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Oh yum! Not too long ago I made a pretty delightful apple pie and then my husband requested pear cobbler! I thought that I would not like this dessert, but I must say that it is a close run to apple pie and the rum and raisins are so good mixed in. You do not have to cut these up into squares. You can simply spoon it out like any other cobbler. I just thought they were cute cut and could be wrapped in some cute napkins or decorative paper if serving at a party or office gathering.

Pear Rum & Raisin Cobbler Squares

For The Filling
4 – 5 pears, diced
¾ C. Brown Sugar
2 T. All Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 T. plus 1 tsp. Rum Extract
½ tsp. Vanilla
¼ C. Raisins
1 T. Butter, unsalted

For The Crust
2 C. Flour
½ tsp. Salt
¼ C. Sugar
2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, cold
1 Egg
2 T. Cold Water

Directions for Filling: Pour your raisins into a small bowl. Add 1 T. of your rum extract and 1 T. Butter and warm up in your microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside. In a medium sauce pan, stir in and simmer your pears, brown sugar, cinnamon, remaining 1tsp. Of rum extract, vanilla, 2 T. flour, and raisin mixture until thick and bubbly. Set aside to let cool a bit.

Directions for Crust: Combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add in your cold butter, and using your hands combine your flour and butter until you achieve small crumbles. Now add your egg and water. Combine until dough sticks together and forms a ball. Add more flour or water if necessary. Shape your dough into 2 large disk and wrap each separately in sawran wrap. Chill for at least 30 minutes to an hour. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out first disk to fit the size of a 13 x 9 inch pan. Now spoon your pear and raisin mixture on top, roll out the remaining disk and cut into thick strips to make a lattice design for the top of your cobbler. Be sure to put strips along the edges as well to create a nice closure. Bake on 350 degrees until crust is a light and golden.

Let cool COMPLETELY before cutting into squares. Serve warm with vanilla or rum raisin ice cream.

I recently made this peach cobbler. I must say that it came out quite nicely. There are many different types of peach cobblers, and the one that I am most familiar with has more of a pie crust on the bottom and top. However, this is more of a dumpling, which I love! It gives it great texture and not overbearingly sweet…leaving that job to the peach filling.

Peach Cobbler

Peach Filling:
6 Fresh peaches, peeled and sliced into wedges
1 C. Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp, Salt
1 Tbsp. Butter
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Allspice
1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger
1 tsp. Cornstarch (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring all of the above to a boil in a sauce pan and then simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Dumpling/Crust

3 C.Flour
1 C. Sugar
1 tsp. Double Acting Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 + 2/3 C. Milk (fyi: I used almond milk)
4 Tbsp. Butter

Directions: Combine your flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add 1/3 C. of milk and stir. Cut in butter and use your hands to incorporate butter in until well combined. It should have a sand like texture. Now stir in the remaining amount of milk.

Take half of your batter and spread it into the bottom of a non stick baking dish(spray with cooking spray if your dish is not non-stick).

Take the remaining batter and gradually add flour until a non-sticky ball forms. Roll out onto a floured surface and cut into strips.

Now spoon your peaches into the dish. Place your strips of dough on top of your peaches and bake for about 30-45 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

So, one night, or should I say morning…because it was around 12am, I got an urge for something sweet. I did not have much in the pantry but I was determined to bake something. So, I did have some fresh pears, and I did have a recipe for a pie crust, some pecans, some brown sugar, a little dutch cocoa, & vanilla, and just a dallop of ice cream in the fridge; and this is what I came up with.

This is so easy! all you have to do is peel and core your pear(save the stem of the pear for garnishing. I rubbed the pear with a bit of lemon juice and then take your favorite pie crust (you could buy your favorite pre-made crust from your local market for quicker prep) and mold it around your pear (I put a lot, because the crust is my favorite part, but you could make yours thinner). At this point you may feel as though you are creating pottery than baking dessert. Then take a bit of your pie crust and mold it around the center hole of your pear. Bake until golden brown. Let cool and then fill with a small amount of vanilla ice cream. Top with your chopped pecans(brown sugar, a small pinch of dutch cocoa, and vanilla). Snuggle the your pear stem in the center of the pecan filling & add a sprinkle of cinnamon. Needless to say, this was a delightful treat for my midnight hungers!