4 ingredient super simple maple vanilla baked pears that are cooked until warm and soft, completely infused with maple and vanilla, and topped with crunchy granola.
I’m really excited because today’s post is sponsored by my friends at Stemilt Growers. Remember when I visited their orchards back in July? It was my first time in Washington, though I went back in October on my book tour (hi Seattle friends!). When I visited the orchards in July, I went cherry picking, explored the epic grounds, and tasted the world’s juiciest apples and sweetest cherries. The pears weren’t quite ready to be picked yet, so they promised to send me a box when they were.
My mouth has been watering in anticipation since.
Baked pears. I know it all sounds pretty simple. And you don’t even see chocolate or frosting or caramel explosions in these photos. But let me tell ya something. These maple vanilla baked pears? They’re pretty epic. Such a big statement for a humble fruit, no? Well, they’re a prime example of how simple ingredients, good-for-you, and REAL whole foods can come together to produce a dessert that can stand up to a chocolate frosting caramel exploding something. (Which reminds me, have you made my snickers cupcakes yet?)
When Stemilt sent me pears, the first thing I did was eat them. I believe I inhaled 2 in a matter of 30 seconds. Then I got down to business and began brainstorming a new recipe to make. Actually, before the brainstorming, I hiccupped because I just ate 2 giant pears in under a minute.
Baked pears came to mind first. When I’m feeling lazy but want a little something sweet after dinner (always), I often bake an apple, drizzle with honey or melted peanut butter and top with crunchy granola. It’s simple, it’s kinda healthy, and on a cold winter night—hits the spot.
I use Stemilt D’Anjou pears. (Aka Anjou pears.) This variety is super juicy and naturally sweet. Their flavor and juicy interior make the pears perfect for baking. Stemilt harvests these pears in September and October and they’re widely available October through June. Fun fact: these pears are used for flavoring Jelly Belly’s juicy pear flavor jelly bean.
This is a seemingly elegant dessert (that also happens to be one of my gluten free dessert recipes and quick dessert recipes) that’s thrown together and on the table in under 30 minutes. All you do is whisk maple syrup and vanilla extract together, drizzle over the pears, sprinkle with cinnamon, and bake. When they come out of the oven you can go a little crazy with toppings. Here I have them topped with more maple syrup/vanilla, a little crunchy maple granola, and a dollop of Greek yogurt. (Note I replaced the almonds with pecans in the granola recipe here.) They are also fantastic topped with pumpkin granola or even vanilla almond granola.
The baked pears are warm and cinnamon spiced. Oozing with sweet maple syrup and fragrant vanilla. Soft and juicy, topped with crunchy and toasty homemade granola, and that Greek yogurt? It’s cold and creamy. Texture paradise on a plate.
If you can open the oven, you can make baked pears.
Even if you’ve never baked before—no fret. These maple vanilla baked pears take minutes to prepare and it’s virtually impossible to mess them up. AND if you need one more reason to make these super simple maple vanilla baked pears, it should be this: they look fancy. Like you did some super complicated magic that made the pears perfectly tender and sweet. Or you did somersaults and backflips to infuse maple and vanilla inside each juicy pear. I mean, there must have been some trickery involved to make a PEAR taste this good. Right?
Let me show you how to make them!
For more healthier dessert options to satisfy your sweet tooth, here are 20+ healthy dessert recipes.
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Simple Maple Vanilla Baked Pears
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
4 ingredient super simple maple vanilla baked pears that are cooked until warm and soft, completely infused with maple and vanilla, and topped with crunchy granola.
Ingredients
- 4 D’Anjou pears (aka Anjou pears)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) pure maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional toppings: maple almond granola, Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). I don’t line my baking sheet when I make these, but you absolutely can with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
- Cut pears in half, then cut a small sliver off the underside so the pears sit flat when placed upright on the baking sheet. See video above for visual. Using a large or medium cookie scoop or melon baller (or even a teaspoon), core out the seeds. Arrange pears, facing up, on the baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon—feel free to add more cinnamon if you’d like.
- Whisk the maple syrup and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Drizzle most of it all over the pears, reserving about 2 Tablespoons for after the pears are finished baking.
