Five-Spice Baked Pears

These cozy baked pears are roasted with maple syrup and five-spice powder, a spice blend of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and fennel.

Along with a bit cooler weather lately, we’ve seen a new offering at the markets to remind us of the impending change of seasons – pears!  We can’t believe it’s already time to start to transition from summer eating. We made this baked pears recipe a few years ago at a meal for Alex’s family after finding it at Gourmet. It was such a success that ever since then, we’ve kept saying, “Remember when we made those baked pears?” Keep reading for this simple pear dessert recipe.

How to make baked pears

Seeing the pears at the farmers market this weekend sparked our memories. We decided to not let another season go by before trying the famous baked pears dessert again. It was just as delicious as we remembered!

The basic method for how to bake pears is simple: peel the pears and slice them in half, then core them. You can leave the stem on, since it looks pretty. Place them in a baking dish with a little water (to keep them moist), butter and maple syrup. Then sprinkle with five spice powder (more on what that is, below). Bake them at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, until tender. The timing will depend on the ripeness of your pears, so try to find the ripest pears possible!

For serving these baked pears, we chose to use a little Greek yogurt, sweetened with maple syrup And we topped them with some toasted almonds. It was a wonderful healthy dessert option. To got for a more decadent dessert, try our Homemade Whipped Cream, Yogurt Whipped Cream, or Coconut Whipped Cream: they’d be the perfect topping! And of course, a little shaved dark chocolate wouldn’t hurt anything, either.

Let us know in the comments below

What is five-spice powder?

Have you ever cooked with Chinese five-spice powder? Five-spice powder is a spice blend that encompasses all five flavors in one: sour, sweet, bitter, salty, and umami. The mixture is most commonly the following five spices: star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and fennel seeds. It’s a common ingredient used in Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine.

The flavor of five-spice powder is cozy, comforting, and tastes just like fall! It’s definitely worth buying a jar to make these baked pears: you’ll find you’ll want to put it in all your recipes!

Where to buy five-spice powder? You can buy five-spice powder at some groceries in the spice aisle or in the bulk spices. It’s also available online.

Looking for healthy desserts? 

While we go to desserts for a splurge, we love finding healthy desserts that are big on flavor. Outside of these baked pears, here are a few of our healthy desserts:

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Bliss Bites (a favorite!)
• Amazing Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
• Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
• Easy Blueberry Crisp
• Easy Bananas Foster Recipe
• Angel Food Cupcakes
• Chocolate Chip Almond Flour Skillet Cookie
• Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Mint Chocolate Chip Vegan Ice Cream
• Chocolate Tahini Vegan No Bake Cookies
• Chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
• Fudgy Vegan Brownies
• Vegan Dark Chocolate Ice Cream
• Chocolate Sweet Cherry Vegan Tarts
• Vegan Whipped Cream
• Healthy Peanut Butter Buckeye Balls
• Simple Apple Crisp in a Jar

This baked pears recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, naturally sweet, and refined sugar free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, omit the Greek yogurt and use coconut oil.

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Five-Spice Baked Pears

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These cozy baked pears are roasted with maple syrup and five-spice powder, a spice blend of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and fennel.

• Author: a Couple Cooks
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 ripe pears
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil (for vegan)
• 2 ½ tablespoons maple syrup, divided
• ¼ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ cup sliced almonds

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Peel the pears; cut them in half, then remove the cores.
3. Grease a baking dish with butter. Place the pears in the dish cut side down; then squeeze with the lemon juice. Pour the water around the pears and place small chunks of the butter or coconut oil around the dish. Drizzle with 1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup and sprinkle with the Chinese five-spice powder.
4. Bake uncovered, brushing frequently with pan juices, until the pears are tender and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. (The exact timing depends on the ripeness of the pears; if they’re still not fork tender, bake them a little longer!)
5. While the pears roast, prepare the Greek yogurt and almonds: In a small bowl, mix the Greek yogurt with the remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup and the vanilla. In a dry pan over medium heat, heat the almonds, stirring occasionally, until browned – about 3 to 4 minutes (make sure to watch them constantly so they do not burn).
6. To serve, place 2 roasted pear halves on a plate. Garnish with a dollop of vanilla Greek yogurt and toasted almonds.

Notes

Adapted from Gourmet