Gluten-Free Pear Cranberry Crisp
There's nothing like the perfect bite of warm fruit crisp. It's juicy, crunchy, and slightly tart. I've made probably thousands of fruit crisps as a pastry chef and I'm letting you in on my best-kept secrets with this gluten free pear dessert.
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Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
For The Filling
- 3 pounds pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 12 ounces (3 cups) fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed or vegan butter for dairy-free version
For The Topping
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup rolled oats, certified gluten-free if necessary
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed or vegan butter to make dairy-free
For Serving
- salted caramel sauce, optional
- vanilla ice cream, optional
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F and arrange a rack in the middle. In a large bowl, combine the 3 pounds peeled, cored pears cut into 1-inch pieces, 12 ounces (3 cups) fresh or frozen cranberries, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 teaspoons orange zest, 1/4 cup fresh orange juice, and 1 teaspoon ground ginger. Toss until the fruit is well coated. Pour into a 2-quart baking dish and dot the top with the 4 tablespoons cubed unsalted butter or vegan butter.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the 1 cup almond flour, 1 cup rolled oats (certified gluten-free if needed), 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Stir until the sugar lumps are broken up and everything is evenly mixed. Add the 8 tablespoons cubed, room-temperature unsalted butter or vegan butter and work it into the dry ingredients with your hands until the mixture holds together when squeezed.
- Squeeze handfuls of the oat mixture into clumps, then break them into chunky pieces over the fruit. Repeat until all the topping is used and the fruit is covered.
- Place the baking dish on a parchment-lined baking sheet to catch drips. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the topping is dark golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.
- Let the crisp cool for at least 15 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce, if desired.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Baked and cooled crisp freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake (covered) in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes or until heated through. You can prepare the crisp through step 3, then cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day before baking. You can also freeze the unbaked crisp for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then continue with step 4. Bake time will be a little longer since the crisp will be cold.
- Pears: See blog post above for the best pears to use. It is important that the pears are ripe but still a bit firm. An equal mix of Bosc and D'anjou is my favorite for pear crisp.
- Gluten-free flour: If you don't want to use almond flour, substitute gluten-free oat flour or gluten-free flour blend.
- Nuts: Feel free to substitute chopped pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts for the walnuts in the crisp topping.