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Caramelized Pears

5 from 2 votes

Yes for Caramelized Pears! If you have never tired pears this way, you have to give them a try. Pears cooked in a sweetened browned butter to perfection. Serve them just as they are, with whipped cream or ice cream for the perfect fall dessert.

over head view of caramelized pears in a skillet
Caramelized Pears

Friends, we are heading into fall and I’m ready for everything that embodies my favourite season! Where are all my fall lovers? It really is time to break into the Meringue Topped Pumpkin Cheesecake, Spiced Hot Apple Cider, and Spiced Roasted Squash Soup. All perfectly seasonal for the best season of the year.

And these Caramelized Pears are the perfect light dessert for fall. And they would even go great on your Thanksgiving table this year.

over head view of the caramelized pears
Caramelized Pears

What We Need To Make The caramelized Pears

This recipe uses such few ingredients but delivers big on flavour It’s a great dessert after a big meal as it’s not too heavy and you get to choose to dress it up or leave it just like it is here.

  • 6 Pears halved and cored
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 Cup brown sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 Cup water

REMEMBER, The full recipe and instructions is always found at the end of the post in the recipe card.

close up of caramelized pears in a skillet
Caramelized Pears

How To Make Caramelized Pears

  1. In a large skillet set over high heat, melt the butter. Add the pears to the pan, cut side down. Cook them over a high heat until they start to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and let them continue to cook for a further 5 minutes or so.
  2. Add the brown sugar, vanilla and water to the pan. Stir around the pears to make sure it is evenly spread out around the pan. Cover and leave for 10 minutes.
  3. Uncover and turn all the pears over and spoon over the caramel. Leave to cook for a further 5 minutes or until pears are soft. Remove from heat.
over head table view of the caramelized pears
Caramelized Pears

Different Varieties of Pears To Use

There are many varieties of pears and most will work well for making these Caramelized Pears.

What kind of pear is good for cooking? The Bartlett, Bosc, and Anjou pears are all great for cooking and baking. They are bigger pears and are easily available in most grocery stores year round.

close up of caramelized pears in a skillet
Caramelized Pears

The Best Way To Serve These Pears

  • Dessert – hands down, this is a fantastic dessert. Serve them just as they are or with vanilla ice cream, fresh whipped cream or yogurt. Why not serve them as a lighter Thanksgiving dessert.
  • Breakfast & Brunch – yes, these are even great in the morning. Serve them with French Toast or Waffles.
close up of caramelized pears in a bowl
Caramelized Pears

Notes about the pears

Use Ripe Pears

When choosing pears for this recipe, choose pears that are slightly ripe but not too soft.  If you do happen to have overly ripe pears and want to use them for this recipe, just note that the cooking time will probably be about 1/2 of that stated below.  And stating the obvious, if your pears are rock hard, you will probably need to cook them for longer.

The pears shouldn’t stick to the pan when cooking, but if they do, add about a tablespoon of water and reduce the heat a little.  That should do the trick.


Important To Cover The Pears

In the recipe below you will see that you cover the pears part way through cooking, this is important. If you don’t do this, the caramel will most likely reduce too much and you won’t end up with a syrup in the end.  

I can’t tell you how easy these are and how totally delicious they are.  A must make for fall.  Serve them with something like creme fraiche, Greek yoghurt, whipped cream or even ice cream.  If you go down the ice cream route, try using something not too sweet because the pears are pretty sweet in themselves.

Happy cooking friends!

Don’t forget to check out More Than 20 Sweet & Savoury Ways To Embrace Fall for all your fall recipes!

over head view of caramelized pears in a skillet
Caramelized Pears

Here’s Some More Fall Desserts You Might Enjoy

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Caramelized Pears

Yes for Caramelized Pears! If you have never tired pears this way, you have to give them a try. So delicious that you will be making them all fall long.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Keyword: pears
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 205kcal
Author: Julia Pinney

Ingredients

  • 6 Pears halved and cored
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 Cup brown sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 Cup water

Instructions

  • In a large skillet set over high heat, melt the butter. Add the pears to the pan, cut side down. Cook them over a high heat until they start to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and let them continue to cook for a further 5 minutes or so. Add the brown sugar, vanilla and water to the pan. Stir around the pears to make sure it is evenly spread out around the pan. Cover and leave for 10 minutes.
  • Uncover and turn all the pears over and spoon over the caramel. Leave to cook for a further 5 minutes or until pears are soft. Remove from heat.

*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

Notes

  1. Use pears that are ripe.  If you use an under ripe pear for this recipe, they will not be soft in the end result
  2. Great served with fresh whipped cream or ice cream
Nutrition Facts
Caramelized Pears
Amount Per Serving
Calories 205 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 20mg7%
Sodium 72mg3%
Potassium 219mg6%
Carbohydrates 36g12%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 26g29%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 278IU6%
Vitamin C 8mg10%
Calcium 26mg3%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Thanks For Stopping By & Hope To See You Soon!

By on September 16th, 2018
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