Basic Streusel Recipe

Name: Basic Streusel Recipe
Prep time: 2018-04-21T00:00:00+00:00
Total time: 2018-04-21T00:00:00+00:00
Yield: enough to top 18 muffins, one loaf of bread, or one 8x8" fruit crisp
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 1/2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour; 1/2 cup light brown, dark brown, or granulated (white) sugar; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, or 1 tablespoon citrus zest (optional); 1/3 cup oats, nuts, or seeds (optional)

July 21, 2015 by Allie {Baking A Moment} 77 Comments

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You’ll find yourself using this Basic Streusel Recipe over and over again! It’s so simple to make, in just one bowl, and it’s great on everything from muffins and breads, to pies and fruit crisps. This buttery, sweet crumb topping is sure to be a favorite on all your best homemade baked goods!

Yes, you read that right. This is a recipe for streusel. Just streusel. Only streusel.

I know it may sound a bit strange to devote a whole post to crumb topping, but the thing is, I just recently realized just how often I find myself referring back to this simple formula.

Here is what I like about it:

It’s easy. It all happens in one bowl (or pot, as it were). No big clunky food processor with tons of pieces to wash. You don’t even have to get your hands dirty!
You don’t have to bake it. You can- but if you want to put it on a no-bake type situation, or an already baked type situation, just stir it over medium-low heat for a minute or two, to cook out the raw flour taste.
It’s versatile. I use this buttery crumble topping on everything from muffins and breads, to fruit crisps and pies, even donuts!
It’s customize-able. Putting this on a berry dessert? Sub out the cinnamon for citrus zest. Want something a little lighter and more subtle? Use white sugar instead of brown. Want to add some substance? Try adding oats, chia seeds, and/or nuts. My hubby and kids love when I add walnuts or pecans to this. They give it some added crunch and a toasty flavor that’s just so warm and homey.

** WATCH THIS QUICK VIDEO TO SEE HOW IT’S DONE! **

It’s all as easy as melting a bit of butter and adding flour, sugar, and salt. Throw in some cinnamon too! You can go with as much or as little as you like. When I’m making something like pumpkin bread or apple pie, I’ll add a lot of cinnamon- two whole teaspoons. This time, I chose to keep it a little more subtle with just one.

Toss it all together with a fork until the ingredients are evenly dispersed. I like when there’s an even mix of big, boulder-like hunks and smaller, finer crumbs.

Big fan of anything with streusel? Here are some more ideas for how to use this recipe:

Blood Orange Mini-Muffins

New York Crumb Cheesecake

Best Ever Blueberry Muffins

Homemade Crumb Donuts

I think you’ll find yourself looking to this recipe again and again. It’s just so great on so many things. If you end up trying it, I’d love to see how you choose to use it! Shoot me an Instagram pic! You can tag me with @bakingamoment 😉

** HERE’S ANOTHER VIDEO! THIS WAS A LIVE RECIPE DEMO AND IT’S GOT TONS OF GREAT INFO! **

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