Crumb Topping
Our easy crumb topping recipe is perfect for a number of your favorite baked desserts! Made with just flour, light brown sugar, and unsalted butter, this buttery, golden topping adds a wonderful crunch to pies, muffins, and crisps. Easy to make in a food processor, it’s a great addition for your baked treats.
Perfectly sweet, buttery, golden, and easy-to-make! These are just a few of the words I use to describe my crumb topping recipe.
This simple, 3-ingredient topping is a little different than our crumble topping with oats.
The main difference? There are no oats in this version. Just flour, sugar, and butter.
Super simple and the perfect buttery finish for your best pies, muffins, crisps, and coffee cakes.
FAQs Frequently Asked Questions
Storage
If you have leftover crumb topping, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
You can also freeze it for up to 2 months. It can be baked from frozen but will take a few minutes longer to cook.
Make It Ahead of Time
This topping can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Tips for the Best Outcome
Tips
Butter Temperature: Make sure your butter is cold and cubed straight from the fridge. This will help create a nice, crumbly texture. If the butter is too warm, it can make the topping more like a dough.
Mixing Technique: When using the food processor, pulse the ingredients together rather than running it continuously. This will help you avoid over-mixing, which can lead to a finer, less crumbly texture.
Chill the Topping: After mixing, chill the crumb topping for a bit before using it. This helps the butter firm up again, creating a better texture during baking.
Sprinkling: When applying the unbaked topping, don’t press it down too firmly. Lightly sprinkle it over your muffins, cakes, or pies to get a nice, crumbly layer.
Dessert Recipes to Try
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- ½ cup light brown sugar
Instructions
- In a food processor or bowl, combine flour, butter, and brown sugar until well mixed.1 cup all-purpose flour½ cup unsalted butter½ cup light brown sugar
- Transfer the mixture to the refrigerator until ready to use.
- When ready, break the topping into pea-sized pieces (a little large is ok, too).
- Gently press the topping onto your pie, crisp, muffin batter, etc.
- Bake according to your recipe’s instructions.
Suggested Equipment
Notes
- The calories listed are an approximation based on the ingredients in the recipe card and a serving size of the entire recipe. Actual calories will vary.
- We recommend that you chill the topping after mixing to let the butter firm up. We’ve accounted for this by adding a 30 minute “chill time” to the recipe card.
- Salted butter may be used in place of unsalted butter. Dark brown sugar can be used in place of light brown sugar.
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