Pear, Chocolate & Ginger Crumble

This delicious and nutritious Pear, Chocolate & Ginger Crumble (aka Pear Crisp) can be made in an air fryer or oven. Juicy caramelised pears nestle under a sweet crumbly spelt flour and oat topping with added nutty crunch, molten dark chocolate and subtle warming ginger.

The nutty flavours and textures are a delight on the palate and worthy of any dinner party menu!

I first developed this Pear, Chocolate & Ginger Crumble recipe back in 2013 and was blown away by how good it was.

So, I decided to re-shoot it when I had a bowl full of ripe pears sitting on the counter the other day. You know how pears are; they sit there hard as nails for days, then all of a sudden ripen and need using all at once! 

I also wanted to update the instructions so that it could be an air fryer pear crumble as everyone is trying to save on their energy bills!

Anyway, I didn’t have quite enough pears this time so I added a few dessert apples which went really well. So that’s why this isn’t called Pear, Apple, Chocolate & Ginger Crumble as the apples were a guest on the day I reshot the photos!

Why you should make Pear, Chocolate & Ginger Crumble Recipe

• A great way to use up a lot of ripe pears (you can even add apples if you’re short like I did).
• Healthier than your average pudding as it uses fresh pears, wholemeal spelt flour, almonds and dark chocolate, so packed full of nutrients and fibre.
• You can make it in an air fryer to save on energy costs or in an oven. If you don’t have an air fryer, I can’t recommend them enough!
• Perfect comfort food for autumn/winter.
• Easy and foolproof recipe.
• Probably the best pear crumble recipe on the planet!
• Can be made ahead of time and then baked later or even frozen ahead.
• Great for entertaining, especially if you use a premium high percentage cocoa dark chocolate.

Pear Crumble Ingredients

You will need:

• Ripe Conference Pears (or any type of pear) – and if you don’t have quite enough then add some dessert apples!
• Unsalted Butter – chilled and cut into cubes. Needed for both the crumble topping and caramel base for pears. Don’t fret if you only have salted butter.
• Caster sugar – for the caramel. If you only have granulated sugar then use that.
• Light Muscovado sugar – for the caramel, gives extra depth of flavour. Dark Muscovado sugar would also be fine.
• Wholemeal Spelt Flour – a beautiful nutty tasting flour made from an ancient grain and full of healthy dietary fibre. Makes this crumble extra tasty.
• Porridge Oats – add a lovely texture to the crumble topping.
• Demerara Sugar – adds caramel notes to the crumble topping.
• Dark Chocolate – use the supermarket’s own brand or push the boat out and use a high cocoa dark chocolate if entertaining or just treating the family.
• Almonds – chopped or flaked (or any nuts you prefer).
• Crystallised Ginger – gives a subtle mellow warmth to the crumble.

How to make Pear Crumble

• Add butter, light Muscovado and caster sugar to a large non-stick frying pan on a low to medium heat.
• Once butter has melted stir in a tablespoon of water to dissolve the sugar to form a caramel.
• Peel, quarter and core the pears (and apples if using) adding to the caramel mixture and turning as you go (to prevent fruit from browning), still over a low heat.
• Meanwhile, prepare crumble topping by rubbing butter and flour together to form breadcrumb-like texture or use a food processor.

• Stir in Demerara sugar, oats, chopped almonds, chocolate and crystallised ginger.
• Add a tablespoon of water and shake to form lumps.
• Place pears in an ovenproof dish.
• Pour over the crumble topping, spreading out with a fork.

• Bake at 180°C for 40 – 45 minutes in the oven. If using air fryer, preheat at 180°C for 4 minutes and then bake for 13 minutes.
• Serve with ice cream or custard.

Can you make this crumble with other fruits?

Yes, you could make it with apples, peaches, nectarines, plums and also throw some berries or dried fruits into the mix.

Can you leave out the Crystallised Ginger?

Yes, if you don’t like ginger then simply leave it out. There’s only one cube of chopped crystallised ginger in the crumble topping so it’s quite subtle and just gives a lovely mellow warmth.

