Homemade Pear Filling
Fresh Bartlett pears cook with lemon, cinnamon, and allspice to create a lightly spiced filling with small pieces of pear in a thick syrup. It is perfect for thumbprint cookies, toast, or spooning over ice cream.
Servings: 48 cookies
Calories: 23kcal
Ingredients
- 3 Bartlett pears
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon Allspice
- ¼ cup (59.15 g) Water
Instructions
- Quarter the pears and remove the skins. Slice each quarter into 4 or 5 thin strips, then dice them into small pieces. Zest the lemon into one bowl and juice it into another.
- Add the diced pears, sugar, water, lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, and allspice to a 3-quart saucepan. Stirring frequently, bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to maintain a low boil and continue stirring. Depending on how juicy the pears are, it may take 20 to 30 minutes for the liquid to reduce to a medium-thick syrup.
- Drag the back of a wooden spoon across the bottom of the pan. If the trail remains open for 2 to 3 seconds before the liquid fills the gap, remove the pan from the heat. If the syrup is still too thin, continue cooking and check it again after a few minutes.
- Let the filling cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer it to a clean glass container. Cool for another 10 minutes before adding the lid and refrigerating overnight. This gives the spices time to infuse into the pears.
Recipe Notes
- Choose Bartlett pears that are ripe but still firm enough to peel and dice.
- For thumbprint cookies, make sure the syrup has thickened and avoid overfilling the centers.
- Store the pear filling in a covered glass container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. This is a refrigerator filling and is not shelf-stable.
Nutrition
Calories: 23kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 0.05g | Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 0.2mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 0.03mg