Pear Cobbler is made with fresh spiced pears, luscious homemade salted caramel sauce, and flaky, buttery biscuits. It’s an easy dessert but it’s still impressive enough to serve for a special occasion!
This is one of the easiest cobbler recipes you’ll make – the fruit filling comes together in the baking dish, the biscuit topping is completely unfussy, and the whole thing is topped off with that magical fall elixir – salted caramel sauce.
Why you’ll love this Pear Cobbler:
- Fresh Pears – This cobbler uses fresh, juicy sweet pears! This seasonal fruit is completely underrated and shines in this easy pear cobbler recipe.
- Salted Caramel – Salted caramel sauce pairs perfectly with the pears in this sweet treat.
- Buttery Biscuits – The cobbler topping is crisp on top, and ultra light & fluffy inside. And, there’s no folding and turning required, keeping this an easy recipe.
Ingredient Overview:
- Ripe Pears – Use ripe bartlett pears. Check for ripeness by gently squeezing the pear – if there’s some give, they’re ripe. Avoid rock hard or mushy pears. They should be *just* ripe.
- All-purpose flour – Just a bit of flour helps thicken the cobbler so it’s still juicy, but not runny.
- Salted Caramel Sauce – Homemade salted caramel sauce adds extra depth of flavor to this cobbler recipe.
- Spices – Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves enhance the pear flavor without overwhelming.
- Butter – I always use salted buter for the best flavor, but feel free to use unsalted butter if you prefer.
Ingredient Substitutions:
- Buttermilk – You can use regular milk and lemon juice to substitute for buttermilk. Full details are in the recipe card below.
- Salted Caramel – You can use store bought caramel sauce in a pinch.
- Dairy-Free – Use your favorite dairy-free milk and butter to keep this recipe dairy-free.
- Pears – Use whatever type of pear you like best – use Bartlett, Green or Red Anjou, or Comice Pears. Or, use a mix!
How to Make this Pear Cobbler Recipe Step-by-Step:
Step 1: Make the Salted Caramel Sauce. This can be done up to a week ahead. Cook sugar down in a pot until it liquifies, then whisk in butter and heavy cream. It takes just 10 minutes! Let this chill until it’s semi thick but still pourable.
Step 2: Make the Pear Filling. Slice your pears, and toss them together in a buttered baking dish with the remaining filling ingredients. Let the pear mixture rest while you make the biscuit topping. (It’s not going to look super pretty at this point, but that’s normal!)
Step 3: Make the Biscuit Topping. Whisk together your dry ingredients in a large bowl, then cut in the butter, and stir in the buttermilk until a dough forms.
Step 4: Assemble the Cobbler & Bake. Give the pear filling a stir, then pour on the salted caramel sauce and gently stir it in. Scoop the biscuit topping with an ice cream scoop or large spoon into blobs about 4 tbsp in size and place these on the top of the pear filling. Bake until deep golden brown and bubbly! This has a long bake time, but it needs it – just follow the directions in the recipe card.
Step 5: Dig In! Serve this while it’s nice and warm from the oven, with an extra drizzle of caramel sauce and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or even caramel ice cream for a twist!
Expert Success Tips:
- Fluffy Biscuits – Be sure your butter and milk are nice and cold going into the biscuit dough for the best results.
- Pears – Don’t use overripe pears or they will get mushy in the oven. They should be *just* ripe, and have a bit of give while not feeling too soft or mushy.
FAQs:
Somewhat. You could make the biscuit dough ahead, scoop it onto a sheet pan, and store it in the fridge, covered well. The caramel sauce can be made up to a week ahead and stored in the fridge. Make the fruit filling when you’re ready to make the whole cobbler, it won’t hold up if you make it ahead of time.
Yes, feel free to cut it in half and bake in a 8 or 9 inch round or square pan.
Yes! See variations below for some excellent choices.
Recipe Variations:
- Cranberries – Feel free to omit 1-2 cups of pears and add in cranberries (fresh or frozen) in the same amount, for a Cranberry Pear Cobbler.
- Apples – Feel free to do the same as above with apples. Be sure to slice them 1/4″ thick so they aren’t too thick to cook through.
Serving + Storing this Pear Dessert:
This delicious cobbler recipe is best fresh from the oven, while it’s nice and warm. The biscuits won’t be as crisp on the next day. But, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 more days. Reheat in the oven to bring the crispness back into the biscuit topping.
