Sponsored by Lizi’s Granola

Do you need an idea for a super quick and easy dessert for when anything more involved sends you running from the kitchen? Well today I have just that recipe. The prep time is super quick, you can be curled up on the sofa with in a couple minutes with dessert taking care of itself in the kitchen. 

If you had a childhood at all similar to me, then baked apples were a regular dessert, served hot from the oven with lots of thick custard. Cored apples were filled with dried fruit and baked until squishy, almost to the point of collapsing. At the time I found the dessert boring but now something simple like this is pure comfort for me. For this version I have opted for pears and I don’t roast them for so long that they are devoid of texture, I like them tender but not so soft they could be baby food. And talking of texture, to add an extra layer of crunch and an extra layer of flavour, I like to serve these pears with a scattering of Lizi’s High Protein Nuts and Seeds Granola. The granola adds a ton of interest to a very simple dessert and makes it something a little fancier. This particular granola is made with pumpkin seeds, walnuts and almonds and sweetened with a mix of apple juice and black treacle for a wonderful flavour that goes brilliant on this dessert. To roast the pears I like to use maple syrup and butter plus a little spice in the form of cardamom, cinnamon and orange zest. Whilst these flavours are a little autumnal you can adapt them to suit whatever you are fancying in the moment. You can also make similar desserts with summer fruits like peaches and plums, serving it with a little drizzle of double cream or a dollop of creme fraiche.

Maple Baked Pears with Granola Crumb
Serves 4

4 large pears, ripe but a little firm
100ml maple syrup
50g unsalted butter, diced
4 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
3 strips orange zest
50g Lizi’s High Protein Nuts and Seeds Granola

Preheat the oven to 190C (170C fan).

Peel the pears, cut in half and then scoop out the cores. Into a rimmed baking tray pour the maple syrup and place the pears, cut side down, into the tray. Add the diced butter to the tray and scatter over the cardamom pods, the cinnamon stick and orange zest. 

Bake the pears in the oven for about 25 minutes or until tender, turning the pears halfway through cooking. To test the pears are cooked, pierce with a knife, they should present almost no resistance. By the time the pears are cooked the maple syrup and butter should have formed a syrupy sauce. 

To serve place two pear halves into a bowl scatter over a couple tbsp of the granola and a generous drizzle of the sauce. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream