Baked Pears with Oatmeal Crumble Topping

Dessert doesn’t have to be ooey, gooey or over-the-top to satisfy your sweet tooth. You can easily put together a great homemade treat like baked pears with oatmeal crumble topping.

I’m going to admit that I have a problem: I can’t refuse dessert. To be more clear, I have to have a sweet treat after dinner. I’m blaming my parents for this.

Growing up I remember always having a treat after dinners. Whether it was a slice of cake baked at the beginning of the week, or baked apples topped with a pinch of sugar and cinnamon, there was always something sweet around as a post-dinner delight — usually it was a simple dessert, nothing fancy but definitely tasty.

I was thinking of the baked apples I enjoyed as a kid and since I had some pears at home, I thought I would try a recipe for Baked Pears with Oatmeal Crumble Topping — a great dessert that’s not over-the-top. I added a crumble topping to the pears and they turned out really well — no special pans or extra-special ingredients required. A quick prep and a short time in the oven, and I had a delicious dessert good enough for company, and perfect to me!

I love decadent desserts, but this recipe proves that you can satisfy your sweet tooth with fruit, a few ingredients you’ll probably have on hand and a super-simple prep.

Recipe for Baked Pears with Oatmeal Crumble:

Serves 2-4 people

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ripe pears (I’ve used Anjou and Bosc), split vertically with core and seeds carefully removed
• 1-1/2 cups oatmeal
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the oatmeal, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon.
3. Place the halved pears in a baking dish.
4. Spoon the oatmeal mixture onto the top of each pear half and pat down to make a small mound.
5. Dot each of the pear halves with the pieces of butter.
6. Bake, uncovered, for about 15 minutes. Turn the oven to broil to allow the topping to brown, just for about 30 seconds. Watch the pears carefully at this point so they don’t burn.
7. Serve with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce or plain.

Serves 2-4 people