• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Kitchen Prep Blog

Easy Recipes with a Fresh Twist

  • Home
  • About Dianna
  • Recipe Index
  • Work With Me
    • Disclosure Policy
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About Dianna
  • Work With Me
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Breakfast & Brunch

    Spiced Pear Applesauce

    Published: Dec 9, 2013 · Modified: Jul 24, 2023 by thekitchenprep · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Spiced Pear Applesauce! Brown sugar, warm cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla bean give this pear applesauce an autumn twist.

    You know how I know I'm a food nerd? Because I nearly let out a little squeal of joy when I found a great deal on vanilla beans at Costco.

    I love vanilla beans... like whoa. But I'm super-stingy with them because they're usually a bit on the pricey side. You've gotta be pretty special for me to consider giving up a precious vanilla bean.

    Thanks to my cheap find, I've been using them a lot more without experiencing separation anxiety and pangs of loss.

    I've mentioned before that I have real problems {duh} with letting food go to waste. So, when I woke up on Saturday morning and discovered that I had some very sad looking pears withering away, I was determined to salvage them. Wasted fruit? Not on my watch.

    As is usually the drill with apples that get past their point of desirability, I thought I'd make some quick and easy "applesauce"... pearsauce. Whatever. Except instead of keeping it fairly plain, I added in a sprinkle of ground cardamom {the newest addition to my spice rack along with smoked paprika, and my latest obsession} and a cherished vanilla bean.

    The result was this very luxurious peary applesauce. Thanks to the special ingredients, this isn't your average applesauce. The brown sugar gives it an almost caramel-like flavor and the warm cinnamon and cardamom add a hint of spice that takes it to the next level.

    Totally worthy of a vanilla bean, if you ask me.

    Save the squishy fruit! Make applesauce.

    Spiced Pear Applesauce

    The Kitchen Prep
    Spiced Pear Applesauce! Brown sugar, warm cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla bean give this pear applesauce an autumn twist.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 35 minutes mins
    Course Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6 servings

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 pears I used 2 Bosc and 2 Anjou, peeled, cored and chopped
    • 1 Granny Smith apple peeled, cored & chopped
    • ¼ cup brown sugar
    • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
    • 1 vanilla bean split & scraped
    • 1 cinnamon stick or ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt

    Instructions
     

    • Place all ingredients (including the scraped vanilla bean pod) in a heavy-bottomed pot oven medium-high heat. Cover and bring to a bubble.
    • Reduce heat slightly and allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes stirring every so often until fruit is tender and juices have been released.
    • Uncover and increase heat to medium. Cook uncovered, stirring often for about 15-20 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by about half. Be sure that the mixture does not scorch at the bottom as the sugar will burn if the heat is too high and you don't stir it.
    • Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Remove the vanilla bean & the cinnamon stick.
    • Carefully pour the mixture into a blender or food processor and process to desired consistency. As always, practice caution when blending hot/warm liquids!
    • Serve warm if desired or transfer into storage containers with an airtight lid and keep refrigerated.

    Notes

    *If you don't have vanilla beans, or refuse to give one up for this, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract after removing from heat before you blend it.
    **You may use ground cinnamon instead if you prefer, but the result will be a stronger cinnamon flavor.
    « White Chocolate Orange Scones
    Salted Caramel Mocha Biscotti »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jennifer @ Town and Country Living says

      February 22, 2014 at 12:33 am

      Yum! Just found your blog through Foodgawker. Definitely giving this a try.

      Reply
    2. thekitchenprep says

      February 22, 2014 at 1:31 pm

      @Jennifer - Wonderful! Let me know how you like it! Thanks for checking out the blog! 🙂

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. 10 Perfect Pear Recipes - Cricket’s Confections says:
      September 1, 2016 at 12:01 pm

      […] Cardamom-Vanilla Pear Applesauce – The Kitchen Prep  I love adding unexpected flavors to my food, cardamom in apple sauce what a great idea! The almost smokey notes to the cardamom really bring out all the amazing pear flavor. I love to eat it with ice cream, spoon it into my oatmeal, or just eat it plain like a little kid! […]

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi! I'm Dianna. I used to think cooking had to be complicated to be good, so I never considered it "my thing." Now I know that's far from true, and my mission is to create & share easy, mouthwatering recipes - from weeknight dinners to simple bites for entertaining - that anyone can make! Join me in my South Florida kitchen and let's get cooking!

    More about me →

    window.fd('form', { formId: '61131d0ce9f26f8333fe98a5', containerEl: '#fd-form-61131d0ce9f26f8333fe98a5' });

    Popular

    • Fork and knife cutting into a stuffed cubanelle pepper.
      Stuffed Italian-Style Cubanelle Peppers
    • Benedictine Spread for Kentucky Derby in a white bowl with a piece of pumpernickel toast in the foreground slathered with spread.
      Benedictine Spread - A Derby Classic
    • Close up of Italian Easter Cookies on a light blue platter.
      Italian Love Knot Cookies
    • A large skillet filled with Creamy Mushroom & Chicken Sausage Florentine Pasta with a yellow and white striped dish towel underneath.
      Creamy Mushroom & Chicken Sausage Florentine Pasta

    As Seen In

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure Policy

    Subscribe

    • Sign Up! and get recipes delivered to your inbox.

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work with Me

    Copyright © 2023 · The Kitchen Prep ·