These Cinnamon Baked Pears have everything you want in a dessert! I know what you’re thinking. Is there anything more dietitian-y than having fruit for dessert?

The answer is no. And Cinnamon Baked Pears with Chocolate Date Sauce will show you why. Hint: Because they’re AMAZING!!

Baking the pear makes it soft and almost melt-in-your-mouth, and the cinnamon really complements its sweetness. The walnuts give it some toasty crunchiness, and the chocolate sauce (arguably the star of the dessert!) adds a creamy, chocolaty, sweetness that pulls it all together. Pears and chocolate! Who knew?!

How to Make Cinnamon Baked Pears

One of the things I love about this recipe is that it’s fast, and requires only a few ingredients! Halve the pears and scoop out the core and they’re ready to bake with a sprinkle of cinnamon! I just tossed the walnuts right on the baking sheet beside the pears and they were perfectly toasty.

You can make the Heart Healthy Chocolate Date Sauce ahead of time – it will keep in the refrigerator for about 5-7 days, but I haven’t been able to keep it away from my kids long enough to reach that.

Are Pears Good For My Heart?

We always seem to forget about pears. The spotlight is often reserved for much sexier fruit like strawberries, melons, and heck even bananas! Behold! The pear! Pears are a good source of vitamin C, and they’ve got some potassium and other vitamins, but where they really shine is in their soluble fiber content! Soluble fiber is a type of fiber that loves cholesterol so much, that it binds itself to it and takes it right out of the body with it. Pears have one of the highest soluble fiber content among fruit, and they’re available year-round, so they can be really useful in managing cholesterol.

Still not convinced about fruit for dessert? Well, the only thing left to do then is to try it! My kids BEG me to make these pears for dessert! I know you’ll love them too!