This Caramel Pear Crisp is a decadent and deliciously spiced dessert that’s perfect for the holidays. The caramel pear filling is spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and vanilla bean, and topped with a crunchy almond flour and pecan crisp topping. Don’t forget to serve this gluten-free, paleo, and vegan crisp with some whipped coconut cream!
Hi friends! How’s the Thanksgiving planning going, since we’re only two days out from the big day?! I’m still reeling with how fast this year has gone by, and I’ve barely planned a thing for my family’s Thanksgiving festivities.
Thankfully for me, I’m a little off the hook this year. Normally, I end up in charge with at least all the dessert and a few sides, but this year my sister and I are splitting our time between my dad’s family and my mom’s family, which means I just need to make sure there’s some GF + vegan treats for the two of us.
One thing is for sure though: this Caramel Pear Crisp is definitely on the menu for us. I developed the recipe this past weekend for my own Thanksgiving meal, and decided I needed to get it photographed and posted so you too could enjoy this goodness for your own holiday feast, if you so choose. :)
Apples are always getting a lot of love this time of year, but pears, despite their delicious juiciness, tend to get left behind. I’m guilty of it too, so I decided to make pears the *star* of this dish and give them the love and attention that they deserve.
I used a combo of Anjou and Bartlett pears for this crisp. I like using a variety of pears to get a variety of textures and flavors. I wanted to use a few Bosc pears for the firmness, but none were ripe at the store. Luckily, these two provided incredible fresh flavor and an amazing texture. The Bartletts break down, creating a delicious sauciness in the crisp, while the Anjous retain their shape and some firmness.
A quick caramel-like sauce is made to coat the pears in. It’s sweetened with maple syrup and coconut sugar, and spiced up with cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. The warm, earthiness of the cloves along with the lemony cardamom and fragrant vanilla bean makes the perfect pairing here, and complements the pear and caramel flavors wonderfully.
Once the pears are tossed and coated in the caramel sauce, they’re piled into a casserole dish and topped with a paleo crumble topping. The crisp topping doesn’t use any oats, and instead uses chopped flaked coconut to recreate the texture, and pecans for some additional nutty crunch.
It’s baked until golden and bubbling, and then it’s ready to serve! You can serve it warm from the oven, or let it cool and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.
Whenever you serve it, make sure you serve it with vanilla ice cream or whipped coconut cream, all topped with a big healthy drizzle of the easy three ingredient no-cook caramel sauce. I hope you love this decadent caramel pear crisp as much as I do! Enjoy :)
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Caramel Pear Crisp
This Caramel Pear Crisp is a decadent and deliciously spiced dessert that's perfect for the holidays. The caramel pear filling is spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and vanilla bean, and topped with a crunchy almond flour and pecan crisp topping. Don't forget to serve this gluten-free, paleo, and vegan crisp with some whipped coconut cream! Course Dessert Cuisine American Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 45 minutes Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes Servings 10 servings Author RachelIngredients
- 2 pounds fresh pears I used a mix of Anjou and Bartlett, peeled, cored and sliced into ¼” slices
- ¼ cup coconut oil or ghee I used 4th & Heart's Vanilla Bean Ghee, use coconut oil to keep vegan
- 2 tablespoons (14g) tapioca flour
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the crumb topping
- 1 cup (96g) almond flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- ½ cup flaked coconut chopped into bits
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut oil softened, use refined for no coconut flavor
- ¼ cup pecans chopped
For the caramel sauce
- ½ cup cashew butter
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9” square or round casserole dish with coconut oil. Set aside.
- Place the sliced pears in a large bowl. Melt the coconut oil or ghee in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the tapioca flour to form a paste and then whisk in the water, coconut sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and vanilla extract. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 3 minutes to thicken and melt together before removing from heat and pouring the caramel sauce over the sliced pears. Toss to coat all of the pears, and pour into the prepared pan.
- For the crumble topping, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, cardamom, cinnamon, flaked coconut, maple syrup, coconut oil, and pecans in a mixing bowl. Stir until the dry ingredients are completely moistened and then crumble evenly over the pears.
- Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake 45-50 minutes or until the pears are tender and the crisp is bubbling, and the crumble is golden brown on top. Tent with foil if the pie starts to brown too quickly!
- For the caramel sauce, whisk together the cashew butter, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Microwave for 30 seconds, or until the ingredients are melted together, and whisk to combine.
- Serve warm or let cool before serving with caramel sauce. I recommend serving with dairy-free vanilla ice cream or whipped coconut cream. Keep any leftovers stored in the refrigerator.
