Dorothy Kern
This recipe for crumble topping is the perfect crumble for any pie recipe. You can even make it for muffins or coffee cake!
When I was in college I created my recipe for crumb apple pie. It was the first pie I’d ever made completely from scratch and it became my signature recipe that is constantly requested at every holiday. (Mel doesn’t even eat my dessert but my apple pie is one he will eat!)
We always joked that the pie would be fantastic with just crust and crumble, no filling. After all, the crust and the crumble are the best parts! That conversation led to this blog being created.
Ever since I first made this crumble recipe, I’ve been topping other pies with it. So many things change over time but the one thing that stays the same is this recipe. It’s the BEST crumble topping recipe you’ll ever make or eat and it goes perfect with any fruit pie.
I’ve also used this recipe with muffins and coffee cake, so it’s a super versatile crumb recipe.
How do you make a crumble topping?
It’s easy and you only need 3 ingredients. One of them is butter. LOTS of butter!
Don’t be scared by the amount of butter in this crumble recipe. It makes it delicious, I promise.
I love some pie with my crumble, if you know what I mean, so piling it high is a must!
Tips and Tricks for Crumble Topping
There is nothing harder than using a pastry cutter to cut in cubed or diced butter. It takes a lot of time and arm strength, so I created a shortcut: I grate the butter.
Simply grate the butter on the large side of a box grater and you’ll be able to make your crumble in just minutes.
The other two ingredients for crumble topping are sugar and flour.
What kind of sugar do you use in a crumble topping?
That’s an easy question: what kind of sugar do you like?
For a long time I made this crumble using all granulated sugar. I love using white sugar when I make my apple pie recipe, but when I make peach pies, I think that brown sugar adds a little extra flavor.
The beauty of this crumble topping recipe is that you can use any sugar or combination of sugar you like. Use all white, all brown, or a combination of the two!
For flour, all-purpose is the best. It’s easy to find and everyone already has it in the pantry.
Once you have all your ingredients you have to combine them. Crumble topping is delicate and should be crumbly, so you don’t want to use a mixer. You want to make crumble topping by hand, so I like using a pastry cutter.
If you don’t have a pastry cutter, you can use a fork or two knives, but a pastry cutter is easier.
Once you cut in all the ingredients with the pastry cutter, you’ll have a crumbly sweet topping for any pie. Use this recipe on peach or apple pie, blueberry pie or blackberry or any fruit you like.
Alternately, use this crumble recipe on muffins or coffee cake or anywhere a recipe calls for crumble!
It makes a delicious pie served with lots of ice cream!
My favorite CRUMBLE Pies:
Favorite Crazy For Crust Recipes
- Best Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
- Drop Sugar Cookie
- Lofthouse Sugar Cookies
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies Recipe
- Chocolate Crinkles Cookies
- Best Brownie Recipe in the World
- Peanut Butter Bars Recipe
- Choc Chip Cookies
- Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies
- Best Cookies
- Double Tree Cookies
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Crumb Topping Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup sugar (brown or white or a combination)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Grate cold butter into a large bowl. Alternately, you can dice it small.
- Add sugar: use all brown or all white or a combination to make 2/3 cup. Use whatever combination you like (I like using ⅓ cup each brown and white).
- Add flour and then, using a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour and sugar until the mixture forms coarse crumbs.
- Use crumble as recipe directs, on a fruit pie or on muffins or coffee cake. Bake as directed in recipe.
Recipe Video
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Crumb topping would go so well on so many of my pie recipes.
Apple Crumb Pie is my absolute favorite!
This crumble topping also works on apple muffins!
Last Updated on December 1, 2020
All text and images © DOROTHY KERN for Crazy for Crust. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be accurate.
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Published on: October 4, 2018
Can this be frozen ?
It should be able to be – depending on the pie you put it on.
This is not a recipe you created. I’m not sure where it came from but my great grandmother who came from England has been using this recipe all her life. The amounts for each ingredient is different that is all. My mother and myself also use this recipe. So it has been used for well over sixty years.
I didn’t proclaim I invented the recipe. With that logic, no recipes on the internet should exist.
I use a similar recipe, but different process. I cut the butter into smallish cubes, cream it with the sugar using a KitchenAid had mixer (or other with wire type beaters), Then add the flour and continue with the mixer to get the crumble you want.
My amounts are:
1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup of flour
WAYYY to short for my taste! Method is excellent and easy. Use half as much butter and half as much flour in recipe. One could top 4 pies with the amount it makes. Good taste, but butter overwhelms it
Used the recipe with a dash cinnamon on a black raspberry pie and received rave reviews!
I have not tried this yet, however I am hopefully I can.
I made some Baked Apple Slices and they are surprisingly pretty good. My problem at this moment is after eating some I decided I wanted to put crumb topping on them. Is there a way to do it now? Or do I need to just finish the ones I’ve already made amen the next time use the crumbles?
I would do it next time – if you bake the apples too much they might get mushy.
I cook alot and this is THE BEST pie crumble/top recipe ever . Thank you for the details and for sharing !! Iv made this recipe exactly and then added a pinch of salt, a pinch of allspice, approx 2 tblsp cinnamon, and about 8-10 oz walnuts, chopped up a little .. over an apple pie and baked 350 like 40-50 mins it was Phenomenal .. I hav tried a few and this woman gives the ‘secret’ which is a lot of butter and to grate it or at least small small pieces .. I will say make sure the butter is Cold too .. again this recipe delicious .. the Best Ever !!
5 Stars easy ..