Pear Cobbler (easy recipe)
This easy cobbler recipe is a simple, old-fashioned pear dessert with juicy, sweet chunks covered in a tender biscuit dough. A fantastic addition to your fall or pear recipes file. We use fresh pears when available but added a variation with canned pears.
Servings 10 servings
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 3.5 pounds pears
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup sugar you can use up to double the amount if you like sweeter desserts
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon for other spices, see Notes below
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
For the topping:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup milk I use whole, but reduced-fat or 2% milk can be used
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and warm
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
For the pear filling:
- Peel, core and cut 3.5 pounds pears in chunks.
- Put on an 8x11-inch ceramic or glass dish, drizzle with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and sprinkle with ¼ cup sugar and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon.
- Mix 3 tablespoons water with 1 tablespoon cornstarch until well dissolved and pour over the spiced pears. Stir lightly again and reserve.
For the biscuit topping:
- In a bowl, mix 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Add ⅔ cup milk and 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and warm, and stir lightly until moistened. Don’t overmix.
- Drop this topping over the pear filling in mounds.
- Spread each mound a little with the back of a spoon or spatula, but don’t cover all the pears.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, until golden and fully baked inside. Check the biscuits by slightly lifting the dough and checking if it still has unbaked parts. It might be dry and browned on the outside but still wet inside. Tent with foil if necessary (to avoid browning too much) and continue baking.
- Turn the oven down to 325°F (165°C) and bake another 15 minutes, or until very golden and the biscuit topping is dry and done.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
- Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.
- You can keep it refrigerated for 3 days, covered. Or frozen for 2 weeks, well wrapped.
- Warm before eating.
Notes
Pears: I find that cutting the fruit in chunks works best. They hold their shape well after baking. I'd rather cut large chunks than risk the pears disintegrating too much. But it's up to you.
Cobbler with canned pears: a great alternative if you don't have fresh fruit. Use 2 large cans of pears (15oz each) mixed with 2-3 tablespoons sugar, ½ cup of pear juice from the can, and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice before adding. Combine all together for the filling.
Spiced pears: for a deeper and more complex spice flavor, use ground cardamom or ginger instead of, or together with, cinnamon. Apple pie spice is also a good choice for a more spiced pear cobbler.
