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Pear Crumble with Oats, Chocolate and Hazelnuts
5 from 12 votes

Pear Crumble with Oats, Chocolate and Hazelnuts

This Pear Crumble features a crumbly topping made from ground hazelnuts, oats, cocoa powder, and brown sugar over a mix of lightly cooked pears and apples with bits of dark chocolate. The topping provides a nutty, slightly chocolatey crispness contrasting with the tender, subtly sweet stewed fruit. It’s baked until golden and is ideal for serving warm or at room temperature, either on its own or with cream, ice cream, or custard if desired.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 318 kcal
Course: Dessert, Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine: French, British

Ingredients

Chocolate Hazelnut Crumble
  • 75 g (3oz/¾ cup) hazelnut ground
  • 50 g (2oz/½ cup) all-purpose flour plain
  • 75 g (3oz/1 cup) oats porridge oats, medium
  • 2 tablespoon cocoa powder unsweetened
  • 100 g (4oz/½ cup) butter unsalted
  • 1 good pinch salt (fleur de sel)
  • 40 g (1.5oz/¼ cup) brown sugar cane sugar, soft, light
Fruity Filling
  • 10 g (0.5oz) butter slightly softened, unsalted
  • 4 firm to ripe pear peeled, cored, chopped, large, Williams or Comice varieties
  • 2 apple peeled, cored, chopped, Granny Smith or Golden Delicious varieties
  • 10 g (2 tsp) vanilla sugar or cane sugar with ½ teaspoon vanilla powder
  • 50 g (2oz/¼ cup) dark bittersweet chocolate good quality, in button form or grated, minimum 64% cocoa

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Combine all the crumble ingredients in a large bowl, lightly rubbing through your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Set aside. (At this point the crumble topping can be frozen for up to 2 months in a sealed container.)
  2. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6.
  3. Peel, core and chop up the pears and apples roughly into chunks. Melt the butter in a large non-stick frying pan, toss in the fruit chunks and sprinkle over the vanilla sugar. Leave to cook over a medium heat, turning the fruit now and again, for about 5 minutes (no more than 8). The fruit should not be mushy, just lightly cooked. Drain off any excess fruit juice if there is any (set aside and reduce over medium heat to serve apart with the crumble later so that there's no waste).
  4. Transfer the fruit to a gratin or pudding dish (no need to butter it) and scatter over the dark chocolate. Sprinkle on a generous amount of crumble until the fruit and chocolate are completely covered.
  5. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top is toasted or lightly browned. Leave to cool slightly before serving.

Notes

  • Prepare the crumble topping ahead and freeze in a sealed container for up to two months.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature, optionally with vanilla ice cream, crème fraîche, or pouring cream.
  • Fresh pears give the best texture, but canned pears work well as a substitute.
  • Consider replacing dark chocolate with milk chocolate according to taste preferences.
  • Leftover fruit juice can be reduced and served alongside the crumble to avoid waste.