What substitutions can you make to the Crumble Topping?

To mix things up you could:

• Substitute the dark chocolate for a flavoured one eg Sea Salt.
• Instead of chopped crystallised ginger use a teaspoon of ground cinnamon or pumpkin spice.
• Replace the chopped almonds with other nuts such as pecans, hazelnuts etc.
• In place of wholemeal spelt flour use any flour of your choosing eg another ancient grain like Einkhorn, plain wholemeal flour or a mixture of flour etc.

Can you freeze Crumble?

Yes, you can, either freeze it before or after baking. Then simply thaw overnight in the fridge and bake as per instructions for the air fryer or oven method.

How do you reheat Chocolate, Ginger and Pear Crumble?

Crumble needs to be reheated to at least an internal temperature of 70°C which it should hold for 2 minutes. A digital thermometer is best for checking.

Pop individual portions in the microwave for a couple of minutes or so until hot. Alternatively, cover with foil and re-heat at 180°C in the oven for about 20 mins, removing the foil for the last few minutes to aid crisping of topping.

To reheat pear crumble in the air fryer, preheat to 180°C then place the dish in the basket and reheat for a few minutes at a time until hot (don’t cover with foil as could cause a fire if it is blown into the element).

More Orchard Pudding & Dessert Recipes

Once you’ve made my Pear, Chocolate & Ginger Crumble do try these recipes:

• Eve’s Pudding
• Plum Crumble
• Apple Meringue
• Rhubarb Pudding
• Banana Pudding
• Quick Apple Puddings
• Plum Almond Tarte
• Sweet & Spicy Poached Pears

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Leave a comment and rating below when you’ve made this recipe; I love getting your feedback! You can also share your pictures by tagging @FabFood4All over on Instagram.

NB: First published 13 March 2013.

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Pear, Chocolate & Ginger Crumble

Pear, Chocolate & Ginger Crumble has a delicious topping made with wholemeal spelt flour, oats and almonds as well as dark chocolate and crystallised ginger.

Course Dessert, Pudding

Cuisine British

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4 – 5

Author Camilla Hawkins

Ingredients

• 925 g ripe conference pears (or mix of apples & pears)
• 30 g butter unsalted
• 25 g caster sugar
• 25 g light Muscovado sugar

Crumble topping

• 75 g wholemeal spelt flour (or flour of choice)
• 50 g butter chilled & cubed (salted or unsalted)
• 3 tablespoons porridge oats
• 45 g Demerara sugar
• 15 g chopped or flaked almonds or other nuts
• 50 g dark chocolate finely chopped
• 5 g crystalised ginger 1 cube, finely chopped

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C if not using air fryer.
• Put 30 g unsalted butter, caster sugar and Muscovado sugar in a large non-stick pan over a low to medium heat to make a caramel base.
• Once butter has melted add 1 tablespoon water and stir with a wooden spoon until sugars have dissolved.
• Peel, quarter and core pears (and apples if using) adding them to the pan as you prepare them, turning in the caramel to prevent browning. (This way you don't need to use lemon juice to prevent browning).
• Allow the pears to soften on a gentle heat and go slightly golden, turning from time to time.
• Meanwhile prepare crumble topping. Put 75 wholemeal spelt flour and 50g of butter in a food processor or rub together with fingertips to form texture of breadcrumbs
• Stir in Demerara sugar, oats, chopped almonds, dark chocolate and crystallised ginger.
• Add 1 tbsp water and shake to form small lumps.
• Remove caramelised pears from heat and pour into a 1.5 litre (20 cm round) oven proof dish.
• Then pour over the crumble topping, spreading evenly with a fork, don’t pack it down.
• Pre-heat air fryer for 4 minutes at 180°C and then bake for 13 minutes or until crisp and golden. For oven method, place on middle shelf and bake for 40 – 45 minutes.
• Serve hot with ice cream, cream or custard. Can also be eaten cold.

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