I believe I’ve found a superior streusel recipe, via Sarah Jampel’s recipe on Food52. It has a much better texture than my older version. The trick, I believe, is to omit nuts, use a blend of moist and dry sugars, and a food processor.
I substituted elderflower syrup for Jampel’s pomegranate molasses — but I think using any syrup to complement the flavor of whatever dessert you bake would work! (e.g., Honey, golden syrup, maple syrup, etc.) This makes enough for a single, very generously topped cake or pie — or a double batch if you prefer a lighter amount.
Ingredients
- 7 3/4 ounces (220 grams) all purpose flour, or whole pastry flour
- 3 7/8 ounces (110 grams) golden / light brown sugar
- 3 7/8 ounces (110 grams) maple sugar, coconut (or palm) sugar, or granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/4 sticks (5 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces
- 1/4 cup syrup: elderflower, maple, golden syrup, honey, etc.
Method
- Place the flour, both sugars, cinnamon, and salt into a food processor bowl. (I use the metal blade.) Pulse a few times until mixed.
- Add the butter. Pulse in short 1 to 3 second bursts, until the crumble has the texture of coarse cornmeal. You don’t want to melt the butter, though.
- Add enough syrup, while pulsing the food processor, until the crumble just barely holds together in a loose mass. Try not to make it sticky, if possible.
- Transfer to a bowl or bag, and refrigerate for at least a couple hours before using. This will help relax the gluten, as well as make crumbling easier. Otherwise, you can freeze the streusel at this point for later use.
- When ready to use (and after defrosting overnight in the fridge, if previously frozen), crumble the streusel into 1/2-inch or smaller chunks over a cake or pie — with knife, your fingers, or pastry blender — before baking it in the oven.
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