Cozy up to fall with this easy Apple Pear Crisp! Layers of sliced apples and pears are wrapped in a brown sugar cinnamon filling, full of warm spices and topped with a crunchy oatmeal pecan topping. This foolproof apple dessert is what autumn is all about!
A fall crisp is just a start! If this season has you feeling like baking, then there’s no better time for my Mamaw’s Old Fashioned Fresh Apple Cake, Cinnamon Apple Quick Bread or a Rustic Pear Galette.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- An apple pear crisp is a quick fall dessert that rivals an apple pie without the fuss of pie crust!
- It’s made with basic pantry ingredients with plenty of options to use what you have on hand for convenience.
- It only takes 10-15 minutes of prep and then goes right in the oven! (I don’t even peel my fruit, but you can if you like.)
- My apple pear crisp feeds a crowd, so it’s perfect for all of your fall get-togethers- chili suppers, bonfires, tailgates, even Thanksgiving!
- It’s the perfect fruit-filled dessert to take to neighbors, family and friends who might need a little extra love.
The Difference Between A Crumble & A Crisp
Both a crisp and a crumble are a baked fruit dessert with streusel type topping. The crumble topping is more of a true streusel topping made only from flour, sugar and butter.
A crisp’s topping, however, includes the addition of oats and the occasional nuts! This apple pear crisp recipe includes a topping with the crunch of old fashioned rolled oats and chopped pecans!
Ingredients & Recipe Overview
I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & steps in these next sections along with helpful tips!
Look for specifics at the end of the post in the recipe card.
- apples (Honeycrisp, Braeburn or Granny Smith)
- pears (Bartlett)
- lemon juice
- all purpose flour
- light brown sugar
- ground cinnamon
- vanilla extract
- old fashioned rolled oats
- chopped pecans (or walnuts)
- real butter
- salt
Make this recipe work with what you have on hand:
- use all apples or all pears
- use apple pie spice (which includes cinnamon and nutmeg) instead of ground cinnamon
- use quick oats instead of old fashioned rolled oats
- use chopped walnuts or sliced almonds instead of pecans
- forget the nuts & add an extra ⅓ cup of oatmeal
How to Make An Easy Apple Pear Crisp
Make Topping. In a large bowl, stir together all of the topping ingredients except the butter. When they are mixed well and there are no pockets of flour, cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or fork until the topping becomes crumbly like a wet sand.
Toss. Toss apple and pear slices in lemon juice. Then add the rest of the ingredients and toss together until all of the apples are coated.
Assemble. Fill the bottom of a buttered dish with all of the coated apples and pears mixture. Arrange so that the dish is filled evenly. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit, covering it completely.
Bake. Bake for 40-45 minutes in your preheated oven or until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling up around its edges. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Serve. Serve your apple crisp warm or cold. Top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce or a drizzle of Apple Cider Spiced Honey for extra yum!
Different Ways to Bake A Crisp
For this crisp, I used a 3 quart casserole dish. A 3 quart dish holds the same the amount as a 9×13 rectangular baking dish. So go ahead and make this a 9×13 dessert!
I also love baking this crisp in a 10-12 inch cast iron skillet, almost exactly like my Easy Skillet Blackberry Cobbler recipe. The skillet presentation has all the cozy feels, especially with a large dollop of vanilla ice cream in the center.
You can also bake this recipe in a 9 inch deep dish pie plate (you might have to use 2 pie plates depending on how deep your dish is).
Tips For Making the Best Apple Pear Crisp
- This recipe adds a pinch of salt to the filling and to the oatmeal topping even though salted butter is also used. forget that adding a little salt to your desserts rounds out the flavor, making all of the ingredients pop!
- Pears are softer than apples, even a hard pear like the Bartlett. To keep the texture consistent throughout the dessert, slice your pears just a little thicker than your apples.
- Don’t skip the resting time! This filling is lava hot when it comes out of the oven, so you really can’t eat it right then anyway. But more importantly, the filling thickens as it cools to that apple pie consistency you’d expect.
Making Ahead, Storing and Freezing Instructions
This recipe can be made and baked the day before serving. Either store, covered tightly, on the kitchen counter at room temperature or in the refrigerator. To serve warm, cover with foil and heat in a 350° oven until heated through.
Leftovers can be stored at room temperature for 1-2 days if covered well or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
If you’d like to freeze this dessert, you can! It can be frozen after it’s assembled but before it’s baked, making it ideal to take to a neighbor who’s had a baby, surgery or a thoughtful gift. To bake, thaw in the fridge overnight then simply follow the recipe baking instructions.
What Are The Best Apples For Baking?
In general, the best apples for baking are the varieties that will maintain their shape and a firm texture while being cooked. An apple that is too soft will turn to mush under high heat for long bake times. The same goes for pears.
Honeycrisp, Braeburn and Granny Smith are all great apple choices with Granny Smith being the most popular baking apple. However, I will admit the sweeter Honeycrisp apples are my personal favorite no matter what I’m making!
Gala and Fuji apples aren’t the best for this recipe.
For pears, Bartlett pears are hands down the best for cooking (Anjou pears work too) even though Bartletts may not the best for snacking or salads.
More Apple Recipes To Love
Cozy Apple Pear Crisp
Ingredients
Topping
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter (+ 2 tablespoon for greasing pan)
Filling
- 3 medium apples, sliced
- 3 medium pears, sliced
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease bottom and corners of 3 quart baking dish or 9×13 pan with butter. Set aside.
Topping
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together all of the topping ingredients except butter. When it's mixed well, cut in butter using a pastry cutter or fork until the topping becomes crumbly like a wet sand. Set aside.
Filling
- Toss apple and pear slices in lemon juice. Then add the rest of the ingredients and toss together until all of the apples are coated.
- Fill the bottom of your greased dish with all of the coated apples and pears. Arrange so that the dish is filled evenly. Cover the fruit evenly with the topping.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes in your preheated oven or until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling up around its edges. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
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- Pears are softer than apples. To keep the texture consistent throughout the dessert, slice your pears just a little thicker than your apples.
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- Don’t skip the resting time! The filling thickens as it cools to that apple pie consistency you’d expect.
- This recipe can be made and baked the day before serving. Store assembled crisp, covered tightly, in the refrigerator. To serve warm, cover with foil and heat in a 350° oven until heated through. Leftovers can be stored at room temperature for 1-2 days if covered well or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. If you’d like to freeze this dessert, you can! It can be frozen after it’s assembled but before it’s baked,
Nutrition
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