I received produce from Melissa’s Produce Company to use in recipes. I received no further compensation. All opinions are my own.
Butterscotch Pears show off a festive butterscotch colored skin. These pecan stuffed pears bake to perfection in delicate, buttery, flaky dough pockets.
It’s time to get your baking heads on! Melissa’s Produce Company is sponsoring the #FamilyBakingChallenge for fun and prizes! It’s easy to enter to win over $5000 in cash and baking supply prizes.
Melissa’s is partnering with Challenge Butter, Bigger Bolder Baking, Good Cook, KitchenAid and Bob’s Red Mill to offer fantastic cash and prize packages. Get the details here.
Week one of this 6 week challenge includes this Butterscotch Pear and Pecan Dumplings recipe.
Butterscotch pears are from Korea. These pears have a delicate taste and hold up as cooked or eat them raw. Learn more about them here.
Original recipe supplied for the contest by Gemma Stafford of Bigger Bolder Baking Butterscotch Pear and Pecan Dumplings.
My take on this recipe add a touch of cinnamon to the pecan mixture and a pinch of cinnamon to the sugar sprinkle. It’s just enough to make the flavors pop!
Tender dough is the key to this recipe.
Here’s some tips to get perfect, flaky pie dough:
- Use the coldest butter to crumble with flour to make the “crumbs” that start the dough. Warmer butter won’t form the tiny air pockets pie dough needs to be flaky. Instead, warm butter will be absorbed by the flour and make a tough, dense crust.
- Spare the water. It is so important to create moist but not soggy crusts. Add just enough water, a little at a time to make the dough pliable.
- Don’t overwork the dough. Too much kneading will make it tough.
- Chill the dough for at least an hour before rolling out.
Follow the hashtag #FamilyBakingChallenge on social media for all the news and challenge recipe creations!
Butterscotch Pear and Pecan Dumplings
Butterscotch Pear and Pecan Dumplings
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cold butter, diced
- 6-8 tablespoons ice water
- 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon divided
- 3 Butterscotch pears, peeled and halved
- egg wash
- 1/4 cup sugar
- caramel sauce, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in cold butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough is soft and pliable. Gently knead into a round. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- In a small bowl, combine pecans, melted butter, brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
- Scoop out the core of each pear and fill with pecan mixture.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. On a floured surface, roll the dough into 1/8-inch circles.
- Place one stuffed pear side up, half on each circle. Gently fold dough around the pear and seal. trim off excess dough and save for decorating.
- Place pastry wrapped pears, sealed side down on parchment lined sheet. Brush each pastry with egg wash. Decorate if desired. Sprinkle with sugar and reserved cinnamon.
- Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes until crust is golden brown. Cool about 20 minutes. Serve warm drizzled with caramel if desired.
