Easy Pear Bars are the perfect Fall dessert for sharing with friends, coworkers, neighbors ~ everybody loves the buttery shortbread crumble!
Reader Elicia says:
“WOW I made these last night and they are incredible! The crust is perfect and the spices make this the best pear dessert I’ve ever made. LOVE!”
Pears are gorgeous fruits and lend themselves to dramatic treatment, like stunning garnet colored poached pears, or my simple but show stopping Pear Salad with Creamy Walnut Vinaigrette. And my pear cakes and tarts always elicit the oohs and aahs. But today’s spiced pear bars are for everyday. Even if I’m busy or tired it’s hardly any effort at all to pull together the easy dough and peel and slice the pears.
- Easy peasy ~ the dough for the crust and crumb topping is made in one go, right in my food processor (you can also use a stand mixer or simply your hands.)
- Pantry and fridge staples: you probably already have what you need.
- Classic buttery cookie base is a universal favorite ~ who doesn’t love butter and sugar?
- Versatility – spin the flavor wheel! Just about any fruit, spice, and/or nuts can be used.
- For giving and sharing: sturdy bars and tarts travel well, and keep for days and days on the counter.
the spices make these pear bars extra special
I played with gingerbread spices in this shortbread dough, but toned them down a bit so they don’t overpower the delicate pears.
I think it’s perfect – the mix of spices doesn’t include any cinnamon (which is so ubiquitous in fall baking.) The result is a little bit different and mysterious ~ it doesn’t scream “gingerbread” or “holiday.” I think they will feel just right from September through March!
how to make shortbread in the food processor
My favorite way to make shortbread is in the food processor – it makes quick work of pear bars. Here’s how I do it.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of the food processor (flour, sugar, and any spices). Pulse a few times to incorporate everything evenly.
- Add the butter and any other wet ingredients like vanilla extract.
- Make sure your butter is soft! If it is chilled, the dough will remain crumbly and the butter won’t incorporate well into the other ingredients.
- Pulse until the butter is broken down and the ingredients come together into a soft dough.
no food processor? Make pear bars by hand
- To make shortbread dough with a stand mixer, cream together the soft butter and sugar until fluffy and well mixed. Then add the flour and spices and mix just until everything is combined- don’t over mix.
- To make shortbread dough by hand, I would whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl first (flour, sugar, and spices). Then add the softened butter and vanilla extract, and use your hands to rub everything together until the dough comes together.
spiced pear shortbread variations to try
- Use a pre-made spice mix like pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice.
- Make it nut-free by simply omitting the walnuts.
- Swap in whole oats for a little bit of texture. I like to add them just to the crumble topping.
- Use apples instead of pears.
- Add 1 tsp of almond extract to the shortbread dough and swap the walnuts for sliced almonds for a lovely almond-pear crumble bar variation. I would use white sugar and omit the spices for this version to the let the almond flavor shine, but it’s up to you!
- Yes you can use canned pears in a pinch, just drain them really well.
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Spiced Pear Bars
Spiced pear crumble bars are an easy way to showcase beautiful fall pears! A delicate, unexpected spice blend makes them super special.
Servings: 12 servings
Equipment
- 9" square baking pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 2 cups diced fresh pear (I diced my pears about 1/3", you should need 2-3 medium sized pears)
- 1 tsp lemon juice (optional; adds a bit of acidity to the pears and helps them not turn brown)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Butter your 9 inch square baking pan and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the 2 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp ground ginger. Pulse just to get everything evenly incorporated.
- Cut the 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature into tablespoon-sized pieces, and add to the food processor along with the 1 tsp vanilla extract. Pulse until the dough comes together into a soft dough (it will still be somewhat crumbly).
- Take about 2/3 of the dough and press it into the bottom of a 9×9 square baking pan. Try to cover the whole bottom surface, using your hands to lightly pat the dough down. You can also use the bottom of a cup measure to help press it evenly down.
- Add the remaining third of the dough to a small bowl and mix it with the 1/4 cup chopped walnuts. Set aside.
- Toss the 2 cups diced fresh pear (I diced my pears about 1/3", you should need 2-3 medium sized pears)with the 1 tsp lemon juice briefly. Spread the diced pears over the layer of shortbread dough in your pan.
- Top with the rest of the dough, crumbling it evenly across the layer of pears. Don't worry if the fruit shows through the crumbles, that's fine.
- Bake for about 40-45 minutes until the top is starting to turn light brown around the edges and you can hear the fruit bubbling.
- Let the crumble bars cool before gently removing from the pan using the parchment paper liner. (If you did not use parchment paper, I would advise serving straight from the pan.)
Nutrition
Calories: 279 kcal · Carbohydrates: 30 g · Protein: 3 g · Fat: 17 g · Saturated Fat: 10 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 41 mg · Sodium: 102 mg · Potassium: 84 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 12 g · Vitamin A: 480 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 21 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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My husband just loved there’s desert bars, he normally doesn’t like many desserts. So I will definitely will keep this one.
I’ve got lots of similar crumble bars utilizing different fruits on the site, Toni, I hope you’ll explore 🙂
WOW I made these last night and they are incredible! The crust is perfect and the spices make this the best pear dessert I’ve ever made. LOVE