Sweet Comfort: My neighbor begged for the recipe after smelling them cook. Just 4 ingredients create a tender, warm fruit dessert steaming right out of the foil packet.

These slow cooker 4-ingredient honey cinnamon pears are the kind of simple comfort that makes a house feel like a home. I started wrapping pears in little foil packets years ago, back when we were trying to stretch a few pieces of fruit into a cozy dessert after Sunday supper. The warm scent of cinnamon and honey drifting through the house would always bring someone into the kitchen asking what was cooking. This version is pared down to just four ingredients, but the flavor reminds me of the baked fruit desserts my mother used to tuck into the oven on chilly Midwestern evenings. Everything steams together right in the slow cooker, each pear nestled in foil so it comes out tender, fragrant, and ready to eat with a spoon.

Serve these warm pears right in their foil packets, set into shallow bowls to catch the juices. A scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream, or a spoonful of plain yogurt turns them into a more complete dessert. They’re lovely alongside a slice of pound cake or a simple butter cookie for a coffee-hour treat. For breakfast, spoon a warm pear over oatmeal or granola and drizzle on any extra honey-cinnamon sauce from the packet. A hot cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa is all you really need to round out this cozy little dish.

Servings: 4

4 firm but ripe pears (Bosc or Anjou), stems left on if possible

Prepare the slow cooker and foil: Set out a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Tear off 4 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil, each large enough to wrap a pear completely (about 12 x 12 inches). Lightly crimp up the edges of each sheet to form a shallow bowl shape so the honey-butter mixture won’t run out while you work.

Mix the cinnamon honey butter: In a small bowl, stir together the softened butter, honey, and ground cinnamon until smooth and well combined. It should form a soft, spreadable paste. Taste and add a pinch more cinnamon if you like a stronger spice flavor.

Prepare the pears: Rinse and dry the pears. If they don’t stand well, you can very thinly slice a bit off the bottom so they sit upright, being careful not to cut into the core. Use a small paring knife or melon baller to remove the core from the bottom of each pear, leaving the stem and top intact so they look pretty poking out of the foil. Don’t worry if they’re not perfect; they’ll soften as they cook.

Fill and coat the pears: Place one pear in the center of each piece of foil, standing upright. Divide the cinnamon honey butter into 4 portions. Use a small spoon or your fingers to tuck some of the mixture into the hollowed center of each pear, then smear the rest over the outside, especially around the top. It’s fine if some of the mixture slides down; it will melt into a sauce as the pears cook.

Wrap the pears in foil packets: Bring the sides of the foil up around each pear, gathering it loosely around the stem so the top of the pear and stem can still peek out. Crimp and seal the foil around the sides and bottom so the juices stay inside, but leave a small opening at the very top around the stem for steam to escape. Each pear should look like a little foil-wrapped bundle with the stem sticking out.

Arrange in the slow cooker: Set each foil-wrapped pear upright in the slow cooker, fitting them in snugly so they help support one another. The pears should be in a single layer. No water or extra liquid is needed; they’ll make their own sauce inside the packets.

Cook until tender: Cover the slow cooker with the lid. Cook on LOW for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours, or until the pears are very tender when pierced with a knife through the foil. The exact time will depend on the variety and ripeness of your pears and how hot your slow cooker runs. They should be soft but still holding their shape.

Rest and handle carefully: Turn off the slow cooker and let the pears sit, covered, for about 10 minutes. This helps the bubbling honey-cinnamon butter settle down a bit. Use tongs or a wide spatula to carefully lift each foil packet out of the slow cooker and set it into a shallow bowl or on a plate.

Serve warm from the foil: Gently open each foil packet, watching for hot steam. Spoon some of the melted honey-cinnamon butter from the bottom of the packet back over the pear. Serve the pears warm, right in their foil packets nestled in the bowl, with a spoon for cutting into the tender fruit and scooping up the sauce.

For a deeper flavor, you can brown the butter on the stovetop first, let it cool slightly, then mix it with the honey and cinnamon before spreading it over the pears. If you like things a touch less sweet, reduce the honey to 3 tablespoons and rely more on the natural sweetness of the fruit. A pinch of salt stirred into the honey butter will make the flavors pop, especially if you’re used to salted butter in your baking. To stretch this dessert for a crowd, cut the pears in half lengthwise, core them, and wrap two halves together cut-side up in one larger foil packet, dividing the cinnamon honey butter accordingly; check for doneness a little earlier, around 3 hours on LOW. For a more autumnal twist, add a small pinch of ground nutmeg or ginger to the cinnamon honey butter, keeping the total spice amount modest so cinnamon still leads the way. If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can arrange the foil packets in a baking dish and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 35 to 45 minutes, until the pears are tender. Leftovers are wonderful chilled and sliced over yogurt or oatmeal the next morning; just keep the pears in their foil packets in the refrigerator and rewarm gently in a low oven or the slow cooker if you’d like them warm again.