Cranberry Pear Cobbler {In a Jar}

I have shared countless memories and stories from my kitchen here on the blog over the years. From spending hours making holiday sugar cookies with my Mom and siblings as a small child, to learning the secret of perfect seafood gumbo from my grandmother, to embracing the local cultures and flavors as I travel abroad. All of these moments and memories being stored and shared her with all of you!

As the years have past, I have prepared an abundance of meals for friends, family and complete strangers. Whether pouring my energy into a four course meal to honor a family member, or stressing over a seven tiered wedding cake for my sister, or enthusiastically sharing my knowledge as I teach a cooking class; these food related memories and noteworthy moments continue to shape my life.

I will always treasure those memorable meals or times spent in the kitchen with my Mother and Grandmother when I was a child, but I love that I am creating new memories with them now. I love that certain dishes that I have created are now requested for family dinner parties or have become legendary in their on way!

I mean, not to “toot my own horn” or anything, but it feels pretty good when people hum and ahh over something you have created; and come to expect it at various celebrations! Smile.

To be honest, that is one of the many reasons I love cooking and baking so much is because I love watching the joy a homemade meal or indulgent dessert brings people!

One of my “concoctions” that has been requested time and time again is my Peach Cobbler. My Mom in particular LOVES my Peach Cobbler and requests that I bring it every summer for some family function. Of course I am happy to oblige, but then sometimes feel silly when people ask for the recipe because it is super simple.

You see, my “famous” Peach Cobbler, is simply my version of those “dump cake” or “crunch cake” recipes that are super popular. It is canned and fresh peaches and then a doctored cake mix all dumped into a baking dish. Easy. Peasy. Delicious. And classic.

Over the years I have taken my base cobbler recipe and swapped out certain ingredients or flavors for things we had on hand or based on what was in season at the time. Each variation continuing to be a hit! So recently, when visiting my Mom, she mentioned having a craving for one of my cobblers. Since I love baking for others, I quickly ran to the Kroger near her house to grab everything I needed to whip up a fall version of her favorite cobbler. As I was grabbing the ingredients I was super happy to discover the new Pillsbury Purely Simple Cake and Brownie Mixes! These mixes contain no artificial flavors, no added colors or preservatives and have a pure and simple homemade taste making them perfect for all those times I kinda “cheat” in the kitchen and use a cake mix to help me make easy, crowd pleasing desserts!

I am happy to say that this new version of that classic cobbler recipe was a hit! Filled with juicy pears, tart cranberries, nutty almonds and warm fall spices, I decided this time to package my cobbler in adorable glass jars adorned with rustic embellishments for a fun and easy to serve party dessert or gift; perfect for any fall gathering!

Cranberry Pear Cobbler {In a Jar}
by Heather H. of Kitchen Concoctions: www.kitchen-concoctions.com
Prep Time: 15 minutes Bake Time: 30-40 minutes Yields: 8 (12-ounce) jars or 1 (9×13-inch) pan
Printable Version

Ingredients:
1 (17-ounce) box Pillsbury Purely Simple White Cake Mix
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup sliced almonds
3 (15-ounce) cans pear halves in natural juice
4 Anjou, Bartlett or Red pears, peeled, cored and diced
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup unsalted butter, sliced into
16 pieces
8 (16-ounce) wide mouth glass pint jars with lids
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, optional for serving

Optional:
Decorative fabric or burlap, cut into 5-inch squares
Decorative ribbon
Gift tags
Wooden or plastic spoons or forks
Seasonal decorations

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, stir together cake mix, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar and almonds. Set aside. 

Remove canned pears from can and pour juice into a large bowl. Dice canned pear halves and add to bowl with juice. Add diced fresh pears to canned diced pears in bowl. Set aside.

In a small bowl, toss together cranberries and unbleached all-purpose flour. Set aside.

Using a large spoon or ladle, scoop some of the pear mixture into each of the glass jars, filling the jars about half way. Top the pears with a small handful of cranberries. Top the cranberries with the cake mix cobbler topping, making sure to leave about an inch of space at the top of the jar. Top cake mix with 2-3 pieces of butter.

Place filled jars, uncovered, on a sturdy baking sheet. Place baking sheet in preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until topping is set and golden brown.

Allow glass jars to cool on baking sheet for 5-10 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Allow jars to cool completely before sealing with lids and adding decorations to jar. Heat jars (minus the lid and decorations) in microwave for 30-45 seconds before serving, if desired.

9×13-inch Pan: To bake cobbler in a 9×13-inch glass baking dish, pour diced pears and juice into a 9×13-inch glass baking dish. Top pears evenly with cranberries. Top cranberries evenly with cake mix cobbler topping. Top cobbler topping evenly with pieces of butter. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes, or until topping is set and golden brown.

Pillsbury Purely Simple Cake and Brownie Mixes contain no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives and have a pure and simple homemade taste. Stock up on Pillsbury products at Kroger family of stores and check out more easy dessert recipes using Pillsbury Purely Simple Cake and Brownie Mixes by liking them on Facebook!