This Pear and Ginger Crisp is the most delightful Spring dessert! It’s loaded with deliciously sweet pears, warm and spicy ginger notes – and a not so secret ingredient aka BOURBON that will have you coming back for more!
Okay, it’s time we have an important discussion my friends – I truly believe that pears are the most underrated fruit of all time.
Anyone with me?! I pondered why as I wrote this blog post and I think I know. For me, as a child, the only access I ever had to pears were in the plastic fruit cups filled with the sugary syrup. The pears were soggy, overly sweet and just NOT GOOD.
In real life, pears are wonderful. They’re SO sweet, super juicy and while they don’t have the crunch of an apple, they retain a firmness that peaches don’t. They’re extremely unique and I’m here to advocate for them! Pears 4 LYFE.
Why This Crisp is Just The Best
Okay, where do I even begin?! First of all, crisps are my go-to dessert. They are insanely simple to make, are like a combination of a pie and cobbler without all of the work – and they always turn out SO delicious!
I mean, truly, how can you combine something like ripe pears, oats, brown sugar and salted butter and go wrong?
I especially love this particular crisp topping because it’s made with whole wheat flour and oats! It’s very almost earthy and not overly sweet.
I knew that after eating my first ripe pear this year a few weeks ago that I wanted to make a pear dessert for my blog this year. But I wanted to make it a little bit more special!
Not Your Average Crisp
So – this isn’t your average pear crisp. It has ginger in it! Ginger adds an insane depth of flavor to this dish, not to mention it easily helps balance the super sweetness of the pears with the slightly spicy nature of the ginger.
The ginger also goes amazingly well with the secret ingredient that I mentioned above…you ready for this?!
BOURBON. Yup, bourbon.
I knew that I wanted to add bourbon to this – the pears, the brown sugar, the butter, the ginger – it all is so cozy and warm. The bourbon helps elevate the vanilla and caramel notes that are already present in the crisp.
Worried it might taste “boozy”? Don’t fret! Although you do coat the pears in the bourbon, the bourbon cooks through in the oven. It just, like I said, adds an extra layer of warm spiciness that will keep you coming back for another bowl!
Ingredients Needed:
- Firm but ripe pears
- All purpose flour
- Whole wheat flour
- Raw sugar
- Cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Salt
- Lemon juice
- Bourbon
- Rolled oats
- Salted butter
- Brown sugar
Best Tips for Baking Pear and Ginger Crisp with Bourbon
First off, let’s discuss pears! You want to make sure that your pears are ripe, but still FIRM! You know what I mean, right? Like, you don’t want the pears to be soggy..but you do want them to be so deliciously sweet.
I sliced my pears in half, removed the core and then sliced them into long thin slices, like so:
I left the peel on (as I normally do with fruit) because did anyone else’s Mom ever tell them that the main nutrition is in the peel? Not sure if that’s the truth but I’m trusting my mama, y’all.
For the crisp topping – I skipped using a pastry cutter or my hands and put everything into my food processor. This was a game changer, y’all. It made it SO fast!
Make sure that your butter is cold and diced into cubes like you see above.
Pulse the ingredients until they resemble coarse sand and you can tell that the butter is evenly distributed throughout.
Make sure to butter the glass dish you’re cooking in – and then you just top it with the crisp topping.
Bake this at 350 for 35 minutes and then for that extra crispy golden top, broil it for 1-2 minutes! Watch it like a hawk though and don’t let it go from the perfectly caramelized goodness to a burnt brick. Been there. Done that. Not fun.
Finally, my favorite tip is to add on some deliciously cold vanilla ice cream! It makes it SO extra delicious.
The pears are so perfectly sweet, soft, caramelized and they melt in your mouth. The vanilla ice cream is cold and goes amazingly with the crunchiness of the crisp topping.
Overall, I’m pretty positive that I could eat this for dessert, a snack, or let’s be honest, breakfast. It’s THAT GOOD.
Hope you guys enjoy this one! Happy Mother’s Day Weekend! XO – Haylie
Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are few others you might like:
Whole Wheat Peach Cobbler Bars
Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie
Pear and Ginger Crisp with Bourbon
This Pear and Ginger Crisp is the most delightful dessert! It’s loaded with deliciously sweet pears, warm and spicy ginger notes - and a not so secret ingredient aka BOURBON that will have you coming back for more!
Ingredients
Crisp Filling
- 6-7 medium ripe but firm pears, cored, and cut into long thin slices (about 4 cups worth)
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp raw sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tbsp bourbon
Crisp Topping
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 4 tbsp cold butter, diced into cubes
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- Vanilla ice cream for topping
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch round baking dish with butter. Remove the core of the pears and chop them into long thin slices.
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Add these gently to a bowl. To the bowl, add in the all purpose flour, raw sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, lemon juice and bourbon. Stir gently to combine.
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Chop the cold butter into cubes. To a food processor, add the whole wheat flour, rolled oats, ginger, brown sugar and butter. Pulse until it resembles a coarse sand.
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Add the pears to the greased baking dish. Spread the crumble topping on top of the pears.
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Bake for 30-35 minutes. If desired for an extra golden topping, broil for 1-2 minutes - just make sure to watch it carefully to make sure it doesn't burn.
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Let cool for several minutes and then garnish with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
If you don't have a food processor, add the crisp topping ingredients into a separate bowl and using your hands, work in the butter until it resembles a crisp topping - the butter should be pea sized by the time it's done.
I love any kind of fruit crisp, and pear and ginger are such a warm and delicious combo! Obviously, I’m loving the addition of bourbon too. Looks like a must try Haylie!
Thank you so much, Leanne! It’s so super delicious! I love it 🙂
Could I use all purpose flour instead of whole wheat flour for the crisp topping?
Hi Catherine! I think that should work fine 🙂 Let me know how it turns out!
Is there a reason to use all purpose flour in the filling but whole wheat in the crisp?
Hey Amanda! I think that the whole wheat flour pairs with the flavor of the ginger/pear the best 🙂 But, I think that if you wanted to use just all purpose flour for the crisp or whole wheat in the filling, either way should work! Thanks for coming to my page! Happy holidays!