Big Crumb Cinnamon Oat Pecan Streusel

Learn how to elevate your muffins and fruit crisps with this cinnamon sugar-kissed crunchy oat streusel topping

Streusel Topping: The Perfect Finishing Touch

I’ve been baking for over 45 years, and over 35 of those professionally. I can remember my Mom & Grandma making pies, and as a way to fancy-up a pie or add texture, they would often add streusel.

My job was to mix it together into this ‘damp’ clumpy mixture and sprinkle it atop pies and crisps. As I became a professional, I learned how streusel can elevate pastries and cakes. I understand the right texture, flavor, and most importantly, how to balance the ingredients to give you perfect streusel each and every time.

Okay, let’s chat about that sweet, crunchy, oat streusel crumb topping. When you reach for a muffin that has it, do you want to have equal amounts of streusel to muffin, less streusel, or more?  What about when it comes to fruit crisps?

So for me, it’s situational – if it’s a muffin, I definitely want more muffin than topping, but when it comes to a fruit crisp, I want a 50/50 split. Those little nuggets of crispy, cinnamon-sugar-kissed deliciousness are positively addictive. I can remember that as a child, we kids would fight over it when Mom made a fruit crisp. We’d all want the piece with the most crunchy bits on it.

Oatmeal Streusel Topping Ingredients

These ingredients are pretty much standard in most pantries and kitchens; however, if you don’t have them on hand, they should be readily available at your local market.

• Oats – you only want the old fashioned oats, not instant or quick cooking
• Brown Sugar
• Flour
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Toasted Chopped Pecans
• Butter

See the substitutions below for nut-free, gluten-free, or dairy-free options.

What is streusel?

Aside from being delicious, it’s a crumbly topping made from butter, flour, and sugar that’s baked on top of baked goods like muffins, cakes, breads, and pies.

Now my streusel goes a bit further by adding oats, pecans, and cinnamon. I wanted more textural juxtaposition.

It’s often mixed into a clumpy type mixture that you sprinkle or scatter atop baked goods.

How to make Streusel Topping with Oats

1. In a large bowl, combine the oats, sugar, cinnamon, flour, salt, and pecans.
2. Give it a stir and add in the softened butter.

3. Using the back of a fork or your fingers, work the butter into the mixture.
4. What you’re looking for is to coat the pieces with the butter and to have clumps form. And that’s it, folks. Really, it’s THAT easy!
5. Since you’re using soft butter, form your clumps, cover them, and stick them in the fridge for 15 minutes to set.

How to store Oat Streusel Topping

Once the streusel is at this stage, you can put it in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 3 days.

Cinnamon Oat Pecan Streusel FAQs

• Can I substitute pecans for another nut? Absolutely! Walnuts are a close match.
• Can I make this nut-free? Sure can! Swap in some extra oats or sunflower seeds for a similar crunch.
• Can I make this gluten-free? Yes! You can swap the flour for 1:1 Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour. And make sure your oats are certified gluten-free.
• Can I freeze this? Absolutely! I like to spread it out on a parchment-lined pan and flash freeze it for about an hour. After that, I just put it into a freezer-safe container and mark the date.
• How do I get those large “bakery-style” clumps? The secret is to avoid over-mixing. Once you add the butter and it starts to look like wet sand, use your hands to squeeze small handfuls together to make the clumps. Make sure to chill the clumps for at least 15 minutes before using.

Ways To Use Streusel

I’m partial to both of these crisps:

• Black & Blue Berry Crisp
• Stone Fruit Crisps with Cinnamon Oat Pecan Streusel

Other ways:

• Place on Muffins before baking
• Gently press into the tops of the cookie dough before baking
• Add to any quick/sweet bread batter before baking

Chef Lori’s Pro-Portioning Tips

This is a very generous topping recipe, as it makes quite a bit of topping (about 3-3.5 cups). And to be completely honest, we all like different amounts of streusel on our desserts. So use the following as a guide, but by all means, measure with your heart.

• STANDARD MUFFIN: This will cover about 2 dozen muffins at about 2 generous tablespoons per muffin.
• 12 MUFFINS: You can either halve the recipe OR make the full recipe and freeze half of the streusel for later (see the FAQs on how to freeze it).
• 8X8 or 9X9 FRUIT CRISP: This will cover it with a generous topping, but there will be some leftover (just freeze the rest).
• 9X13 CAKE: You’ll get a thick, decadent layer of topping for a large sheet cake or coffee cake

Oat Streusel Recipe Substitutions

• Nuts – walnuts, macadamia nuts, or almonds
• Nut-Free – If you have a nut allergy, simply omit the nuts and increase the flour to 1 3/4 cups
• Gluten-Free – Use both Gluten-Free Old Fashioned Oats and Gluten-Free AP Flour
• Dairy Free – use coconut oil

Oat Streusel Topping

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Learn how to levate your muffins and fruit crisps with this cinnamon sugar kissed crunchy oat streusel topping

• Author: TKWAdmin
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 25
• Total Time: 30
• Yield: 3 cups of streusel
• Category: crumble, crunchy, nuts, streusel, toppings
• Method: oven
• Cuisine: crumble, crunchy, nuts, streusel, toppings

Ingredients

• 1 cup AP flour
• 1 cup toasted chopped pecans
• 1 1 /3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 9 tablespoon unsalted butter, very soft
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

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Instructions

1. In a large bowl add all of the streusel ingredients EXCEPT the butter and mix to combine. Add in the very soft butter and with either clean hands or a fork, press the butter into the oat mixture until it forms clumps and coated crumbs. Since you’re using very soft butter, form your clumps, cover and place it in the fridge for about 15 minutes to chill prior to using.
2. Use it on your favorite fruit dessert, cookie, quick bread, or muffins.
3. To bake as pieces, preheat the oven to 325F and line a rimmed baking pan with parchment. Place the streusel in a single layer, and bake until golden brown or about 25 minutes. Let it cool completely in the sheet pan on a wire rack. Once cooled, break it up into small pieces. Store in an air-tight container for up to a week.

Notes

This can be made 1 day in advance. Simply make, place in an air-tight container, and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

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