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Frosting & Fettuccine

Home » Recipe Search » Breakfast

Dec 18, 2020(last updated May 13, 2022)

Streusel Topping

5 from 2 votes
BySam Adler
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

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!

Streusel in a white ceramic bowl with a spoon on a white surface

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

Ingredients for a streusel topping

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!
Diced butter on a piece of parchment paper
Pre-baked streusel in a glass bowl
The size the streusel should be when mixed
Unbaked streusel laid out on a sheet tray
Before Baking
Baked streusel on a parchment paper lined sheet tray
After Baking

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!

Yogurt topped with streusel in a small bowl on a white surface

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
Streusel in a white ceramic bowl with a spoon on a white surface

Streusel Topping Recipe

Streusel topping is made with butter, sugar, flour, and cinnamon, and adds a super crunchy crumb to your muffins, pies, and cakes!
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crumb topping, streusel, streusel topping
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chilling time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 24 people
Calories: 70kcal
Author: Sam Adler

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.

Notes

Either sprinkle this all over your coffee cakes or muffins before baking or bake this by itself.
If baking by itself, be sure to watch the oven to ensure it doesn’t burn. Oven times may vary. Mine was done after 12 minutes.
Store into an airtight container for up to a week.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Streusel Topping Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 tbsp)
Calories 70 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Fat 3g5%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 8mg3%
Sodium 51mg2%
Potassium 12mg0%
Carbohydrates 11g4%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 87IU2%
Vitamin C -38mg-46%
Calcium 5mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

I love when you share my recipes!!

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Filed Under: Breakfast Tagged With: Cinnamon

About Sam Adler

Sam Adler is a Le Cordon Bleu professionally trained pastry chef, Saveur Blog Award winner, food photographer, and food blogger over on FrostingandFettuccine.com. She has been featured in numerous online and in-print publications including Taste of Home Magazine, Saveur Magazine, The Feed Feed, and Food Blogger Pro. Sam lives in Hollywood florida with her husband, two young kids, and french bulldog. When she’s not baking and dancing in her kitchen you can find her at her favorite yoga spot.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jane Caes says

    April 16, 2022 at 3:31 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent recipe!! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Sam Adler says

      April 18, 2022 at 9:09 am

      So glad to hear! Thanks for leaving a rating and comment Jane!

      Reply

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Do you love this recipe? If so, I would be so grateful if you left a star rating with your comment! Star ratings help other people find my recipes so they can make them too. Thank you for your support!

XO, Sam

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Hi! Im Sam Adler,

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