This sweet, crunchy streusel is the obvious choice for muffins and coffee cake, but the miracle is in its surprising versatility.
Streusel is a very simple thing: butter, sugar, and flour, blended together to make a crumbly mixture that when you add the heat of the oven, turns into a crispy topping for muffins, coffee cake, grilled fruit, or these luscious Jam Squares.
I make up a batch and keep it in the fridge for when I want to elevate my baking with a little something extra or whip up a quick seasonal (or canned or frozen!) fruit crumble. This mixture can also be pressed into a pan and baked to make a base for really any recipe that calls for a butter-sugar-flour base pressed into a pan.
You can change it up by using brown sugar instead of white, adding a bit of cinnamon, or a handful of chopped nuts for crunch.
It comes together in just 5 minutes and keeps in the freezer pretty much forever. It's amazing how it can transform a plain muffin, oatmeal cookie, or lemon loaf. Just sprinkle liberally on top before baking.
1. Stir together 2 c flour, 1 1/2 c sugar, and a good pinch of salt.
2. Using your hands or a pastry blender, rub in 1 cup cold butter that has been cut into small pieces.
3. Keep cutting in for 3-4 minutes, until there are still a few small chunks of butter, and it's still fairly dry, but the mixture will hold together if you firmly squeeze a handful.
4. Store in the fridge for 2-3 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
A few more streusel hacks...
Replace the white sugar with brown, and add chopped pecans and a tsp of cinnamon. Swirl on top of your favourite carrot cake recipe to make Carrot Streusel Coffee Cake
Grill halved peaches. Measure out 1 cup streusel, and add 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom. Sprinkle over peaches and broil for 2-3 minutes for Crunchy Streusel-Topped Grilled Fruit
Spread out onto a baking sheet. Bake @350F for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Break up and sprinkle over vanilla ice cream, fresh fruit, or layer with vanilla yogurt and fresh berries for a healthy-ish sweet treat
Measure out 1 cup prepared streusel. Stir in the zest of 1 lemon. Use to top blueberry muffins or spoon on top of cheesecake before baking.
Put 3 cups of your favourite fruit (apples, peaches, pears, cranberries or a combination) in a 9" pan, sprinkle with a bit of sugar and cinnamon. Top with streusel and bake until golden for a quick streusel-topped fruit crumble.
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