Pear and butternut squash crisp in a pie plate and with some served on a serving plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Fall pears and butternut squash come together with vanilla bean paste, cinnamon, and a touch of ginger for a delightful autumn crisp dessert.

Disclosure: This recipe is part of #FallFlavors week. I was provided products from sponsors to assist in recipe development. As always, all opinions are my own.

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Butternut squash and pears are two of my favorite autumn produce items. This crisp brings them together in a flavorful dessert. The butternut squash is cooked with sugar and lemon juice until soft. It's a similar method that I use when I make zucchini (or mock apple) crisp.

Pear and butternut squash filling in the pie plate before the topping is placed on.

Then it's mixed with ripe pears and spices and topped with a sweet and buttery crisp and baked until golden and bubbly. It's a dessert to make on an autumn weekend that will make your whole house smell like fall. Top this crisp with vanilla ice while the crisp is still warm for an extra special dessert.

I used Bartlett pears for this crisp from Melissa's Produce. I love the strong pear flavor they have and the sweetness adds a lot to this crisp since the squash isn't overly sweet. Bartlett pears have always been a favorite of mine and remind me of fall.

Vanilla bean paste, ground cinnamon, and ground ginger are used in this crisp. They provide a lovely aroma and flavor to the dessert. I love vanilla with pears and vanilla bean paste provides a depth of vanilla flavor, plus all those lovely specks of real vanilla beans. Taylor & Colledge's vanilla bean paste is so flavorful and I use it a lot.

Cinnamon is a must-have is almost all autumn desserts and a bit of ginger goes so well with the squash and pears. Of course, when you make crisp you need some granulated sugar and some brown sugar and Dixie Crystals are the perfect choice for all your fall baking.

Finished pear and butternut squash crisp.

Yield: 6 servings

Author: Amy (Savory Moments)

Pear and Butternut Squash Crisp

Fall pears and butternut squash come together with vanilla bean paste, cinnamon, and a touch of ginger for a delightful autumn crisp dessert.

Ingredients

For the topping

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, plus more for greasing

For the filling

3 cups peeled and diced butternut squash (small dice)
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar, such as Dixie Crystals
1-1/2 cups peeled and sliced pears
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, such as Taylor & Colledge
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of salt

Instructions

Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate and set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, flour, and brown sugar. Cut in the butter using two forks or your fingers until it resembles a crumble. Put in the refrigerator until time to use.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium pot, combine the butternut squash, lemon juice, and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the squash is tender and the juice is thickened, about 15 minutes.
In a medium bowl, stir together the pears, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Then stir in the butternut squash.
Pour the filling into the pie plate. Sprinkle the topping on top. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the top is golden and the filling is bubbling.
Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.