Caramel Apple Pear Crisp Recipe
This Caramel Apple Pear Crisp recipe is a classic dessert full of flavor with sweet apples and pears baked in a creamy caramel sauce with a buttery oat topping. Easy to make and enjoy for special occasions, holidays, or a weeknight treat.
Classic fall dessert
Caramel and apples are the best fall combination of flavors. The sticky sweet caramel covering a warm apple just bursts with flavor. Now add juicy pears, a hint of cinnamon, and a buttery oat topping and it becomes the most amazingly delicious dessert.
Caramel Apple Pear Crisp is an absolute show-stopper. Everyone is familiar with apple crisp but the caramel and pears make it extra special. It is still a simple yet tasty dessert that everyone will enjoy with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream melting over the top. Easy enough for a weeknight treat but always a hit at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any holiday meal.
Ingredients
- Apples– truly any type of apple will taste fantastic in this dessert with only subtle differences. For a more crispy apple, try Granny Smith or Honeycrisp. For a softer and slightly sweeter apple, try Gala or Fuji.
- Pears– most varieties of pears work for this recipe. Bartlett, Bosc, or Anjou are commonly found and pair nicely with apples.
- Caramel– either homemade or jarred would taste fantastic. Premade caramel is often found in both the fresh produce section and the ice cream topping section in grocery stores.
- Old-fashioned oats– the key ingredient in the crispy topping. Quick oats could also be used but will have a slightly more powdery texture similar to flour.
- Lemon juice– this helps to keep the apples and pears from browning too quickly.
- Butter– it is easiest to crumble when it is softened but still cool.
- All-purpose flour
- White granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Salt
How to make it
This is so simple to make. All you have to do is:
- Make topping- mix together oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium-sized bowl. Then add the cubed butter and make the crispy top. The best way to do this is with a pastry cutter, a fork, or by using your hands. Keep mixing until there are pea-sized pieces. Set this aside in the refrigerator until ready to put it on top.
- Mix filling– add flour, white sugar, and cinnamon to a small bowl and set this aside.
- Prepare the apples and pears– peel, core, and thinly slice the apples and pears and place them in a large bowl. You will want them to be around 1/4 inch in thickness. Toss them with lemon juice to keep them from browning too quickly. Now add the filling mix and stir it all together so that all of the apples and pears are covered in the cinnamon sugar. Pour them into the baking pan.
- Add caramel and topping– drizzle the caramel all over the top of the apples and pears. Don’t worry about getting it evenly coated. It will blend together when it bakes. Sprinkle the topping over the entire top of the apples and pears.
- Bake– leave it uncovered and bake for around 45 minutes. The apples and pears will be softened, the caramel filling will be bubbling, and the oat top will be slightly browned and crispy.
- Enjoy– serve it warm by itself or with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Drizzle a little more caramel over the top for an extra burst of sweetness.
Variations
This recipe works well as an Apple Crisp or Pear Crisp. Just use all of one fruit.
If it tastes a little too sweet, reduce the granulated white sugar in half for the filling or leave out the caramel sauce.
Try different fruit combinations like apple cranberry or pear blueberry.
Make ahead and freezing options
This dessert is easy to make ahead. Just prepare as directed before baking and cover. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Add a few extra minutes of baking time for a cold crisp.
You can also freeze it! Be sure it is tightly covered and freeze an unbaked crisp for up to three months before baking. Allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.
Frequently asked questions
This dessert does not need to be refrigerated. Cover in an air-tight container and it will last at room temperature for up to 2 days. However, the crisp will last up to 5 days if refrigerated.
The only difference is that a crisp has oats in the streusel topping and a crumble does not.
If the crisp filling is a little runny, be sure to allow it to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. The filling will thicken as it cools.
More delicious dessert recipes
- Old Fashioned Lemon Icebox Pie– a sweet dessert full of flavor with tart lemons, sweetened condensed milk, and cool whip.
- Chocolate Strawberry Jam Oatmeal Bars– easy make-ahead dessert filled with a sweet chocolate and strawberry jam filling with a buttery oatmeal crumble top.
- Slow Cooker Strawberry Peach Dump Cake– a fast and easy dessert filled with sweet strawberries and peaches topped with a buttery cake crumble.
Caramel Apple Pear Crisp Recipe
Ingredients
Fruit Filling
- 6 medium/large apples
- 4 medium/large pears
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup caramel sauce homemade or jarred (plus a little extra to drizzle on top)
Oat Streusel Topping
- 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter softened but cool
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray or grease a 9×13 inch pan and set aside.
- Prepare oat topping– in a medium-sized bowl, mix together oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Then add the cubed butter and mix together with a pastry cutter, a fork, or by using your hands until you have pea-sized pieces. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Prepare filling– in a small bowl, mix flour, white sugar, and cinnamon and set aside.
- Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples and pears around 1/4 inch in thickness and place them in a large bowl. Toss with lemon juice to keep from browning too quickly. Now add the cinnamon sugar filling mixture and stir together until all of the apples and pears are covered. Pour into the baking pan.
- Drizzle the caramel over the top of the apples and pears. Sprinkle the streusel oat topping over the top of the apples and pears.
- Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until fruit is soft and topping is crispy and slightly golden brown. Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
I made it for Thanksgiving. I love how you can make it the night before, which I did. I used canned pears and Granny Smith apples and I was told it is a keeper of a recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it!