Pear Pie Crumble Bars

Pear Pie Crumble Bars are a great substitute for pie. As much as I love pie, I almost love pie bars even more. They’re portable, easier to cut, and the crust: filling ratio is weighted in the crust’s favor.

Add some pears to that ratio and you’ve got one heck of a crumble bar.

Best Pear Dessert

When I was a kid, we ate pears from the can almost weekly. They were my favorite fruit, I think. I also remember begging my mom to let me drink Kern’s Pear Nectar in lieu of vegetables with dinner. She often said yes.

I never ate pears in anything, like pie, until college. And I have to admit: when I had my first slice of pear pie one year I was not impressed. You know how I hate apples that aren’t soft in pie? Those pears in that pie…ugh. I can still remember how I almost couldn’t swallow them. I think, because of that pie, I didn’t eat pears for years.

What are Pear Pie Crumble Bars?

These pear pie crumble bars are made up of three components:

1. The Crust: It’s the same basic crust I use for most of my pie bars, including apple butter pie bars. It’s a shortbread crust, made with butter, flour, and granulated sugar. For this recipe, I added almonds. Almonds and pears go together like PB&J. The crust is crumbly when you make it, and you can use a stand or a hand mixer for the recipe. When you press all the crumbles together in a pan it creates a nice thick shortbread crust.
2. Pears: Get good pears that you love. All pears differ in size, so pay attention to the pounds I list in the recipe. I used Harry & David for this recipe, because I had some, but you can use grocery store pears.
3. Crumble Topping: Again, it’s a similar recipe that I use for all my crumbles, like my blueberry slab pie or almond chocolate cherry pie bars. More butter, more sugar, and more almonds create a crunchy crumbly top you’ll love.

If you love pear, check out my Caramel Pear Galette!

Ingredients in Pear Bars

Butter: You can use unsalted or salted butter (see recipe notes).

Flour: This is used in the topping and the crust. Be sure to use all-purpose flour.

Granulated Sugar: Used in all three components.

Almonds: Gives the crust and crumble a nice crunch!

Pears: Use perfectly ripe pears (not too soft). And just like I prepare apples we’re going to par-cook them so they’re the perfect texture inside the bars.

How to make Pie Bars with Pears

1. Make the Crust: Slowly mixing all the crust ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using hand mixer. The mixture will be crumbly and if you are using a hand mixer you may need to use your hands to break up any large chunks of butter. Press the crust in the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes.
2. Cook the pears: In order to combat the issues of too-crunchy pears in the bars, I partially cooked the pears before adding them to the crust. I cooked them like I cook my apples for pie: I boiled them in a little water until they just started turning translucent. Then drain them well (a few times; as they cool more liquid will release), stir them up with some cinnamon and sugar, and sandwich them between crust and crumble. The pears finish cooking in the oven for the perfect texture – not too soft and not crunchy. They’re just right.
3. Make the Crumble: Use a stand or a hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar. Add the flour, almonds, and salt and mix slowly. The mixture will be somewhat crumbly.
4. Assemble: Drain the pears well, add them to the crust then sprinkle the crumble on top and bake until lightly golden. Cool completely before slicing.

Pear Desserts FAQ

Other Recipes You’ll Love

• Mini Crumb Apple Pies
• Almond Chocolate Chip Cherry Pie Bars
• Lemon Pie Bars
• Blueberry Slab Pie

Pear Pie Crumble Bars

4 from 84 votes

These bars are a perfect way to use your pears! A shortbread almond crust is filled with partially cooked cinnamon sugar pears and topped with an almond crumble. Serve these with caramel sauce for a decadent twist on a crumble pie bar!

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Yield 16 bars

Serving Size 1 serving

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Ingredients

 

For the Crust:

• ▢ ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter , softened
• ▢ 1 ¼ cups (155g) all purpose flour
• ▢ ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ cup sliced almonds
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt

For the Filling:

• ▢ 4 ½ cups diced pears (about 3-4 large pears or about 2 pounds total)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

For the Topping:

• ▢ ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened
• ▢ ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 cup (124g) all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1 cup sliced almonds
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ Caramel sauce Homemade or jarred, for topping (optional)

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Instructions

• Line a 9×9” pan with foil and spray with cooking spray (for easy removal and cutting of bars). Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Prepare the crust by slowly mixing all the crust ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using hand mixer. The mixture will be crumbly and if you are using a hand mixer you may need to use your hands to break up any large chunks of butter. Press the crust in the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes.
• Prepare the filling by placing the diced pears in a medium saucepan. Fill the pan with water so that half the pears are covered. Cook over medium heat, bringing to a boil then simmering for about 5 minutes until the pears just start to turn semi-translucent. Drain well.
• Make the topping while the pears are cooking: you can use the same bowl you used for the crust. Use a stand or a hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar. Add the flour, almonds, and salt and mix slowly. The mixture will be somewhat crumbly.
• Right before the crust comes out of the oven, drain the pears again, then sprinkle the pears with the cinnamon and sugar called for in the filling.
• Remove the hot crust from the oven. Sprinkle the pears carefully on top (make sure they are well drained first – do not add any of the extra liquid!), then sprinkle with the topping. Bake for an additional 22-27 minutes until the crumble topping starts to brown. (Mine took 24 minutes.)
• Cool completely in pan before slicing into bars and serving. Serve with caramel sauce and/or ice cream or whipped cream.
• Store bars in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to one month.

Recipe Notes

To use salted butter, omit salt in both topping and crust.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 147mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 366IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Author Dorothy Kern

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Pear Pie Crumble Bars are an easy pear dessert recipe! These pie bars have a crumble topping and perfectly cooked pears.SaveSave

Last Updated on September 29, 2022