In this Cardamom Pear Crisp, bartlett pears are seasoned with cinnamon and cardamom and topped with a brown sugar oat crumble topping.
I have recently decided that there is no better Fall scent than cardamom and cinnamon.
Ever since I bought some dried green cardamom pods for a Moroccan roasted lamb shank, I have had more ideas for cardamom scented baked goods than days in Fall. The scent is intoxicating and relaxing all at the same time. I sneak little sniffs from the container in the kitchen all day. I know it’s kinda weird. Don’t tell.
I opened the container for my husband to take a sniff and he said, “I want to make a pillow out of that.” Indeed. A pillow. Good idea.
Or a pear crisp...
The warm flavors of the cardamom and cinnamon intermingle with the brown sugar crisp and toasted pecans for a flavorful fruit dessert that still highlights the pears!
And, while this cardamom pear crisp generously serves two, you aren’t going to want to share after your first bite! It is warm and comforting and will make you want to cozy up in a blanket next to the fire with a good book.
Or at least that’s how it made me feel!
I used the crisp topping that I created for these Peach Crisp Cupcakes to see if it would work on a larger scale. And does it! It crisped perfectly on top but was still soft!
A normal person would probably say there is too much topping but I thought it was perfect and I heard zero complaints from the taste testers (what a tough job!)!
The proportions are also very easy to adjust for one, which makes this cardamom pear crisp the perfect anytime treat!
Recipe
Cardamom Pear Crisp
Ingredients
For the Crisp Topping:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (melted)
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- dash cinnamon
For the Pear Filling:
- 2 bartlett pears (ripe but not soft (about 2 cups))
- ⅛ teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- pinch kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
Make your crisp topping:
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ and ready two small pie dishes or a small baking dish (see Helpful Tools note).
- Combine all topping ingredients in a medium bowl and stir until the butter has coated everything. The mixture should be crumbly but not dry. If yours is a touch dry, add a bit more butter. Be careful, because too much butter will make the topping greasy. Taste test. Sigh with pleasure. You can keep this covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator until needed.
Prepare your filling:
- Core and chop pears into a medium dice. I did not peel mine and I loved the added flavor and texture. The most important thing is that the pieces are relatively uniform in size.
- In a medium bowl, mix the chopped pears with all the remaining filling ingredients. Pour into your baking dish. I find that it's helpful to do a quick taste test before I add my cornstarch.
- Remove the crisp topping from the fridge and crumble over the top of the entire dish, squeezing the mixture as you go so that it forms some large and small crumbles. If you don’t want to use all the topping, that is fine. It will keep, covered tightly in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for a week.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25-45 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the topping is crisp!
- Let cool 10 minutes before digging in! Top with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!
Wow, this crisp sounds amazing! Love that you paired the cardamom with the pears. I always forget about pears until I eat them, and then I wonder why I bake with them so infrequently. Pinned!
LOL! I do the same thing until I bought a bunch of pears and couldn't eat them fast enough.
This is such a fun and different twist from the usual-apple crisp you see this time of year. I LOVE pears, especially with a ton of homey comforting spices! I could totally go for a ginormous bowlful of this right about now! 🙂
A ginormous bowl full is the only way to go!!!
This looks incredible and I'm so excited because I just plucked 3 organic pears from my Mom's tree 🙂 Pinned!
Thanks for the pin, Natasha! Fresh picked pears in this crisp sounds divine!! I need a magic garden like you!
First, I love your little dishes you used for the crisp. Second, I really love that you used green cardamom in your pear crisp - it's one of my most favorite spices and I bet it was so yummy.
Those dishes are Emile Henry mini pie dishes! Multi-purpose. Thanks! It was definitely very yummy! It's now one of my favorite spices too!
I've never had cardamom before but just bought some on my last shopping trip. I can't wait to try it in this recipe. I just love fruit crisps! Pinning
Thanks for the pin, Cindy!! You are going to LOVE it! And now that you have cardamom in your cupboard, you are going to want to add it to everything...mark my words!
