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Home » Recipes » Desserts & Baking

insanely good pear crumble bars

September 14, 2018 23 Comments

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These Insanely Good Pear Crumble Bars have a simple crumble base that doubles as the topping – with a layer of fresh pears and 30-second microwave caramel sauce nestled in the middle. Fall perfection!

Pear crumble bars. this recipe

Let’s give pears some love. Seriously – they’re the unsung hero of fall. Just as tasty and versatile as the apple or pumpkin, but much less celebrated.

Sliced pears on dough in a tray.

Sliced pears on dough with caramel sauce on a tray.

I fell in love with pears after buying some from a local apple orchard one fall, a few years ago. OH. MY. WORD. If you can get your hands on local pears, do it do it do it. (It  may be a bit late in the season though, depending where you live). To be fair, I bought these pairs from the grocery store and they worked just fine.



Caramel sauce pouring over sliced pears.

Now that I’m done rambling about my love of pears, let’s talk about these bars. It’s like a dessert bar and an apple crisp had a baby, and that baby was a pear instead of an apple.

And that pear was actually a few pears, sliced paper thin and nestled between a soft brown sugar crust and a homemade caramel sauce – with more crumbly crust sprinkled on top.

Crumble topping over sliced pears.

Oh, about that homemade caramel sauce. Are you thinking complicated, much lady? Don’t worry – it’s just a 30-second microwave-miracle caramel sauce. No big deal or anything.

Pear crumble bars.

Close-up of pear crumble bars.

Are you drooling yet? Are you ready to embrace pears? Get to it! ? ❤️ Happy fall + happy baking!

Pear crumble bars.

Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo and leave a comment! 

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Insanely Good Pear Crumble Bars

These dessert bars have a simple crumble base that doubles as the topping - with a layer of fresh pears and 30-second microwave caramel sauce nestled in the middle. Fall perfection!
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert, Dessert Bars
Cuisine: Dessert
Keyword: Dessert Bars, Fall Dessert, Pear Bars, Pear Recipes, Potluck recipes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 32 minutes
Total Time: 52 minutes
Servings: 12 bars
Calories: 282kcal
Author: Stephanie Simmons

Ingredients

For the Crust + Crumble Topping

  • 1 stick + 3 tbsp salted butter 11 tbsp total
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar packed
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp salt

For the Filling

  • 3 medium pears thinly sliced
  • 4 tsp heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp salted butter

Instructions

  • Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan or baking sheet with parchment paper or grease well with non-stick spray. Set aside. 
  • Make the crust + topping: Soften the butter in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Add brown sugar and mix until creamed. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix until a crumbly dough forms. Set aside a cup full of the mixture for the topping. 
    Press the rest of the mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes. 
  • Make the filling: While the crust bakes, prep the filling. Thinly slice the pears.
    To make the caramel sauce, combine the heavy cream, sugars and butter in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir until smooth.
    When the crust is done baking, lay the the pear slices over the crust in an even layer (overlap is ok). Pour the caramel over the pears, and sprinkle the reserved crumble mixture over the top. 
  • Bake: Bake for 22-25 minutes, until lightly golden brown. 
  • Serve + Store: Let cool slightly before slicing and eating. Store leftovers (hah!) in an airtight container at room temp for up to 3 days. These bars are best the first day, though. 

Nutrition

Calories: 282kcal

This post was originally published in October of 2017. I updated it this week and gave it new photos!

Love dessert bars as much as I do? Try these Strawberry Caramel Crumble Bars or these Peach Butter Crumble Bars!

 

 

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Comments

  1. Mary Ann Letten says

    September 09, 2023 at 12:27 pm

    5 stars
    Love these pear bars. I tripled the cinnamon. Also at a bit of cloves and ginger. Also 3 extra tablespoons of butter.
    Best warm with ice cream.
    5☆☆☆☆☆ recipe

    Reply
    • Stephanie Simmons says

      September 12, 2023 at 11:10 am

      Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, Mary Ann! I’m so glad you enjoyed these bars. And I love that you amped up the spices! 🙂 I will have to write that into the recipe.

