Delicious Brown Sugar Crumble Topping for your coffee cakes, muffins, fruit desserts and pies! It makes about 2.5 cups. The perfect amount to generously top a 13 x 9-inch baking pan or a batch of 12 standard sized muffins with some left over!
What is Crumble Topping?
Crumble topping is a delicious dessert topping that is a simple mixture of sugar, butter and flour. I also add cinnamon and a little salt. This one forms a nice thick layer with crumbs that range in size from bite sized nuggets to finer crumbs. I use my hands to squeeze the mixture together and distribute the crumbs evenly over my fruit dessert, pie or coffee cake.
There are many variations of crumble type dessert toppings that all stem from the same basic ingredients: sugar, butter and flour. Some additionally contain oats, nuts and/or other spices. The terms tend to be used interchangeably and there is a lot of crossover and interpretation based on cultural and family traditions.
Crumble vs Crumb vs Crisp Topping
Typically a crumble topping consists of a thick layer of crumbs that is placed all over the dessert. It’s similar to a fruit crisp topping, but a fruit crisp topping generally also includes oats and sometime nuts. A crumb topping is usually a finer texture and added as a thin layer for textural interest.
Streusel vs Crumb Topping
Again, these are all variation on the same basic ingredients: butter, flour and sugar. Streusel originated in Germany and usually contains a higher flour ratio, whereas a crumb topping tends to be sweeter. Streusel sometimes contains nuts, but generally a crumb topping does not.
Whatever you call it is fine with me! I find them all delicious!
Would be a great Brown Sugar Crumble Topping for these Recipes:
For the below cake, I omit the sprinkles and frosting. Stir some blueberries into the batter and top with the crumble topping. This is the recipe you see in the photo.
Brown Sugar Crumble Topping
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 cup flour 132 grams
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed) 105 grams
- 1/2 cup sugar 100 grams
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Cold Butter:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Instructions
- To Cut in the Butter: You can use a Stand Mixer (flat beater or pastry beater), food processor or you can cut in by hand with a pastry cutter or with two knives or with your hands (rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients. I used my KitchenAid Stand Mixer with Pastry Beater.
- Stir together all the dry Ingredients (flour, sugars, salt, cinnamon).
- Cut the cold butter into the dry mixture until the texture is sandy.
- Squeeze mixture together in your hands to form clumps and spread evenly over coffee cake, pie, muffins or fruit dessert. Bake as directed in pie/muffin/coffee cake recipe.
Another great recipe with many uses!