Baked Pears are a delicious dessert for babies, children, and adults. The baking process and added spices enhance the natural sweetness of the fruit meaning there is no need for added sugar or sweeteners.
Pears are one of those fruits that have a short window of perfection. You wait and wait for them to ripen and then before you know it, they are past their best and all mushy inside.
The good thing about baked pears is that you don't have to wait for them to fully ripen, they just might take a little longer to cook.
You can't really get a simpler dessert than this. They taste delicious on their own but can be enjoyed in many other ways too.
Serving Suggestions
Why not try serving baked pears with:
- Yoghurt Top some greek yoghurt with the pears for a healthy and delicious dessert.
- Oats Stir through porridge or top with granola for a delicious breakfast.
- Ice-Cream For a more indulgent dessert, serve warm with some vanilla ice cream.
How to Prepare Pears for Baking
You can bake pears in different ways
- halves
- wedges
- bite-size pieces
I like to bake them in bite-size pieces as I find this a great size to add to yoghurt, oats etc.
- Cut the pear in half and remove the core. The easiest way to do this is to use a melon baller. The stalk is then easy to remove or cut out.
- Cut into slices or bite-size pieces.
- Toss the pears in spices. Spices that work well are
- cinnamon,
- ginger,
- nutmeg,
- clove,
- cardamom,
- allspice.
Baked Pears for Babies
Baked pears make a really tasty puree for babies and can be mixed with a range of foods such as
- other sweet fruits (e,g apple, banana, berries, mango.)
- avocado
- sweet potato
- yoghurt
If you are doing baby-led weaning then baked pears are a fantastic finger food. Try baking them as fingers when your baby is just starting out with food, once they have developed their pincer grip you can cut them into the bite-size pieces as pictured.
Picky Eaters
Baking fruit changes the taste and texture of the fruit. If you have a child that doesn't like fresh fruit then try baking it. The enhanced sweetness and softer texture may win them over.
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Baked Pears Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Pears (Cored and chopped into pieces) *SEE NOTE 1
- 2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon ** SEE NOTE 2
- ½ teaspoon Ground GInger ** SEE NOTE 2
- ¼ cup Water
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180c / 350f
- Add pears to a large baking dish and sprinkle with cinnamon and ginger. Toss the pears and add the water, toss again.
- Cover with foil and bake for 20-40 minutes (*SEE NOTE 3), checking and stirring once or twice during cooking time.
Recipe Notes
- The easiest way I find to chop a pear is to half, remove the core using a melon baller and then chop into bite-size pieces (see above image for illustration.) I don't peel the pear but you can if you prefer.
- If you don't like cinnamon or ginger then try alternative spices such as cardamom, nutmeg, clove or allspice
- The cooking time will vary depending on the ripeness of the pear. Cook until soft (or desired texture.) My pears were unripe and needed 40 mins.
Ελλάδα
Yesterday I bought real Prussian pears in Königsberg,which were planted in Prussia even before the annexation of Prussia by the USSR.The pears were not sweet,I baked them in the oven-the taste of pears changed for the better,they became sweet and tasty, very tasty with coffee.
Carolyn
Great recipe!
Simple to make
My fussy grandson loved this!
Thanks! ❤️
Amy
Great! Glad he liked them 🙂
Gillian Geddes
Yes i've just made it my neighbour brought me some home grown pears, ate one which was delicious an used cinnamon and mixed spice with a drizzle of honey on the rest. Baked no.6 for 30 mins stiring after 20 mins. Going to have them with a scoop of ice cream for dessert.
Amy
Great, Gillian. They are perfect with ice-cream!