This Nutty Chocolate Pear Crumble is easy to make and the combination of fresh pear & Nutella snuggled under a duvet of buttery, crispy oats, hazelnuts and almonds is sure to please.
Crumble (or Crisp – as I know it’s called across the Atlantic) is one of those desserts that is synonymous with childhood. It’s so easy to eat and it’s such an easy thing for kids to learn to make.
When I was a child my Mum would often call through to see if I’d like to make the topping for the crumble whilst she was cooking the roast beef (Yes… Are you kidding? Yes, I want to make it. Can I? Pleeeease…). I was reminded of this when I trialled this recipe a few weeks ago, since I had to get one of my daughters to make it. I’d got visitors but I’d been feeling a little peaky during the day, so didn’t want to risk passing on any germs via a very hands-on crumble recipe. Obviously, Milly was very happy to take charge making this Nutty Chocolate Pear Crumble while Hannah cooked the main, since it meant she could ‘clean up’ the Nutella bowl after the baking was complete.
For me, a good crumble is all about the topping. It has to be buttery. It has to involve Demerara sugar. And I’d quite like it if my topping could include some oats. And maybe some nuts or a little spice if the fruity base can accommodate that. Thanks.
Not wanting to overdo things, I settled on oats, hazelnuts and ground almonds. I’ll come back to a spicy crumble at a later date – promise.
Given I’ve used Nutella to add a little fluidity to the fruit, the hazelnuts were an obvious choice. I’ve kept them relatively chunky to add texture. The almonds I squeezed in to boost the nutty flavour. Oh and I went with spelt flour since the sweet, nutty tones of this flour just suit the mix. And I’m a little obsessed by spelt flour. But don’t worry, if you don’t have spelt flour to hand regular plain (all-purpose) flour works well too.
The result is a soft, molten chocolate layer of pears hiding underneath a covering of crisp, buttery, nutty crumble. The only addition your serving of Chocolate Pear Crumble needs is a trickle of cream or perhaps a dab of vanilla ice cream.
Nutty Chocolate Pear Crumble (aka Nutella Pear Crisp)
Ingredients
- 3 large pears
- 2 tbsp Nutella chocolate spread
- 50 g/ 1/4 cup Unsalted butter - room temperature
- 75 g/ 2/3 cup Spelt flour (or plain flour)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 25 g/ 1/8 cup Granulated sugar
- 25 g/ 1/8 cup Demerara sugar
- 25 g/ scant 1/4 cup Ground almonds (almond meal)
- 25 g/ 1/4 cup Jumbo rolled oats
- 25 g/ 3 tbsp Hazelnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/ 350F/ GM4
- Peel and core the pears then chop into small-medium chunks
- Put the Nutella into a medium heatproof bowl and microwave on high for 20 seconds to soften it
- Tip the chopped pears into the bowl and stir to cover the pears completely then divide between 4 heatproof pots (I used four 12.5cm/ 4.5 inch cast iron skillets but you could use a medium sized ovenproof dish - mine is approx 16 x 23cm / 6 x 9 inches)
- Tip the flour, butter, salt and granulated sugar into a medium bowl and rub the fat into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs
- Chop the hazelnuts roughly then tip into the mixing bowl along with the demerara sugar, oats and ground almonds and stir to combine
- Spread the crumble mix over the pears and bake for 20-25 minutes until crisp and golden
- Serve immediately with cream
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Want more Nutella? I don’t blame you:
Espresso Hazelnut Nutella Thumbprint Cookies
Want more spelt? Welcome to my obsession:
Carrot Coconut & Spelt Cupcakes
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Oh gosh, the kids will love this! Pear and chocolate are a marriage made in heaven
I couldn’t agree more. And the extra nuts are a sneaky little addition to please more mature palates. Thanks Bintu.
Never thought of pairing chocolate and pears but I can see how they’d go well with the hazelnut flavors. Also, you and I are totally on the same page about a crumble — oats, spices, & nuts are always my requirements too!
Alyssa – what can I say… you have crumble style 🙂
Beautiful photos! I love the combination of nutella and pears. They sound perfect in this crumble. Especially with that topping!
Thankyou so much Tara. I’d been after those little skillet pans for a while as I knew they’d look great in photos holding individual desserts – spent some birthday money on them 🙂
You had me at Nutella!! I love the combination of chocolate and pears, and your crumble just sounds divine!
Thankyou Thanh. I hope you get to enjoy it soon.
Yes I have to agree with you on the crumble topping, yours looks absolutely gorgeous.
Thanks Gillian.
Been looking for a recipe that gives a simple and delicious topping – thank you.
A total pleasure.