Tender Pears Golden Crumble Topping (Printable)

Tender pears with thick, golden crumble topping. A comforting British dessert perfect with vanilla ice cream.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pear Filling

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

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
02 - In a large mixing bowl, toss sliced pears with lemon juice, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and all-purpose flour until evenly coated. Spread mixture into a greased 9-inch baking dish.
03 - In a separate bowl, combine all-purpose flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add cold cubed butter and work mixture with fingertips or pastry cutter until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some larger chunks remaining.
04 - Distribute crumble topping evenly over pear filling, gently pressing down to create a thick, consolidated layer.
05 - Bake for 35 minutes until topping turns golden brown and fruit filling bubbles at edges.
06 - Allow crumble to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Present warm, optionally topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The topping stays incredibly crunchy even after a day, no sogginess in sight.
  • It uses simple pantry staples but tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen.
  • The pears become jammy and sweet, contrasting perfectly with the buttery crumble.
  • It's endlessly adaptable, you can swap fruits or add nuts without a second thought.
02 -
  • Cold butter is non negotiable, if it's too soft, the topping will turn greasy instead of crisp.
  • Don't skip the tablespoon of flour in the filling or you'll end up with a soupy mess underneath a perfect crust.
  • Let the crumble rest before serving, the fruit juices need time to settle and thicken.
03 -
  • Use a mix of crumb sizes in your topping, fine crumbs fill gaps while larger chunks create those irresistible crunchy bits.
  • If the topping browns too quickly, tent the dish loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
  • A pinch of flaky sea salt sprinkled over the hot crumble right before serving adds a surprising and delicious contrast.
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