Crumble Oat Topping

The recipe, step by step

This crumble oat topping is great to have in your recipe repertoire. It’s vegan, gluten free and perfect once baked for topping Greek yoghurt or ice cream. It’s also great for topping classics such as fruit crumbles, muffins or coffee cakes.

It adds a sweet, crunchy texture to whatever dessert you choose to sprinkle it on top of. Takes less than 10 minutes to prepare with a few simple ingredients and the oven does the rest of the work!

I am not sure what says comfort food more than a delicious fruit crumble and this vegan crumble topping can be enjoyed by all the family! This recipe is even great served for breakfast as granola. For a few addition ideas, check out my variations section.

If you like the sound of this crumble topping, try it on my strawberry and rhubarb crumble recipe.

RECIPE HIGHLIGHTS

• EASE: simple and can be made in advance.
• FREE FROM: this recipe is egg-free, dairy-free and gluten-free.
• VERSATILITY: topping crumbles, pies, muffins, and ice cream or even as a granola for breakfast.
• TASTE & TEXTURE: just the right sweetness and deliciously crunchy and crisp.
• QUANTITY: 400g
• TIME: 31 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For this recipe, all you need are these ingredients:

• Chickpea flour – makes a great alternative to gluten flour and adds a great taste to the finished recipe.

• Whole oats – I prefer to use whole oats as they add texture.

• Flaked almonds – add both flavour and texture. Alternatively, they can be left out.

• Light brown sugar – has a strong molasses flavour and is not as sweet as white sugar, perfect for creating crunch with a caramel hint.

• Coconut oil – helps to create that crunch.

Coconut oil recommendations: Biona Organic coconut oil 875 ml, Rainforest Foods organic virgin coconut oil 1litre, Sevenhills Wholefoods 1litre organic extra virgin raw coconut oil (cold-pressed)

• Water – is used to bind the chickpea flour and other ingredients.

• Salt – Dont forget the salt – I highly recommend adding a generous pinch of salt to your desserts. Salt helps balance sweetness and richness while enhancing the other ingredients and bringing out the best flavours in the recipe. Although it may seem contradictory, a small amount of salt can also make sweet foods taste sweeter. Sodium can influence the way our taste receptors respond to sugars, helping us perceive sweetness more clearly. The key is to add just enough to enhance the flavours without making the dessert taste salty.The result is that salt not only alerts our ‘salt sensitivity’, but also our ‘sweet sensitive’ taste buds.

I recommend Maldon Sea salt flakes or Cornish sea salt.

WHAT VARIATIONS CAN I MAKE?

• Flour alternatives – this recipe is gluten free but if you are not on a gluten free diet, then I can recommend a slightly different recipe. Dice 50g of butter and place in a mixing bowl with 50g of plain or all-purpose flour. Rub together with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Then add 50g light brown sugar, 30g whole oats and 25g flaked almonds. Mix it all together and scrunch a little to add a little texture.

• Almond’s alternatives – if you don’t want to include nuts they can simply be left out. Alternatively, try the recipe with hazelnuts or walnuts. It is best if the nuts are broken into large pieces and not powdered as it’s nice to have some texture in the crumble. To break the nuts up, simply place them in a clean kitchen towel and gently hit them with a rolling pin.

• Spices – can add all sorts of different dimensions in taste. I love adding a teaspoon of ground ginger in the winter months. Other great additions include cinnamon, nutmeg or even black pepper.

• Citrus tang – can be added by zesting a lemon or orange peel into the mixture.

• Chocolate – adding dark chocolate chips to the crumble mix is just another great option.

Nutrition

Serving: per 100g

Nutrition information is provided as an estimate and may vary depending on the ingredients and portion size used.

STORAGE AND FREEZING

You can make this crumble ahead of time or alternatively, store it in an airtight container for up to a week. If you use it on top of fruit or a similar dessert the moisture in the fruit will cause the topping to lose its crunchiness over a short period of time. To resolve this you can place it in a preheated oven for a few minutes.

Freezing: You can freeze this crumble topping before baking but it won’t be quite as crisp and crumbly as when you first made it. Plus, it’s so quick to make I don’t think it’s necessary to freeze.

TOOLS YOU’LL NEED

Here is a list of some kitchen equipment that I use and recommend for this recipe.

• Large mixing bowl – I recommend the 29 cm Mason Cash cream earthenware mixing bowl because it is sturdy, chip-resistant and has a generous four-litre capacity, making it ideal for everything from cake batters to bread doughs. It is also microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe. You can find this bowl and more of my favourite kitchen tools in my Amazon Baking Essentials collection.

• Milk Saucepan, 1 Litre With Double Sided Pouring Lips

This small pan is a great size for boiling small amounts of liquids and it has pouring lips built into the rim of the saucepan which makes it easy to use.

• Non-Stick Brownie Pan, 29.4 x 19.1 x 4 cm, Professional Gauge Carbon Steel with Eclipse Premium Non-Stick Coating

Ideal pan for tray bakes, brownies and flapjacks.

RECIPE TIPS

Adding the right amount of water – if you don’t add enough the mixture will look more like saw dust and will not form clumps that give you that crunchy texture.

Baking – the crumble is easy. If you are making it as a topping for ice cream etc, remember it will continue to get crunchier as it cools down after baking.

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