Maple and Cardamom Spiced Pears with Pecans

These Maple and Cardamom Spiced Pears are great with ice cream, yogurt, and granola. Such a quick and easy pear dessert recipe that I love making in the fall!

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Creating This Pear Dessert Recipe

It’s obvious that I’m obsessing with pumpkin recipes this fall. The other things I’m obsessing over? Cardamom and pears. Sweet juicy pears. And guess what? Logan is eating the pears too!

That might not seem like an accomplishment to most of you, but he’s extremely picky. Any new food we can get him to try – and like – is worth celebrating in our house. And not just picky, but also extremely cautious. Just getting him to try a bite of something is an emotional ordeal. It was weeks before he’d willingly eat a pear with no complaints.

And now, given the choice, he’ll actually ask for one. At this rate, he’s going to be 100 before he eats as wide of a variety of foods as I do. But like all moms, I’m trying to focus on the baby steps he makes along the way. This picky eating thing has certainly been a journey for us.

These Maple and Cardamom Spiced Pears with Pecans are an amazing snack. I love the caramelized pears with the fall spices and the sweetness of real maple syrup – don’t skimp there!

The pecans go perfect, too. I’m getting hungry just writing about it! Logan doesn’t appreciate the intricacies of flavors such as these, but I’m glad he’s now able to enjoy a juicy pear sliced into wedges.

Ingredients for Spiced Pears

This quick pear dessert is made with a handful of basic ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need for the spiced pears:

• Pears
• Butter
• Ground cinnamon and cardamom
• Pure maple syrup
• Pecan halves
• Greek yogurt or ice cream, for serving (optional)

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

How to Make Spiced Pears

The best thing is that this recipe is super fast. And look how pretty it is! Impressive recipe, delicious taste, no time…sounds like a winner to me! Here’s a quick overview of how the spiced pears are made:

1. Melt the butter in a pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the pears, spices, and syrup. Sauté until fragrant and warm.
3. Stir in pecans.
4. Serve warm over yogurt or on top of vanilla ice cream.

The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the free printable card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

Recipe Substitutions to Try

• Use a different sweetener: If you don’t have pure maple syrup on hand, honey or agave may also be substituted.
• Try a different fruit: A few readers have asked if they can make spiced apples using this recipe. You likely can, but you might need to cook them slightly longer until you get to your desired tenderness since apples will be harder than pears.
• Add different spices: I love the cinnamon and cardamom in this recipe, but you’re welcome to play around with the spices and experiment with your favorites.

Typically I don’t recommend making a bunch of substitutions when preparing a new recipe. When making substitutes, you won’t know if you don’t like the recipe or if the recipe didn’t turn out due to a preparation mistake, an ill effect from the substitute, or something else.

However, if you do choose to make substitutions in a recipe, I recommend only making one substitute at a time so you don’t have a building effect of multiple poor substitutions.

How to Store Leftover Spiced Pears

The pears are best enjoyed immediately, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat gently in a saucepan or in the microwave.

Can I Make This Recipe Vegan?

Yes, you can substitute the butter with a vegan buttery spread or you can use coconut oil.

Tips for Making This Quick Pear Dessert

• I used Bartlett pears to make this recipe because that’s what I had, but I’d really love to try Starkrimson next. Use any variety you’d like!
• You’ll want to use ripe pears that are still firm to make this recipe. If the pears are too soft, they’ll fall apart as they’re being sautéed.
• This is actually, in my mind, a rather healthy recipe that seems much more like a dessert than a snack. If you really want to go dessert with it, serve with vanilla ice cream instead of yogurt.

More Easy Pear Recipes:

This Vanilla Spiced Pear Butter makes an excellent homemade gift during the holidays!

This recipe for Pearsauce is flavored with cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. It’s essentially applesauce, but it’s made with pears!

Spiced Pear and Pomegranate Crostini are the perfect solution for simple entertaining. They look far more special than a plate of fruit and cheese, but they’re really a cinch to prepare.

This Cinnamon Pear Crostata is essentially a free-form, rustic fruit pie. A great make-ahead dessert for fall entertaining!

If you’ve had bad experiences with dry, dense scones, don’t worry! These Glazed Pear Almond Scones have a nice crumb and are kept incredibly moist by the diced pears.

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