Warm Spiced Maple Pear Crisp

• 5 ripe but firm pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, toss the sliced pears with maple syrup, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until evenly coated. Transfer the pear mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread out evenly.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the rolled oats, almond flour, brown sugar, ground ginger, and cloves. Mix well to blend the dry ingredients.
4. Add the cold butter cubes to the oat mixture. Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces.
5. If using, stir in the chopped pecans or walnuts for extra crunch and flavor.
6. Sprinkle the oat crumble evenly over the pear mixture in the baking dish.
7. Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the pears are bubbling and tender when pierced with a fork.
8. Remove from the oven and let the crisp cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy warm by itself or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Chef tips

• Use firm, ripe pears to avoid a mushy filling. Bartlett or Bosc pears work beautifully for this crisp.
• If you don’t have almond flour, you can substitute it with all-purpose flour or oat flour, but the texture will be slightly different.
• For a nut-free version, omit the pecans or walnuts and add an extra 2 tablespoons of oats to maintain the crumble texture.
• To prep ahead, assemble the crisp up to the baking step, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake as directed when ready.