A streusel topping for muffins takes no time at all to prepare but adds lots of crispy crumbly goodness to your baked goods.
This recipe for a streusel topping for muffins is made with just four ingredients and comes together in just 5 minutes!
It is worth making a big batch of streusel topping – also known as crumb topping – in advance, as it freezes well and means you will always have some on hand to use on future baking days.
If you do decide to freeze a streusel topping, make sure you use it within 3 months. After that, there is a chance that ice cystals may develop in the mixture. When that happends, it never gets quite crispy enough when baked.
Other ways to use streusel topping for muffins
Did you know that muffins aren’t the only food to benefit from a tasty streusel topping?
It also tastes great on:
- Pies
- Coffee cakes
- Pancakes
- French toast
- Quick bread
- Cheesecake
- Ice cream
Variations on the basic streusel recipe
The very simplest streusel topping is made of just butter, sugar and flour. The recipe below takes things a little further and includes cinnamon, but you can add lots more than that if you choose!
Oats work well, as do nuts. To make things easy, you could even mix in some peanut butter.
Troubleshooting your homemade streusel
My streusel isn’t crumbly
This usually happens if you haven’t used quite enough butter, which leaves the mixture too dry and floury. Add a little melted butter, one tablespoon at a time, until you get the texture right.
My streusel is melting
This is the opposite problem and usually indicates that too MUCH butter is in your mixture compared to dry ingredients. This often happens when you don’t measure the sugar properly, which leaves your proportions all wrong.
Be sure to ‘pack’ the sugar into the cup as recommended in the recipe, so you can be sure your measurements are perfectly correct.
Recipes with streusel
Peanut Butter Streusel Brownies
Streusel Topped Sweet Potatoes
Streusel Topping for Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter (cold)
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
Instructions
- Mix everything together in a food processor and pulse until crumbly, or mash all the ingredients together in a bowl with a fork.
- Sprinkle the mixture over muffins – or whatever you choose to top with it – right before you bake them, then bake according to the recipe.