There is a particular kind of November evening when dinner is done, the kitchen is still warm, and something sweet sounds right without a whole baking project. Baked pears are that dessert: ten minutes of work, one baking dish, and a kitchen that smells like honey and cinnamon.

Why this one works

The trick is the pear itself. Bosc and Anjou pears hold their shape in the oven where a soft Bartlett would collapse into sauce, so you get a tender, spoonable half instead of a puddle. Honey does double duty here, sweetening the fruit and turning syrupy in the dish, and the walnuts toast on top while the pears bake, so nothing needs a separate pan.

Baked Pears with Honey and Walnuts

Baked pears with honey and walnuts: ten minutes of work, one dish, and a warm fall dessert that tastes like the season.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Baking/Dessert

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 4 ripe but firm Bosc or Anjou pears halved and cored
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• pinch of salt
• plain yogurt or vanilla ice cream to serve (optional)

Method

 

1. Heat the oven. Preheat to 375°F. Arrange pear halves cut side up in a baking dish that holds them snugly.
2. Butter and season. Brush the cut sides with melted butter, then sprinkle with cinnamon and a pinch of salt.
3. Sweeten and top. Drizzle with honey and scatter chopped walnuts over each half.
4. Bake until tender. Bake for 30 minutes, until a knife slips easily into the thickest part of a pear; very firm pears may need 5 minutes more.
5. Serve warm. Serve warm with yogurt or ice cream, spooning any syrup from the dish over the top.

Variations and serving

Swap the walnuts for pecans if that is what your pantry holds, or leave the nuts out and add a spoonful of rolled oats with the honey for a little crunch. Maple syrup stands in for honey without changing the method, and a pinch of nutmeg alongside the cinnamon suits the dish. Serve the pears warm, straight from the dish, with plain yogurt for breakfast-dessert territory or vanilla ice cream when it is properly dessert.

Leftovers keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat them gently in a low oven or microwave until just warm, and save any syrup in the dish to spoon over the top. They are also good cold, sliced over yogurt the next morning, which makes a second dessert out of the same ten minutes of work.

For another fall baking idea in the same spirit, try our apple cheddar hand pies, which pair the same Honeycrisp season with a savory twist.