pears that are firm but not rock hard. They should be ripe enough to have flavor, but not so ripe that they turn to mush when baked. Make sure to purchase pears that are firm and let them ripen at room temperature. Look for pears that are not bruised, shriveled or discolored. Refrigerating pears will reduce their flavor.

Dairy-free variation: Grease the baking dish with olive oil. Substitute 3 tablespoons of butter-flavored olive oil for the butter in the topping. Omit ice cream.

Make ahead: Topping can be prepared, covered and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead. Filling can be prepared earlier in the day.

  • Author: Lee Clayton Roper
  • Category: Dessert, dairy free, easy entertaining
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American