Woah! My wife was literally just telling me I should use cardamom in a recipe. And then I open up my email and see this amazing crisp. I think you are stalking me, Lindsey. Of course, if you were stalking me while carrying this crisp, I don't think I would mind. Can we make that happen?? Thanks for sharing!
Haha so now you are asking me to stalk you with this crisp?! Or maybe your wife an I are just in cahoots...you'll never know! I can't wait to see what you use it in!
Oh i love fruit crumbles and crisps - this looks so lovely! What a great dessert to serve to dinner guests - and with an oversized dollop of ice cream? Now your talking 😉
Thanks, Jess! It really is a great dessert to serve guest! The huge scoop of ice cream is absolutely necessary! Who wants a tiny, pathetic one?
This looks incredible Lindsey! I love fruit crisps and this pear one sounds fantastic especially with cardamom 🙂 I'm drooling over the topping too - I don't think there's ever such thing as too much crumb topping 🙂
There is not. Now it has been decided with your stamp of approval!
I agree with you Lindsey --> there is no better Fall scent than cardamom and cinnamon. And I was totally dreaming about curling up in a blanket, next to a fire with a good book. And, no, there can never be to much topping on a crisp like this. Neveh! Girl, you and I are sssooo much alike. 🙂 I like that.
Me too! When you come visit, I'll double the topping 😉
If only I had a fireplace...and some cold weather. Excuse me while I go to Southwest.com to see what flights are like to Seattle! {HUGS}
This looks absolutely delicious!!! 🙂
Thanks, Valya!
Looks lovely and I love your pictures, gorgeous! No Indian dessert is complete without cardamom, I use it all the time and it's one of my favorite spices! 🙂
Thanks, Manali! I bet you have tons of delicious dessert recipes with cardamom! I'll have to check them out.
This sounds delicious! I've never baked with cardamom before - now I have to try it!
You do!! And we also have to make a date to go to the Dekalb Farmers Market! It'll be fun especially if you've never been. That's where I got the cardamom pods that Randy wants to make into a pillow. 🙂
I LOVE crisps, and I just bought some cardamom for a Mystery Dish challenge. I never use the stuff, and I've fallen hard for it (hint...it's great as a rub on pork chops). 🙂 I will be using it in a crisp VERY soon...I'm so drooling over this right now!
A rub on pork chops sounds delicious! I put it in my oatmeal this morning and my yogurt this afternoon but that has been the extent of my savory testing. 🙂 The crisp was delicious!
This crisp looks perfect. Love the addition of cardamon, so delicious. Definitely bookmarking this recipe to try out! 😀
Thanks, Jess! I hope you do! It's super easy to pull together!
Can you believe that I've never cooked with cardamom before?! I know, what's wrong with me?! I definitely have to change that, as this crisp looks amazing! I love the crumbly topping and spices in here. Pinned!
You must try it soon! Thanks for the pin! mmmm the topping...
Cardamom has been one of my all time favorite spices - but, I seem to have had it in more savory than sweet recipes! This crisp sounds heavenly - love the pairing with cinnamon and lemon - I bet the smells were intoxicating! You know, your hubs might be on to something - a cardamom smelling pillow sounds like it could replace those lavender ones...just saying..
The smells were amazing! Does a pillow sound so nice! I like the scent so much better than lavender. Maybe we could start a line of season eye pillows...
Running out to find green cardamom beans! Wait! It's only 6:15am in my time zone. This crisp looks and sounds like a marvelous taste sensation!
It's so good, Mom. I know you'll love it...especially the topping. But for this dish you should just buy ground cardamom (I got the brand we usually get...which I can't think of right now.) The plan was to braise some lamb shanks with the pods, but for now I just smell them! 🙂 I haven't tried it yet but I think a tiny sprinkle of ground cardamom would be a yummy addition to your usual oatmeal!