      Reply
  2. Potato Pumpkin says

    December 18, 2021 at 9:39 pm

    It looks very delicious. I don’t know how it will taste like I made. I have to try it once if I have time. I can’t wait. . .

    Reply
    • Stephanie Simmons says

      December 28, 2021 at 4:00 pm

      Let me know how you like the recipe! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Patricia says

    September 22, 2019 at 7:14 am

    Can you put these in freezer?

    Reply
    • Stephanie Simmons says

      September 24, 2019 at 7:39 am

      After baking? I haven’t tried it but I think you could store them in the freezer – wrap them tightly and keep in a freezer safe container for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before eating.

      Reply
  4. Luci says

    November 10, 2017 at 2:15 pm

    Oh this looks so delicious. I’ll have to try this recipe out, I never have done a recipe with pears before.

    Reply
  5. Cynthia says

    November 06, 2017 at 3:04 am

    These pear bars look like an awesome snack! I feel sorry about pears now, I’ll give them a chance! It is just apples and pumpkins are so much visible now! Time to show some respect to this unsung hero!

    Reply
  6. Daniela says

    November 05, 2017 at 4:54 pm

    Yum! Pears and caramel are two of my favorite things. I can’t wait to make these!

    Reply
  7. Azlin Bloor says

    November 05, 2017 at 3:26 pm

    Oh my goodness, these look amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever had a pear crumble anything – time to correct that!

    Reply
    • bluebowl says

      November 06, 2017 at 9:37 am

      The first time I ever tried a pear dessert I was HOOKED! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Tiffany Alexandria says

    November 05, 2017 at 11:35 am

    these really do look insanely good!!! I just swore that I’m not having sugar this week but this is really tempting….

    Reply
  9. Elena says

    November 05, 2017 at 12:40 am

    These bars look so tempting! I love anything with crumble and caramel.

    Reply
  10. Melissa says

    November 03, 2017 at 9:45 pm

    Oh my goodness these look divine! I have to admit, we don’t use pears in as many dishes as we should (They really are a delicious fruit!!!). I love the caramel sauce too…I would be licking that bowl!

    Reply
    • bluebowl says

      November 04, 2017 at 2:44 pm

      Thanks so much! This is probably my favorite of all the desserts I’ve made so far 🙂

      Reply
  11. Catherine Brown says

    November 03, 2017 at 8:33 am

    Wow, those do look fabulous! I love pears, especially in the fall but I’ve never used them in a bar like these before. I definitely need to give these a try!

    Reply
    • bluebowl says

      November 03, 2017 at 4:25 pm

      Thank you! 🙂

      Reply
  12. Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says

    November 02, 2017 at 2:51 pm

    I am going to make these dessert bars very soon, primarily because I now know that they’re the love child of an apple crisp and a pear—LOVE IT! But also because OMG: a caramel sauce I can make in the MICROWAVE?! [Swoons]

    Reply
    • bluebowl says

      November 02, 2017 at 9:52 pm

      So glad to hear that!! These are one of my all-time favorite desserts 🙂

      Reply
  13. Amelie says

    November 02, 2017 at 9:57 am

    Oh yes! These look amazing. We’re huge fans of pears and I’m always looking for snacks or desserts with pears.

    Reply
    • bluebowl says

      November 02, 2017 at 9:52 pm

      Thank you! 🙂

      Reply
  14. April says

    October 31, 2017 at 11:18 am

    Those look so good! I am definitely going to try to make this but with apples. Would apples be okay? That’s if I can get my son from eating them all. I go through a bag of them every week.

    Reply
    • bluebowl says

      October 31, 2017 at 5:18 pm

      Thank you! Yes – I definitely think apples would work! You might need to up the baking time though since apples aren’t tender to begin with like pears are! Maybe add 5-10 minutes to the second round of baking! 🙂

      Reply

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