When there’s fresh fruit, I will find a way to put it into a cobbler. This pear cobbler is a fall twist on one of the most easygoing desserts around. Tender pears, golden topping, and a perfect cobbler are all yours. Pretty enough to serve and delicious enough to devour.
This cobbler will have you thinking about the common pear in a whole new way. This comes together fast for a warm, comforting dessert. We love an apple around here, but a pear is a fun twist in this version. Think poached pear—but with a decadent topping.
I love a scoop of ice cream on a warm piece of cobbler. It’s a perfect cozy dessert for an autumn night. I’ve also been known to eat a scoop of this cobbler cold as a midnight snack or as an extra special breakfast. It’s that good. I really do love cobbler. I hope you’ll try these homemade favorites next! In the fall, after we have this pear cobbler, we love apple cobbler, Bisquick apple cobbler, pecan pie cobbler, chocolate cobbler!
So don’t pass the pears next time! Put them in this cobbler instead. Let’s bake this!
Best Pears For Baking
In the U.S., there are 10 major pear varieties grown commercially. Bartlett, Anjou- red and green, Bosc-red, Forelle, and/or Concorde pears are your best bets for baking with pears. These selections are named because these varieties hold their shape and flavor well even when baked.
Pears such as Comice pears, are tender and break down too much when baked.
What Spice Goes Well With Pears?
The best spices for baking with pears would be the spices considered warm spices. Wow, that’s a huge category encompassing many international cuisines and countries.
That said, here in the U.S. cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves are the standard go-to warm spices.
In the middle east, those spices would include allspice. Allspice is not a blend of spices as the name implies but dried berries. It comes from a plant called Pimenta dioica.
Other warm spices that I think would be deliciously interesting to try would be Chinese 5 spice, cardamon (one of my favorites!), coriander, Garam Marsala, and even white pepper. Did you know high-quality white pepper actually has a floral flavor?! How much do you want to experiment with spices??
Pear Cobbler Ingredients
Filling:
- Pears: In this recipe, I like to use green Anjou pears. They need to be ripe but still firm. If they yield too much when you apply gentle pressure to the stem end or base of the neck, they will be mushy in this cobbler and you won’t get tender juicy chunks of fruit. When testing for doneness like this, the flesh should only yield slightly when the fruit is ripe.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar.
- Cinnamon + Nutmeg: The perfect combo of warm spices to go with these delicious pears.
- Vanilla Extract: I always use pure vanilla extract rather than imitation. It’s more expensive, but I believe the higher quality of flavor is worth the added expense. I find the old stand-by, McCormick pure vanilla extract, works very well. I buy it for a reasonable price at Costco. That said, aficionados may enjoy more a nuanced, aromatic flavor in their vanilla. Here’s an article from Serious Eats with their favorites and here’s another article from Taste Of Home with their preferences.
- Lemon Juice: I use freshly squeezed lemon juice. The acid from the lemon juices adds just enough acidity and brightness to balance the sweetness of this cobbler.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the juices of the cobbler.
Cake Topping:
- Flour: All-purpose flour.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar.
- Brown Sugar: You can use light or dark.
- Baking Powder: The rising agent in the topping.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness.
- Unsalted Butter: Make sure your butter is very cold.
- Water: The water needs to be boiling when you add it to the batter.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Refrigerator? Once baked, you can store your cobbler in the fridge for up to a week.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes! Make sure your cobbler is fully cooled, then store either whole or portioned in airtight containers in the freezer for up to eight months. When you’re ready to serve, leave your cobbler in the fridge overnight, or pop a frozen slice of leftover cobbler in the microwave or your lunchbox for a midday treat!
- Make-Ahead Tips: This cobbler comes together very quickly, so there’s little you can do as far as make ahead.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more food safety info check out this article. I’ve yet to find an article that specifically lists cobblers and crisps, I use the “fruit pies” under baked goods as my reference.
Serving Recommendations
Okay! I want a big scoop of really good quality vanilla ice cream on a warm piece of this cobbler than a little sprinkle of cinnamon on the tippy top. You can also opt for a scoop of homemade whipped cream. I also love pipping hot coffee, tea, or Keoke Coffee.
How to Make Pear Cobbler
- Mix the filling ingredients.
- Transfer it to the baking dish. Bake.
- Mix all the cake topping ingredients, except the boiling water.
- Mix with a pastry blender until it looks like a coarse meal.
- Pour the boiling water and stir.
- Pull the baked pears from the oven and drop spoonfuls of dough on top.
- Sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake and serve.
*****See full instructions below.
More Yummy Cobbler Recipes
- Peach Cobbler
- Blueberry Cobbler
- Bisquick Peach Cobbler
- Strawberry Cobbler
- Blackberry Cobbler
- Bisquick Blueberry Cobbler
- Cherry Cobbler With Cake Mix
Pear Cobbler
Ingredients
Filling:
- 3 pounds Anjou pears, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Cake Topping:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup boiling water
Sugar Topping:
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
- In a large bowl, fold the pears (3 pounds), white sugars (1/2 cup), cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon), nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon), vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon), lemon juice (1 teaspoon), and cornstarch (2 teaspoons) until all ingredients are well combined.
- Pour fruit mixture into a 9X13-inch baking dish.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- While the pears are in the oven, mix together all the cake topping ingredients, except the boiling water, to a medium bowl.
- Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse meal.
- Pour in the boiling water (1/2 cup) and stir just until the mixture comes together and is just mixed through.
- After the pears have baked the 10 minutes, pull them from the oven and drop large spoonfuls of the dough topping over the pears.
- Evenly sprinkle the top of the dough with the 3 tablespoons of sugar.
- Place the baking dish on a cookie sheet, in case the cobbler bubbles over and drips, and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the topping is golden and baked through and the pears are tender.
We love your peach cobbler so much, we wanna try all your cobbler! This one is a bomb!
Thank you so much, Alice!!
100 stars
Thanks Truman!
Could I use Peach instead of Pear ??
Hi, Vi! We have peach cobblers you might wanna try. Southern Peach Cobbler and Bisquick Peach Cobbler