- Bake pears for about 25 minutes until soft and lightly browned on the edges. Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle with remaining maple syrup mixture. Serve warm with granola and yogurt. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Pears are best baked right before they are served, but you could bake them completely and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Then, warm back up in the oven for 10 minutes and top with remaining maple syrup mixture, granola, and yogurt right before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper (optional) | Cookie Scoop | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk
A better dessert alternative! We are really underwhelmed by processed desserts so I made these tonight, except I filled them with an apple cinnamon preserve and fresh whipped cream and my husband said where have these been his whole life. Super delicious! Thank you.
Can I use Bosc pears?
It’s snowing here and don’t want to go out on roads
That will work just fine, Trudy—enjoy!
Made this for Christmas 2023 with our turkey dinner…and it was a hit with everyone. Absolutely delicious! Than you ever so much for sharing this! Also made it with a prime rib…yummy! Plus making it tonight for our New Year dinner!
Super easy & super good! We loved these baked pears! So yummy!!
Watch the video – that’s about how long it takes to throw these together, seriously!! Thanks Sally for another great recipe!
Could I substitute honey for maple syrup?
Hi Susan! The flavor will obviously be different, but that shouldn’t be a problem.
Hi, this sounds so easy and looks delish! Just wanted to confirm that pears do not need to be peeled first?
That’s correct!
First time I tasted one of these was with my boyfriend’s mom making it. I’m Asian and he’s white so my American food experience is fairly limited. Holy heck was that pear dessert a bomb! So, I made it it for myself and this recipe was also delish! So simple, yet so delicious!
Where can I find the Pecan Pie Granola recipe for the topping?
Hi Tania, that was a very old recipe on the site. You can use this maple granola and replace the almonds with pecans.
Oh my goodness! These pears are even more delicious than the sound!!!
SO Good. Even my husband who is not a pear lover thoroughly enjoyed them. Thanks for sharing!
Literally took 5 minutes to prep and the end result was ridiculously delicious. Would have never thought to top with Greek yogurt – so good! Best part was that everyone thought this was some insanely complicated recipe – little do they know! Haha 🙂
I just made these and everyone just devoured them. Unbelievably delicious! So very simple and elegant, yet so delicious. Thank you for sharing.
I absolutely loved this recipe and I wouldn’t change a thing. Simple ingredients with amazing results! I’m a huge pear fan but, I can’t get my family to like them. One of my son’s said they reminded him of his all time favorite desert…apple crisp.
I made this recipe for breakfast today and they devoured the entire dish. Minus the 6 halves I inhaled by myself! I was talking with my best friend on the phone when I first tried them and actually told her I needed a minute… because I was at a loss for words and wanted to continue eating… not talking. I needed the silence to savor the experience as I did a happy dance (literally exactly what happened) Thank you for this recipe!!
A very good and simple recipe; delicious and a big hit with friends at dessert with cake. Used more cinnamon than you called for; it made for a more aromatic experience, but not overwhelming.
What kind (flavor) of yogurt do you use?
I usually use Greek yogurt, vanilla or plain, but this is just for the topping so you can use whatever type you enjoy!
I’m bringing these to my family tomorrow. I love how they capture all the flavors of fall without making me break out the mixer, roll out dough, or spend hours in the kitchen. Thank you.
Wow! I fixed these for my family tonight. My 8 year old son said he didn’t want one…. but he ended up eating 2 halves as my husband and I both did! I topped with plain greek yogurt that I had added vanilla extract and honey to. Drizzled that with the syrup/vanilla mixture and sprinkled with cinnamon. Divine! We will do this again very soon!
I made these last night for a dinner party, they were so crazy easy (I’m not the greatest cook!) and everyone raved about them. Thanks so much, this will be on regular rotation for sure.
College gave me a crazy appreciate for pears. I just love them! I’m all over how easy and simple this is but wow, what a unique dessert! Bless vanilla + maple granola combo. Also major congrats on this next step for SBA! It’s so cool to see and celebrate the success SBA is having!
I made these tonight and that were absolutely FANTASTIC! So easy, too! Also, seems to be diabetic-friendly.
How do you select pears at the grocery store? They always seem hard as a rock and I am uncertain when they are ripe and ready to eat or bake with. Would appreciate a how to.
Do The pears you use need to be very ripe? Or will the get soft in the oven anyway?
Not super ripe. But definitely not too firm. Is that too vague? Just when they begin to ripen 🙂