This spiced pear cobbler filled with fresh pears is easy to make and will be a hit with your whole family! And it's made with biscuits just like my properly southern grandma used to make.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my apple cherry crisp made in the crock pot!
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❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Family Favorite - My family makes magical cobblers, starting with Aunt Georgia's fresh peach cobbler so your taste buds are in good hands with this pear cobbler! It's inspired by the ones my mom and grandma used to make with so much love using all the pears we picked from the backyard tree.
Simple to Make - You'll only need easy, everyday ingredients and common kitchen tools to whip up old fashioned cobbler in under an hour. If you're a fan of my buttermilk biscuits and spiced pear compote, I already know you'll eat this pear biscuit cobbler recipe up!
Fall Flavor - Warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and brown sugar complement autumn or winter pears perfectly for super cozy taste best enjoyed warm.
I am all about pear desserts like my pear sorbet made with Riesling and this pear apple cranberry pie that's perfect for fall baking. Also love this quick and easy pear cider recipe!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Fresh Pears, preferably crisp Bartlett or Anjou pears but you can use just about any variety, are essential to this recipe because they provide the best flavor and won't get too mushy like canned or preserved pears. You'll notice that the filling still has a slight crunch that perfectly pairs with the tender buttermilk biscuits on top!
Buttermilk gives the biscuit topping a slight tang and fluffy tender texture. You can still make great biscuits without buttermilk but the texture and taste will be slightly different.
Vanilla Paste complements all the delicious caramelized flavors in the pear filling. You can use vanilla extract if you don't have the paste available.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Canned Pears - While the end result won't be exactly the same, if you don't have access to fresh pears, canned pears can work, just cut the amount of sugar in half and skip the caramelizing step below.
Bisquick - My parents raised five kids so semi-homemade was the norm and our childhood pear cobbler was made with bisquick crust. You can take this shortcut, if you want to make the process even more quick.
Vegan - Make your pear dumpling cobbler vegan by using plant based butter and buttermilk, which is just combining apple cider vinegar with almond milk or coconut milk. I use these same swaps to make fluffy vegan buttermilk biscuits!
Citrus - Lime or sour orange can work well in place of lemon in this recipe.
Bourbon - Add a splash of your favorite whiskey to the filling for a subtle caramel and woodsy flavor notes. I use it in my bourbon peach cobbler and it's SO good.
How to Cook a Fresh Pear Cobbler
Make the Filling using Fresh Pears
Step One: Peel and chop the pears then mix up with filling ingredients.
Step Two: Cook down the filling in melted butter in a cast iron skillet letting it thicken into a kind of caramel.
Pro Tip #1: Peeling the pears is optional since they will get tender in the cast iron pan, so if you want to save a little time, feel free the skip that step.
Pro Tip #2: I make this cobbler in a cast iron skillet but you can also use another oven-safe pot, such as a dutch oven.
Make the Biscuit Dough from Scratch
Step Three: Mix up the dry ingredients for the biscuit topping.
Step Four: Combine melted butter and buttermilk.
Step Five: Mix together wet and dry ingredients until just combined.
Baking the Pear Ginger Cobbler
Step Six: Spoon biscuits over top of pears to form crust then brush with melted butter.
Step Seven: Bake until crust is cooked through and golden brown and filling is nice and bubbly.
Pro Tip #3: I highly recommend serving your homemade cobbler warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate home style dessert. And a spoonful of praline sauce wouldn't hurt this situation, either!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make pear cobbler dessert up to four days ahead of time. Just refrigerate it in an airtight container and allow to come to room temperature when ready to serve.
Store refrigerated in an airtight container and it will keep for up to six days.
To freeze baked pear cobbler, allow it to cool to room temperature then wrap snugly with plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil. If you don't want to put your whole pan in the freezer, scoop the cobbler out into an airtight container or use a disposable baking dish. Keeps for up to three months.
More Favorite Fruit Dessert Recipes
I hope you and your family will enjoy the best pear cobbler with fresh pears soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin the recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Easy Pear Cobbler with Fresh Pears
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 cast iron skillet
Ingredients
For the Spiced Pear Filling
- 5 pears
- ½ lemon
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour or cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons butter
For the Buttermilk Biscuit Crust
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ cup buttermilk cold
- 10 tablespoons butter divided and melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and cut pears into one-inch chunks then combine with lemon juice, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and vanilla paste to make filling.
- Melt two tablespoons of butter in cast iron skillet over medium heat then add in pear filling mixture and cook until thickened and bubbly (about 10-12 minutes), stirring every minute couple of minutes or so, then remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, fine sea salt, and baking soda and set aside.
- Stir the buttermilk and eight tablespoons of melted butter together (milk will look kind of curdled) then add to flour mixture and stir until just combined. The mixture should resemble a sticky biscuit dough.
- Carefully drop biscuit dough over top of pear filling in scoops. Brush dough with remaining two tablespoons of melted butter then place transfer pan to middle rack of oven to bake for about 25 minutes or until biscuit topping is golden brown and cooked through, pears are softened, and filling is bubbly.
Laura Hartley Short says
Of, I forgot to add, above, that I drizzled the top of my cobbler butter, before it cooked. Delicious.
Laura Hartley Short says
We pick a bushel of pears, at least, from our three trees. We let them ripen on the counter and just the smell of that made me think of preparing some kind of a sweet dish. So I looked up your recipe, especially with the spices, and just made this pear of cobbler. I'm eating some now with some vanilla ice cream on top. It is stupendous. Really, really good. I included a little extra juice with the pears since they tend to be a drier fruit, and it is perfect. Moist on the bottom and fluffy and crispy and spicy on top. Excellent recipe. My only alteration is that I use pumpkin pie spice, instead of separate ingredients. And I put in some extra cinnamon in the filling and the topping. So good.
Jazz says
Thanks for sharing, Laura! So glad you enjoyed this recipe and made it your own.
dot says
Thanks for this recipe! Any suggestions on what modifications I need to make if I only have Krusteaz pancake mix on hand? (vs. Bisquick)
Jazz says
Hi! I haven’t tried this recipe with Krusteaz but you should be able to use it interchangeably in these proportions. I hope it works well for you!
Annie Fox says
ABSOLUTELY SCRUMPTIOUS!! Pears are my favorite fruit...I'm always looking for something new to make from them. Keep up the tasty work. You are greatly appreciated.
Jazz says
Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Jordan | Read. Eat. Repeat. says
Yum! Cobblers are the best, and your video looked great!
Nostalgia Diaries says
I normally always think of baking with apples this time of year and forget the pears. I think this looks SO good!
livewellplaytogether says
Oh my goodness! This looks absolutely delicious! I want to make this now! I've never tried a pear cobbler before!
Strength and Sunshine says
O that sounds like a delicious treat for the cold weather!
Trish the Dish says
Oh my goodness, I have never had a pear cobbler.. This sounds and looks so good. It also looks pretty easy to make so I'll definitely have to try it.