Ginger-Pear Crisp With Gingersnap Crumble Recipe

Do you know the difference between a crisp, a cobbler, and a crumble? All three dishes consist of a sweet, fruit-flavored base, the key to the difference between these three similar desserts is all in the topping. A fruit crumble is topped with a simple, streusel-style mixture made primarily of flour, sugar, and butter. A crisp uses this streusel-style base with the addition of oats, and sometimes nuts, to give the dish a more crisp and crunchy finish. And, finally, a cobbler uses more of a soft biscuit or cake-style dough as a topping for its fruit base.

This ginger-pear crisp dish, created by Tasting Table recipe developer Jennine Rye, uses wonderfully ripe pears as its fruit base, which are mixed with freshly grated ginger to give the dish a lovely warming spiced flavor. The flavor of the ginger is enhanced through the addition of ginger snap cookie crumbs in the crisp topping, giving it an especially crunchy and flavorful finish. Simple to assemble and bake, this dessert is a wonderful option for anyone who enjoys the delicious spiced heat of ginger combined with the soft sweetness of pears.

To begin this ginger-pear crisp with gingersnap crumble recipe first, you will need to gather the ingredients. For the crisp topping, you will want butter, brown sugar, white sugar, flour, oats, salt, and ginger snap crumbs. You can make ginger snap crumbs by pulsing the cookies briefly in the food processor, or by placing the cookies in a ziplock bag and crushing them with a rolling pin. For the pear filling, you will additionally need ripe pears, water, lemon juice, fresh ginger, and more sugar.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

To make the crisp topping, add ⅓ cup butter, brown sugar, ¼ cup white sugar, flour, oats, and salt to a bowl.

Combine by crumbling the ingredients through your fingers to make a damp sand-like mixture.

Mix in the ginger snap crumbs and set to one side.

Peel the pears.

Chop the pears into 1-inch chunks.

Add the pears to a medium-sized baking dish along with ¼ cup white sugar, water, lemon juice, and the grated ginger.

Mix the ingredients in the baking dish and then dot the remaining tablespoon of butter around the pear mixture.

Top the pear mixture with the crisp topping.

Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the topping is golden and crisp, and the mixture underneath is bubbling.

Leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Not only is the combination of sweet spiced pears and a crunchy ginger topping a match made in heaven, but it is also one that is open to customization. There are plenty of options for adapting this recipe to either suit a dietary need or personal preference or to enhance the existing flavors and textures.

To make this ginger-pear crisp gluten-free, simply swap out the flour and the ginger cookies for a gluten-free version, and ensure that the oats you use are certified gluten-free too. To adapt this recipe for a dairy-free diet, you'll just need to use a dairy-free variety of butter, margarine, or even coconut oil. Remember to serve with a dairy-free ice cream or cream.

You've got almost limitless options available to you to add some variation to the flavors and textures. You can play around with the fruit filling, substituting some of the chopped pears for berries, apples, or plums instead. This is a great way to adapt the crisp to whichever fruits are in season. You can also experiment with the spices — cinnamon or cardamom make great additions. Finally, you can mix nuts in with the topping to add further crunch as well as a delicious toasted nut flavor to the resulting crisp.

This comforting dessert can be dished up hot, warm, or cold, depending on your preference. We recommend serving it hot or warm to consume it at its most delicious, topped with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. The contrast of the cold ice cream and the warm crisp is perfect. Alternatively, you can serve it with whipped cream, or with cold or warm custard. A drizzle of warm caramel sauce makes a great accompaniment to the pear and ginger flavors.

Depending on the occasion, you can either bake this crisp in one big oven dish and then spoon out portions into bowls or plates, or you could consider using individual-sized ramekins for single-serving desserts. This second option is a simple and wonderful way to step up the elegance of this warming dessert, elevating it from classic comfort food to a classy ending to your meal.