Spiced pear & walnut crumble

One gloomy Monday in February, I made this much-needed and comforting crumble, and it brought me instant happiness. Full of nuts, oats, unrefined sugar, seasonal fruits and warming spices, it's nourishing and a little bit naughty, making it the perfect winter-warmer dessert.

I'm not sure who had the idea of adding almond butter to crumble first, but I'm hoping it was me who had that flash of inspiration, as it's totally ingenious (if I do say so myself...!). The ingredients list might look a little bit long, but it's simplicity itself to put together.

And, just when you thought it couldn't get any better, I've recently discovered that this makes an absolutely delicious breakfast, too. Enjoy!

SERVES:
06-08

Ingredients
Instructions

Ingredients

For the pears

4 pears, cored and sliced

½ cup coconut sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Juice of 1 lemon

For the crumble topping

100g jumbo oats

50g walnuts, roughly chopped

50g coconut sugar

50g plain or gluten-free flour

70g vegan butter

3 tbsp almond butter

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

Good pinch of allspice

Good pinch of ground cloves

½ tsp sea salt

To serve (optional)

Plant-based cream, ice cream, custard or yogurt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/Gas 6. Lightly grease a baking dish with vegan butter or light oil.
Place all the ingredients for the pears in the baking dish, and toss to combine.
Add all the crumble ingredients to a large bowl, and rub them together with your fingertips until the mixture is fully combined and clumping together a little.
Spoon the crumble on top of the pears and bake for about 30-40 mins. The pears should be soft and bubbling, and the topping crunchy and golden.
Serve with your choice of plant-based cream, ice cream, custard or yogurt.