Cocoa Pear Crisps

Yesterday I found myself with time on my hands, the desire to bake something and these exquisite red pears. 

If I were a painter I would paint still-life. Unfortunately, the best thing I ever drew was of a horse in my 5th grade art class. It took me forever and I was never able to replicate it. So, since I wasn't going to paint these pears, I did the next best thing - turned them into something yummy. 

A few months back, I pinned a recipe for Cocoa Pear Crisps and decided to give it a go. They literally take no time to make and have a lovely sweet and satisfying crunch that I found really, well.... satisfying. 

First, preheat your oven to 275ºF. Then start by slicing three pears into very thin slices, about 1/8 inch. 

The original recipe called for a mandolin slicer to get perfectly uniform slices, but a mandolin slicer I own not. So, I just tried my best to get the slices as thin as I could. Some were a little thicker than others, but ah well - life is too short to worry about such things. 

Now come the flavors. Mix together the following: 3 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon (I used Saigon Cinnamon, which I talked about in this post) and 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder. 

The nutmeg was not in the original recipe, but it seemed like it would be a nice complement to the other spices, so I added it. 

Also, uhm, can we just talk about nutmeg for a second? It is one of my favorite spices. Amazing in both sweet and savory recipes, I use it all of the time, especially in soups and meat dishes. And while you can buy it already ground in the spice aisle, I really prefer to grind my own using a microplane grater. Each little pod lasts forever and the flavor is fresher. Give it a try sometime!

Back to recipe: Place the pear slices on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and sprinkle the spice/sugar mixture lightly over the pear slices. 

Bake for 30 minutes, then flip the pear slices, and bake for another 30 minutes, until the pears are browned and slightly shriveled. 

Remove them from the oven and allow to cool, which is when they will crisp up. 

**Note - if your pear slices still don't seem crispy, put back in oven and bake as long as needed, in 5 minute intervals, until desired crispness is achieved, but not burned.** 

Once they have cooled, you will have these delightful little pear crisps that are not too sweet and have the perfect amount of cocoa. 

I think these are perfect healthy-ish snacks for kids and adults alike. I don't know about you, but after dinner I like to have a little something sweet, and these do just the trick. 

I hope you enjoy!