Cinnamon Pear Crumb Bars

I had a little bit more time to bake this week, so I was determined to make a recipe with one of the specialty caramel or jams that we had recently purchased. My plan was to use the Pear Cinnamon Caramel that we had picked up when we vacationed at the end of summer in Leavenworth, WA. It’s a cute down decorated as a Bavarian Village, with little shops and lots of outdoor activities. (There was too much smoke in the air at the time from forest fires, so we didn’t do much outdoors.)

This recipe was originally an apple/salted caramel recipe and I thought I could adapt that without too much trouble. I used pears instead of apples, and used cinnamon as the primary spice. You can use fresh or canned pears, depending on what is available near you. The pear mixture was easy to put together, and after sitting for a few minutes, a second stir helped incorporate all of the flour/sugar mixture. 

I went to get the cinnamon pear caramel and I found cinnamon pear jam, and I initially thought that was what I needed, but it wasn’t. I am not sure where the caramel was, but I am certain I will find it. The cinnamon pear jam worked great with this recipe, so I’m not too sad! These bars are quite substantial, but they cut easily and while they are a little soft, they are so good. I’m sure these would be great with caramel as well, but now I need to find a recipe to use with the pear cinnamon caramel (when I find it).

Cinnamon Pear Crumb Bars
5 cups diced pears
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup cinnamon pear jam

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
1-2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9” x 13” pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Make the filling: in a medium bowl, combine the diced pears and lemon juice. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add to the bowl with the pears and stir gently; set aside.

Make the crust: in the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the pieces of butter and pulse the food processor 10 times to cut in the butter. Whisk 1 egg and the vanilla together and then add to the food processor. Pulse until the dough comes together. While the dough will be crumbly, if the dough is too dry, whisk an additional egg and add the to the food processor, mixing it into the dough.

Pat half of the dough into the base of the prepared pan. Stir the pear mixture over the base and then top with pear cinnamon jam. Crumble the remaining dough over the bars and press down lightly. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the top is golden. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod