 Crumb Toppings A crumble, also known as a brown betty, is a dish of British origin that can be made in a sweet or savory version, depending on ingredients used, although the sweet version is much more common. It also can be traced to American cuisine during the European colonization of the Americas. The crumble is baked in an oven until the topping is crisp. The dessert variety is often served with custard, cream or ice cream as a hearty, warm dessert after a meal. I have improvised many crumb toppings, adding coconut either raw or toasted to my crumbs, or even chocolate chips depending on the recipe. During WWII – Due to strict rationing, the ingredients required to make the bases of pies contained too much of the necessary flour, fat and sugar to make the crumble. So a simple mixture of flour, margarine and sugar was used to make the top of the crumble. The dish was also popular due to its simplicity. I have a collection here of crumb toppings to add to your recipes. Enjoy!
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#1 BASIC CRUMB TOPPING: Ingredients
Directions
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#2 FRENCH CRUMB TOPPING: Ingredients · 1/3 c. butter · 1/3 c. brown sugar · 3/4 c. flour · 1/2 c. chopped nuts Directions 1. Mix sugar, flour and nuts together 2. Cut in butter with fork or pastry cutter until blended. 3. Refrigerate until ready to use |
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#3 WALNUT CRUMB TOPPING:
Ingredients · 1/2 cup all-purpose flour · 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped · 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar · 1/4 teaspoon sea salt · 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature Directions 1. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, walnuts, brown sugar and salt. Mix in butter with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
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#4 OAT CRUMBLE Ingredients
Directions 1. Mix dry ingredients together and stir in canola oil 2. Mix with fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs – set aside until ready to use
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#5 PRE-MADE CRUMB TOPPING Preheat oven to 350 degrees Ingredients · ½ cup Brown sugar · ½ cup flour · ¼ cup chilled butter · Nuts, coconut, flax seed, sunflower seeds (all optional but make great texture)
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Feel free to add the following ingredients to any of your crumb toppings for extra flavor or texture. · Nuts · Coconut · Flax seed · Sunflower seeds · Cinnamon · Cardamom · Toffee · Chocolate chips · Peanut butter chips · Cream cheese chunks · Shredded cheddar cheese (great on apple anything) · M & M’s · Drizzle caramel sauce and sprinkle lightly with sea salt The sky is the limit where your dessert is concerned. Experiment and enjoy! |
Crumb Toppings for your Baked Goods
Peach-Bourbon Cobbler
Peach-Bourbon Cobbler
Two of my favorite things; peaches and bourbon together in this wonderful recipe. Peaches will be in season in a couple of months and I look forward to enjoying them in my cereal, pies and this cobbler. Bourbon is in season all the time – What does good Bourbon taste like? Flavor descriptors such as toffee, pralines, vanilla, and dried fruit to describe the initial rush of flavors in a good, well-aged Bourbon. The charred oak barrels give Bourbon a distinctive spicy oak firmness that is unique to American whiskeys. All this wonderful flavor in a sweet cobbler, who could ask for more? Enjoy.
Peach-Bourbon Cobbler
CRUMBLE TOPPING
- 4 tablespoons organic butter
- 1/2 cup organic rolled oats
- 1/2 cup pastry flour
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- 1 dash black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
- 1/2 lemon, zest of
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon good quality extra virgin olive oil
Directions for Crumb Topping
- Mix ingredients for crumb topping in a bowl with a fork until the butter chunks are evenly incorporated into the dry ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to bake.
PEACH FILLING
- 5 Large peaches, pitted and sliced
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon of pure Maple Syrup
- 1/3 lemon – juiced
- 1/3 cup of dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon butter (room temperature)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 large shot of bourbon (or maybe 2 shots)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
1. In a bowl, combine peaches with remaining ingredients and mix well
2. Layer in a pie plate
3. Cover with crumb topping
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly
5. Serve with vanilla bean ice cream and enjoy!
Granola
Granola
With milk or yogurt, this home-made granola gives you a hearty start to the day. Made with walnuts, almonds, coconut, and sunflower seeds, this cereal has a healthy dose of protein wrapped up in a sweet maple-honey flavor. Serve it with warm milk on cold winter days for a great alternative to oatmeal.
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1-1/4 cups bran flakes
- ¾ cup shredded sweetened coconut
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- ¾ cup salted sunflower seeds
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2-1/2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- ¾ cup honey
- ¾ cup canola oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Prepare two baking sheets by covering with parchment paper and grease paper with cooking spray.
- Combine oats, bran flakes, coconut, walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix maple syrup, honey, and oil; add to dry mixture and stir until well combined
- Divide the mixture between each prepared cookie sheet; spread evenly
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown, tossing granola halfway through baking time to keep edges from burning.
- Let cool completely before storing.
- Yields ½ gallon
*Great gift idea, store in mason jars
Mascarpone Cheese Whipped Cream Filling
I have had several requests for my recipe for Mascarpone Cheese Whipped Cream filling. I stuffed big strawberries with this filling the other day for a pot-luck and they were a hit. You don’t have to hollow-out your strawberries, just cut a cross into the tip of the strawberry about 2/3’s the way down towards the stem. I used a pastry bag to fill the strawberry and then sprinkled with edible glitter. Of course you are the master of your design, sprinkle with crushed almonds or drizzle with bittersweet chocolate. This is a wonderful filling or icing for cakes and cupcakes too. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
MASCARPONE CHEESE WHIPPED CREAM FILLING
• 2/3 cup mascarpone cheese
• 3/4 cup heavy whip cream
• 1/4 cup powder sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
1. In a chilled bowl beat the Mascarpone cheese and vanilla until creamy about 30 seconds
2. Add the powdered sugar and whipping cream
3. Beat on high speed until thick and fluffy – will not take long, about 1 minute – the cheese stiffens the whip cream rather quickly – don’t over beat this mixture or it will turn to butter.
Chocolate Cherry Shots
Great idea for a party, pair up with the Chocolate Covered Strawberry Shots ! You can make your own
Chocolate Cherry Shooter
chocolate cups, or you can purchase mini chocolate cups on-line at places such as amazon, or http://www.gourmetfoodworld.com/chocolate-and-desserts/chocolate-cups.asp Or if your budget won’t allow, just fill little shot glasses with this delectable concoction !
Ingredients:
- 1 part Kahlua coffee liqueur
- 1 part amaretto almond liqueur
- 1 part white crème de cacao
- 1 dash grenadine syrup
- Container for your shot (I recommend a mini chocolate cup
Directions:
Mix the first 4 ingredients and then add the grenadine syrup
Fill your vessel of choice with the mixture, top with a cherry or whip cream.
Chocolated Covered Strawberry Chocolate Shots
Try to choose strawberries as big as you can find, unless of course you want to make baby shots
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Chocolate Shots
Ingredients:
- 1 part Vanilla vodka
- 1 part Godiva Liquor
- 1 part Chocolate syrup
- Whipped cream
- Sprinkles
Directions:
Cut the point of the strawberry off so they can stand on their own, the melted chocolate helps form a little base too which makes them even more stable
- We recommend hulling out the strawberries using a paring knife and grapefruit spoon, you have to be careful not to make them too thin or they’ll break
- Pat strawberries dry before dipping in chocolate
- Freeze the dipped strawberry cups for maximum sturdiness, and to keep your drink cold
- Mix liquors and pour into each individual strawberry
- Top with whipped cream and sprinkles
Let the strawberries thaw for a few minutes before serving
Gift in a Jar – Brownie Mix
Credits for this recipe go to my friend Sarah Graham Elton who posted it on her Facebook page. This is
Brownie in a jar
another “gift in a jar” recipe. Make a few batches for yourself to keep on hand for company or last minute chocolate cravings! Another plus, you know what all the ingredients are.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips or walnuts
Directions:
Mix all dry ingredients together and place in a zip lock baggie and store in your pantry or pour into a mason jar to give as a gift.
To make the brownies add the following ingredients and be sure to write this on your zip lock baggie or add a cute little card to your gift.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Stir the following ingredients to dry mix:
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Spray a 9×9 inch baking pan with cooking spray and pour batter into the pan. Bake for about 20 minutes or until center is firm to the touch.
Strawberry Margarita Jell-O Shooters
Strawberry Margarita Jell-O Shooters
Strawberry Margarita Jell-O Shooters
Credit to my Sister-In-Law Karen Coleman
Yields 24-30
Strawberry Prep:
Carefully slice the tip of the bottoms of the strawberry flat to get them to stand upright. Use a huller or spoon to empty out the strawberry. Do not scrape too far down, you want a solid bottom, with no holes.
Once the strawberries have been emptied, use a paper towel to pat the outside of the strawberries dry.
Ingredients:
- 30 Strawberries
Margarita Mix:
- 1 box Strawberry Jell-O, 3oz.
- 8 ounces tequila
- 6 ounce Cointreau
- Coarse salt for garnish
Directions:
- Boil one cup of hot water in a saucepan, then add in Jell-o powder and whisk until powder is completely dissolved, about 2 minutes.
- Set aside. Measure out 1/4 cup of cold water and set aside.
- Combine tequila and Cointreau, in cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- Add liqueur mixture to cold water and stir to combine.
- Then add cold liqueur mixture to hot Jell-O mixture and stir to combine.
- Pour final Jell-O mix into strawberries and chill overnight.
- Use a moistened brush to wet the edge of the strawberries, dip and rotate the strawberries in salt to rim.
- Garnish with cut lime triangles to finish.
Vanilla Bean Syrup
Vanilla Bean Syrup
Vanilla Bean Syrup can be used on pancakes, waffles, in coffee, tea, cocktails anything you can think of to use vanilla syrup on or in. A lot of old cocktail recipes call for vanilla syrup, a sweet flavoring that can also be added to seltzer water for a refreshing nonalcoholic soda.
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped, and seeds and bean reserved
- 1 cup granulated sugar or raw sugar
- 1 cup water
- Place vanilla bean and seeds, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Once the mixture boils, reduce the heat to low and simmer, swirling the pan occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from heat, cover, and let sit for at least 1 hour at room temperature. Discard the vanilla bean and refrigerate the syrup in a covered container for up to 1 month.
Vanilla Bean Sugar
Vanilla Bean is the best and most expensive way to add the vanilla taste to any recipe. You can make
Vanilla Bean Sugar
homemade vanilla sugar by tossing your leftover vanilla bean pods with the sugar of your choice. Or scrape the inside of a vanilla bean pod into your sugar and add the pod to keep the flavor strong.
Combine a Vanilla Bean Pod (scrape the inside of the pod) and sugar (I like to use raw sugar for color and flavor) in a glass jar (again, airtight is best here!), and let the flavors mix and combine. It’s great for adding extra flavor to coffee or tea. And, of course, any recipe that calls for sprinkling sugar on top before baking!
Vanilla Bean with Raw Sugar
Kitchen Moxy 