Streusel Topping

Streusel topping is a wonderful thing. A sprinkle of this sugary buttery goodness can elevate muffins to the status of miniature coffee cakes, add texture and interest to actual coffee cakes, take the place of a top crust in a pie, and turn a bit of excess fruit into a quick and satisfying crumble.

I like to make streusel topping by ratio, which means I can make a little or a lot, depending on my mood and the intended target. The ratio I've come to rely on is as follows (all measurements are by volume):

2 parts butter
3 parts sugar (brown for me)
4 parts flour
Spices to taste

Combine dry ingredients, and cut in butter. A food processor makes quick work of this, but you can also use a pastry blender or 2 knives.

A little streusel goes a long way. For a batch of muffins, 2 tablespoons butter + 3 tablespoons sugar + 4 tablespoons (or 1/4 cup) flour should be plenty, and may leave leftovers. The cook is at liberty to eat the leftovers (the carpe diem approach) or to freeze them for future use (the wise ant approach).

Some delicious additions to streusel topping include:

Rolled oats (to equal flour amount) - this will nearly double your topping and give you a virtuous sense of healthy eating
Cornmeal (to equal butter amount) - lends an interesting crunch
Dried grated coconut (to taste) - unsweetened if possible - adds a subtle richness
Finely chopped nuts (to taste) - walnuts are a natural here but use your imagination

Here's a little something I made the other morning to use up a too-ripe pear and plum:

Add some summer berries from the freezer, and
toss with sugar, cornstarch and nutmeg
in small oven-proof containers

Topped with streusel of the rolled-oats-coconut-walnut variety, and baked at 375º until the fruit was tender and the topping golden:

A lovely snack to have with tea (me) or coffee (Mr. M)

You ought to have heard the spoons scraping the Pyrex to get out the last bits of crunchy goodness.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~