Brown Sugar Streusel {Easy Topping for Desserts} @ Bake It With Love (2025)

FAQs

What is the difference between a crumb topping and a streusel? ›

Streusel is similar to crumb topping and the terms are often used interchangeably. Traditionally, the two have different ratios of the same ingredients, with streusel containing more flour, and crumb topping more sugar, so they offer a different texture and flavor on top of baked goods.

Don't over-mix or the streusel will become like a paste, simply toss together until mixture is clumpy, no longer dry, and the flour is completely absorbed. Scatter evenly over muffins, pie, or coffee cake before baking.

If your crumb topping isn't crumbly you need to add a little more butter. Chances are you mis-measured the flour, but it is an easy fix. Start with 1 tablespoon of melted butter and mix that in, adding more if necessary. Don't add too much butter, though, as it will melt as it's baked.

Since streusel includes flour, you'll need to bake it for at least ten minutes. You can bake the streusel on its own by spreading it on a foil-lined baking sheet, or on top of your breakfast or dessert dish.

Use the Right Amount of Butter

Not enough butter, and your topping will be a dry, floury mess. Too much butter and your topping will become a greasy blob or disappointingly soggy.

If you are baking the crumble on it's own, spread out the crumb topping onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the edges start to brown and crisp up. It will crisp more as it cools. Let it cool about 15-20 minutes before using a spatula to break up and serve immediately or store in a jar.

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.

Making Crumble Topping

First, adding a teaspoon of baking powder to the flour mixture makes the crumble topping more tender.

Cold is better. You want to break up the butter into pieces and you want the pieces to stick to the butter. If it's warm, the butter won't “break” because it will smear and the fat will stick to the pieces, which is the opposite of what you want.

What if streusel topping is too wet? ›

The most common culprit of a soggy crumble is the use of too much butter! Try adding just a bit more flour to soak it up.

They're supposed to be chunky and craggy, with big pieces of crumble on top. By freezing your topping, it makes it harden just slightly and that means the texture will be nice and crispy when it's cooked.” To do this properly, you first need to make sure that the topping is still a little lumpy.

Both are crumb toppings containing the same ingredients but streusel often has more sugar, cinnamon, nuts and or oats included. Baking gets better when you subscribe to receive this PDF on getting the most out of baking including information on equipment, ingredients and baking equipment.

When you need some, pull out a bag, shake it over whatever thing you want to make extra-delicious, and put the unused crumble back into the deep freeze. Beyond this individual Streusel Topping recipe, you can also pre-mix streusel from any recipe to have on hand for a variety of flavors.

Streusel is a crumbly topping usually made with real butter, flour, and sugar.

If you've ever wondered how to make crumb topping, you'll need four ingredients: brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and flour. First the brown sugar and cinnamon and combined together in a bowl. You won't need a huge mixing bowl or anything.

A crumble is just a crisp without oats in the streusel. It may feature nuts, but the streusel topping is usually a simple combination of butter, flour, and sugar that is more clumpy than that of a crisp.

The term streusel comes from the German word streuen, which means to scatter or sprinkle. Streusel is a very common addition to German and Austrian desserts like kuchen and crumb cake.

Easy to confuse due to the similar names, strudel and streusel are actually different types of dessert. An apple strudel has thin sheets of pastry wrapped around the filling, while streusel is a crumbly sweet topping of sugar, flour, and butter that is often layered over pies and cakes.