GRANDMA’S
PEAR SQUARES
PREP TIME
15 minutes
ACTIVE TIME
45 minutes
TOTAL TIME
6 hours 55 minutes (includes chilling, baking, and cooling time)
INVOLVED
There’s nothing more special than cooking from a family recipe! This is a take on my grandma’s apple square recipe, which blends lard with butter and lemon juice in the crust for extra-flaky results. I swapped in juicy pears, which really say “autumn” to me.
FOR THE CRUST
4½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, frozen
1 cup lard (about 8 ounces), frozen
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
FOR THE FILLING
10 ripe Bartlett pears (about 5 pounds), or 10 apples, such as Honeycrisp or Granny Smith
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
⅔ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup ground gingersnap cookies, store-bought or homemade (see here)
FOR THE GLAZE
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Make the crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Set a box grater over the flour mixture and grate the butter and the lard on the medium-size holes directly into the dry ingredients. Use your fingers to rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse, pea-size crumbs.
2. Fill a large glass with about ½ cup water, add some ice to the glass, and let the water chill for a few minutes. Remove the ice cubes from the water, pour off any extra water so you have ½ cup, and add the lemon juice. Pour the lemon water into the dry ingredients and use your hands to stir until the mixture forms a shaggy dough that holds together when pressed (stir in up to ¼ cup of additional cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed).
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until it just comes together, 3 to 4 minutes. Set the dough on a large sheet of plastic wrap and press it into a 9-inch square, about 1 inch thick. Seal tightly in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to a week, or freeze for up to 2 weeks (thaw in the fridge overnight before using).
4. Make the filling: Peel, halve, core, and slice the pears lengthwise into paper-thin slices. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice to prevent browning. Toss with the granulated sugar and flour and set aside.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
6. Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured work surface into a 20 by 15-inch rectangle, about ¼ inch thick. Carefully roll the dough around the rolling pin to make it easy to lift and unroll it over a 12 by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet (if the dough tears slightly, that’s okay; just press it back together). Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, pressing any cracks together (it’s a very forgiving dough). Trim off any dough hanging over the sides of the pan. Sprinkle the ground gingersnap cookies evenly over the dough and layer the pears horizontally over the gingersnap crumbs. Bake until the crust is golden brown and pulls away from the edges of the pan and the pears are tender, about 1 hour 10 minutes, rotating the pan every 20 minutes.
7. Right before the squares are done baking, make the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, water, and vanilla until smooth.
8. Remove the pear squares from the oven and set the baking sheet over a wire rack. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the top and let cool completely, about 4 hours. Once cooled, cut into 24 squares. The squares keep, covered, for 1 week in the refrigerator or for 4 to 6 months in the freezer, tightly wrapped.
If you’ve only got apples, use those instead! It’ll be just as delish.
