Pear Crumble with Chocolate

Name: Pear Crumble with Chocolate
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 500 g Pears; 2 tbsp Nutella chocolate spread; 50 g Unsalted butter - room temperature; 100 g Spelt flour ((or plain flour)); 1/8 tsp salt; 30 g Granulated sugar; 30 g Demerara sugar; 30 g Ground almonds ((almond meal)); 30 g Jumbo rolled oats; 30 g Hazelnuts

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This pear crumble with chocolate combines fresh pear with Nutella. The fruit is snuggled under a blissful blanket of buttery crispy oats, hazelnuts and almonds. This recipe is easy to make and can be oven-ready in 15 minutes.

A single serve skillet of chocolate and pear crumble with pouring cream

This recipe was first published in March 2017 and updated in March 2020.

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Crumble is one of those desserts that is synonymous with childhood. It’s so easy to eat and it’s such an easy pudding for kids to learn to make themselves. This recipe for pear crumble is no exception.

It’s a great bake to get children involved in making as it’s incredibly simple. And it involves the magic ingredient that the majority of children seem to truly delight in – chocolate.

When serving-time comes around the soft, molten chocolate layer of fruit hiding underneath a covering of crisp, buttery & nutty crumble topping might just be enough to win over the most hardened of nut-hating children.

Chocolate and Pear crumble being served from a skillet onto plates

What Makes this Pear Crumble Great?

For me, a good crumble is all about the topping. It has to be buttery. It has to involve demerara sugar (for crunch). And I’d quite like it if my topping could include some oats and maybe some nuts if the fruity base can accommodate that.

This quick & easy pear crumble includes all of these ingredients in the topping, meaning that it comes fully-loaded with well-rounded flavours and plenty of texture. It’s far from basic or boring.

And let’s not forget about the base layer – chunky pieces of pear tossed in chocolate hazelnut spread for that ultimate chocolate hit. But make no mistake, the chocolate is not overpowering. It really does flatter the pears and nuts superbly well though.

All in all this speedy pear crumble delivers big time for a mere 15 minutes work.

If you are looking for more adventurous crumble recipes try my Pineapple Crumble or my Gooseberry Crumble. Or for something classic, how about an apple and blackberry crumble?

Ingredients & Notes

Ingredients for a fruit dessert with text overlay

Given I’ve used chocolate-hazelnut spread to add a little fluidity to the fruit, hazelnuts were an obvious addition to include in the topping too. I’ve kept them relatively chunky to add texture, but they can be finely chopped if desired.

Ground almonds are an unusual and surprising ingredient in the crumble topping mix, but they really do work well. They boost the sweet nutty flavour of the topping without adding too much crunch to it.

I went with spelt flour since the sweet, nutty tones of this flour just suit the rest of the ingredients. But don’t worry, if you don’t have spelt flour to hand, plain (all-purpose) flour works well too.

Step by Step Instructions

This easy pear crumble can be oven ready in around 15 minutes and involves four simple steps:

1. Put the chocolate spread into a medium-sized heatproof bowl and microwave on medium heat for 20 seconds to soften it. Peel, core and chop the pears then add to the bowl and stir to cover the pears completely

2. 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

3. Chop the hazelnuts roughly then tip into the mixing bowl along with the demerara sugar, oats and ground almonds and stir to combine

4. Pile the chocolate-coated pears into either a medium-sized ovenproof dish (approx 16. x 23 cm) or divide them between 4 small heatproof pots (the mini skillet pictured is approx 12.5cm in diameter). Spoon the crumble mix over the top, covering the fruit completely, then bake for 20-25 minutes until crisp and golden

process image collage for making a fruit and chocolate crisp

Tips and FAQs

Expert Tips

This pear crumble is delightfully simple to make, but here are some guidance notes to help you get the best out of this recipe:

use ripe pears to ensure a juicy fruity base layer and do peel them
cut the pears as large or small as you like – a variety of shapes and sizes works really well here
be careful not to blast the chocolate spread on too high a heat in the microwave. The aim is to heat it gently to loosen it sufficiently to coat the pears
and when mixing the pears into it, ensure they are all covered
to make this recipe vegan use a vegan chocolate spread and vegan butter alternative. Add an extra pinch of salt to boost the flavour of the crumble topping in lieu of the butter
serve with pouring cream or vanilla ice cream

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this crumble in advance?

Yes, this pear crumble is fine to make in advance. Assemble up to the point of baking then cover and store at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Can I freeze it?

Certainly. Ensure that you assemble the crumble in a dish suitable for freezing though. Wrap, label and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost fully at room temperature and bake as instructed.

Leftovers can also be frozen. Just allow the crumble to cool completely before placing in a freezer-proof container and freezing for up to 3 months. Defrost fully before reheating for 15-20 minutes in the oven to re-crisp the crumble topping. The pear may soften slightly due to the freezing process but it will still be tasty.

Is spelt flour gluten-free?

Spelt flour does contain gluten so this crumble, as listed, is not gluten-free. Try swapping the flour for a gluten-free variety if necessary.

Can I leave out the nuts?

Yes you can. First of all ensure that the chocolate spread you are using does not contain nuts. Then, when making the crumble, replace the ground almonds with the same amount of flour or extra oats and leave out the hazelnuts. Job done.