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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I don’t usually do this…but some of the batter got on my hands while I was beating in the spices. I scraped off as much as I could, but some had to be licked off – since there was no raw egg in the dough! OMG, it was so delicious!! I can’t wait to taste the real thing once it comes out of the oven and cools. (I baked mine in a springform pan because my 9×9 was occupied!) My kitchen smells amazing. I have a friend with two pears trees and I am definitely asking for more pears.
That’s the joy of shortbread batter, lick away!! I’m glad you’re enjoying this recipe Annette 🙂
Just received some Harry & David pears (they have the best pears ever) from my BFF and now know how I’m going to use some.
We always get those pears, and while I love to eat them as is, I also always have some leftover… this recipe is perfect for that dilemma 🙂
Just made a batch of these for Christmas giving. I used three pears in various stages of ripeness and didn’t bother to peel them. These are very tasty and so easy to make. I typically don’t like molasses very often, but the light use in the glaze was just perfect. The spices were great and I love that there isn’t cinnamon in it. I feel that cinnamon gets thrown into everything. My suggestion to anyone making these is don’t be afraid to use very firm pears. The pears that were very ripe in my batch are very, very soft. I think I’ll try this with apple sometime as well. This is my second favorite recipe after the amazing Cranberry Bars! Those just came out of the oven.
What a fabulous comment, thanks so much Melissa! That’s a great point about the firm pears, and I agree about cinnamon being over-used. Have a wonderful holiday!
These would be gone in a heartbeat here. So pretty and just as delicious!
The best coffee cake ever! Pears are my husband’s favoruite and we both are crazy for the buttery crumbly topping…this is just perfect, Sue.
Pears are an underused fruit, but probably because they aren’t plentifully available year round. So I am delighted to see this—-in simple form—Ha. Simple has zip to do with how they are to pop into your mouth. What a inspired idea to have the molasses in the drizzle.
I love pears they are so different to apples but a little richer in flavour but the same if that makes sense? Pears are so cheap here at the moment (even though it is spring) that I just want to cook with them. This is a lovely gentle recipe perfect to pop in the mouth any time of the day. And it is true that little pink touch is so perfect.
Thanks Denise!
Lovely flavors here. So autumny 🙂
Pears are one of my personal favorites! I always love pear desserts and am sure I would love these too. You are the bar queen! (Don’t take that the wrong way – I don’t know if you actually hang out in bars … just saying!) Have a wonderful weekend Sue!
I don’t know, either way sounds good to me 🙂
I adore crumble bars, these look scrumptious!
Thanks Laura! I feel like I post a lot of them…but I can’t resist 😉