Special Tools:
- Cookie Scoop – I used this scoop for the biscuits in this cobbler, and I use it for making larger, bakery-style cookies.
- Pastry Cutter – A pastry cutter makes cutting butter into dry ingredients super easy for biscuits, pie crust, scones, and more.
More Fall Baking Recipes to Love:
- Apple Cider Donuts
- Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
- Salted Caramel Apple Galette
- Maple Bacon Cupcakes
- Banana Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Cupcakes with Brown Butter Frosting
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo and leave a comment!
Be sure to follow bluebowlrecipes on instagram and tag #bluebowlrecipes with your photo! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the bluebowlrecipes Facebook page. I’d love to see what you make!
Salted Caramel Pear Cobbler
Ingredients
For the Salted Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp salted butter, cut into chunks
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp heavy cream
- pinch of flaky sea salt
For the Pear Filling
- 11 large bartlett pears About 13 cups *they should be justtt ripe
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled 87 grams
- 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup salted caramel sauce
For the Biscuit Topping
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled 390 grams
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 cup salted butter, cold and cut into large cubes 1 and 1/2 sticks or 170 grams
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp buttermilk, cold
For Topping
- splash of heavy cream, cold, for topping
- sprinkle of raw sugar or cinnamon sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Make the Salted Caramel Sauce: Follow the directions for my Homemade Caramel Sauce to make this. Let it cool in the fridge until it's not completely runny anymore, or make it up to a week ahead.
- Make the Pear Filling: Cut pear slices that are 1/4" thick, and add to a buttered 9×13 baking dish. Add remaining filling ingredients and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Make the Biscuit Topping: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon. Cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender, until the butter pieces are the size of blueberries or walnut halves, and are coated in flour. Add the buttermilk, and stir until everything is combined. You'll have a semi wet, shaggy dough.
- Assemble & Bake: Preheat your oven to 400° F. Give the pear filling a good stir, then pour in 1/3 cup of salted caramel sauce and stir gently to mix it in. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop biscuits into blobs about 4 tbsp in size and place evenly over the top of the pear filling. Add a bit of heavy cream to a small bowl and brush it lightly over the tops of the biscuits, then sprinkle with raw sugar or cinnamon sugar. Bake for 58-66 minutes. The biscuits should be deeply golden brown and the filling should be very bubbly. Place an aluminum foil lined pan below the cobbler to catch any drips. (You can lift a biscuit in the center with a knife to check that it's baked on bottom, and to make sure the filling is bubbly all the way to the center of the cobbler.)
- Serve + Store: Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and more salted caramel sauce. This is best fresh from the oven, but leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days and reheated in the oven so the biscuits retain their texture.
Reisha Glavic says
Can you use peaches instead of pears?
Stephanie Simmons says
Hi Reisha! I think so. I would use the peach filling from my peach crisp – but double it to fill a 9×13 pan. https://bluebowlrecipes.com/peach-nectarine-blackberry-crisp/
Let me know how you like the recipe!
Natalie says
Amazing!! The caramel sauce with the biscuit dough was soooo good! It was gone in minutes. Perfect dessert
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks so much, Natalie!
Mae says
Delicious!
The biscuit topping has a crispy top and softy pillowy center. My pears were perfectly ripe making the filling very rich and flavorful. Will definitely be making this again.
Stephanie Simmons says
Glad you enjoyed this cobbler, Mae!
Valerie says
Absolutely delicious! Huge family favorite. Perfect blend of sweet and salty and the caramel!! OH MY GOODNESS! My son added extra caramel to his serving, ate it with apples, ice cream and anything he could find. My pears weren’t as firm as they should have been so I added more in hopes they wouldn’t get too soft and it seemed to work. Will definitely make this every year!
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks for the rave review, Valerie! So glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Catherine says
Can this be made with apples instead of pears? How many apples would you use?
Stephanie Simmons says
Hi Catherine! If you want to use all apples, I’d use the same amount of apples as the recipe calls for with pears. There’s also a note about subbing in apples or other fruits in the Recipe Variations section near the end of the blog post. I think you could also reduce the flour from 2/3 to 1/2 cup but that’s just my best guess, I haven’t tested this out with apples. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!