Baked Pears with Cinnamon Crisp Topping

Pear season has begun and while they make a delicious grab-and-go fruit or balanced snack with protein, pears tend to ripen all at once. Before they get too soft, this dessert is a great way to use up those last few pears. An easy dessert that can be baked on the BBQ if you prefer not to heat up your house. If you want more ideas on how to incorporate pears, check out this media segment with Brooke.

Ingredients

3 ripe pears

1/4 cup melted butter or vegan margarine

1/2 cup rolled or quick oats

1/4 cup pressed brown sugar

2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (you could also substitute for 1/4 cup slivered almonds, or chopped walnuts or pecans)

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Maple syrup, drizzled (optional)

Directions

1) Preheat oven or BBQ to 400ºF. Halve pears and scoop out some of the center to fit the oatmeal filling.

2) Brush insides of pears with ~2 tablespoons of the melted butter/margarine.

3) In a medium bowl combine the oats, brown sugar, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon and salt. Pour remaining melted butter/margarine in with the oat mixture bowl and mix well with a spoon.

4) Spoon oat mixture into the pear halves, evenly. Drizzle with maple syrup and bake, uncovered about 35 minutes. Top with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream or frozen dairy alternative and serve warm.