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4.84 from 42 votes
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Unbelievable Pear & Dark Chocolate Crumble
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
 

Make the Pear & Dark Chocolate Crumble, with juicy pears, rich chocolate, and a crispy topping. Easy but with incredible taste and texture!

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 people
Author: Gemma Stafford
Ingredients
Pear Filling
  • 7-8 ripe pears (Bartlett or D'Anjou)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Chocolate Crumble Topping
  • 1 cup (5 oz/142 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (4 ½ oz/128 g) dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup (6 oz/170 g) butter, cold and cubed
  • ½ cup (3 oz/85 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Instructions
For the Chocolate Crumble Topping

  1. In a large bowl add the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder and salt and lightly mix together.

  2. Add the cold butter and using your fingers (or a dough cutter) rub in the butter into the dry ingredients until the mix resembles coarse breadcrumbs. You can also use a food processor for this step.

  3. Mix in chopped chocolate. Set aside in the fridge until ready to bake your crumble.

For the Pear Filling

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Set aside a 9-inch baking dish. You want a wide and shallow dish for this recipe as there are lots of crumble toppings.

  2. Peel, core, and chop the pears into chunks. (It's very important you use ripe pears so they will soften while baking.)

  3. In a bowl mix the pears together with the cornstarch and lemon juice. Pour filling into the baking dish.

  4. Top with the chocolate crumble mixture distributing evenly. It will look like it's too much but it's fine. It will bake down.

  5. Bake for roughly 45 to 50 minutes or until the pears are soft and the topping is baked.

  6. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Recipe Notes
  • You can make the topping for up to 3 days in advance, or you can freeze it for up to 2 weeks.
  • If pears aren’t your favorite, apples work really great in this recipe as well.
  • Be sure to use a wide, shallow baking dish so you get a lot of crumble topping spread evenly.
  • Use Dutch process cocoa powder for a smooth, intense chocolate flavor. Do NOT use hot chocolate powder.
  • Bittersweet chocolate is the best for this recipe, as it really balances the sweetness of the pears. Sprinkle some semi-sweet chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate chips on top for extra richness.
  • Use a gluten-free flour blend or our Easy Almond Flour Mix for a gluten-free option. But note that almond flour may not get so crispy and will like get burned more easily.
  • Make your own brown sugar!