Streusel topping is my favorite way to top cakes and muffins. It is super crunchy and makes simple baked goods look and taste irresistible! Made with only a few simple ingredients you can add it to your baked goods before baking or bake it on its own and treat it like a fancy granola!
A few weeks ago I was baking some mini coffee cakes and had leftover streusel topping. I didn’t know what to do with it so I baked it to see what would happen. As a trained pastry chef I always like to experiment in the kitchen!
YOLO lol.
The result? It was a winner! It came out crunchy and crumbly and now I put it on top of everything from yogurt to bundt cakes!
Ingredients you need
Streusel is made of only a few simple ingredients- butter, sugar, flour and cinnamon is all it takes!
Sugar- I use two types of sugar here. There is more brown sugar than white sugar to add more moisture and a deeper flavor.
Butter– Keep the butter cold! If the butter is room temperature or soft, it wont make a crunchy topping.
You can also add oats to this recipe but that would make this technically a crumb topping and not streusel. Who care’s though because it will still be called delicious!
HOW TO MAKE STREUSEL TOPPING
- Simply add flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, and diced cold butter to a bowl.
- Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, mix the butter into the dry ingredients until you form small clumps. If you are using your fingers, pinch the mixture until it resembles coarse sand. You don’t want the clumps to be larger than pea size.
- Put in the freezer for 20 minutes to chill.
- Sprinkle the streusel over your coffee cakes or muffins before baking. Or sprinkle onto a baking sheet and bake by itself for 10-12 minutes to add a crunchy topping.
- You’ll know the streusel is done when it is golden brown and crispy looking.
- You can even add chopped nuts for added crunch and flavor or layer it in cakes.
- It’s so easy to make and a perfect kiddo recipe because you can use your fingers to mix in the butter. They will love making streusel topping with you!
OTHER WAYS TO USE IT
If you’re baking streusel on its own, there are endless ways to use this cinnamony crunchy topping! Treat it like granola!
- Add it to your morning yogurt with some golden raisins.
- Top off your ice cream sundae with streusel and a dollop of whipped cream.
- Mix into rice crispy treats.
- Top off your morning oatmeal with a side of coffee.
Try it on top of Christina’s Butterscotch Cake recipe!
HOW TO STORE
Store in an airtight container for up to a week!
Streusel Troubleshooting:
- If the streusel isn’t crumbly it’s likely because there was too much butter, or the clumps of butter were too big. If the clumps are too big, the butter will just melt and not turn into streusel crumbs.
- Streusel too greasy? It’s because the mixture was mixed evenly or you need more flour.
OTHER RECIPES GOOD FOR STREUSEL
- Rhubarb Coffee Cake
- Apple Bundt Cake with Spiced Honey Glaze
- Carrot Cake Muffins with Crumb Topping
- Peach Muffins with Crumb Topping
Easy and Crunchy Streusel Topping
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon depending on preference
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 6 tbsp cold butter diced small
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl combine the 1 cup flour, 1/2 brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 -1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp salt.
- Use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter or pinch the butter into the mixture with your fingers gently until small clumps are formed no larger than the size of a pea.
- Put it in the freezer for 20 minutes to chill.
- Spread chilled streusel onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. If there were larger chunks of butter and they melted, that's ok, you'll break it up anyways!
- Once streusel has cooled, break up larger clumps and sprinkle over baked goods.
Excellent recipe!! Thanks!
So glad to hear! Thanks for leaving a rating and comment Jane!