What do you call the sugar topping that you see on muffins? And, where do you get it?
Jump to:
A very smart woman asked me this recently–a woman who I thought knew everything.
So it occurred to me if she didn’t know, perhaps you dear reader are also wondering the name of the crunchy sugar topping on baked goods.
How Do I Make a Crunchy Muffin Topping?
There are two kinds of sugar to put on top of muffins or scones:
- Turbinado sugar
- Coarse Sugar (or smaller grains, called sanding sugar)
Turbinado sugar is also frequently called raw sugar.
Turbinado sugar is similar to brown sugar but it doesn’t contain molasses. You can heat turbinado sugar without it getting sticky.
Sugar manufacturers minimally process raw sugar, thus the name raw.
Coarse sugar consists of larger sugar crystals.
Sanding sugar is another name for coarse sugar that has smaller grains.
Sanding sugar runs in size between granulated sugar and coarse sugar. You’ll often find sanding sugar in fancy colors.
For topping a baked good like a muffin or scone or cake, use turbinado or coarse sugar crystals.
But, if you’re in a pinch and only have sanding sugar, that will work too.
Not just for muffin tops, sugar crystals give scones that sparkly texture.
I always use sanding sugar, and sometimes the larger, coarse variety, on Gingersnaps (Just Like Grandma's!)
Sanding sugar provides a little extra crunch and sparkle.
Are you old enough to remember Elaine's little muffin top adventure on Seinfeld?
Do you put sugar on muffins before or after baking?
Put your sugar topping or streusel topping on your muffins before baking them.
That way the topping crystalizes a bit, becomes crunchy and adheres to the muffin tops.
You can brush the tops of muffins with melted butter if you like before sprinkling the tops with sanding sugar or turbinado sugar.
But you can also just sprinkle sanding sugar on top without butter.
PIN FOR LATER
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Kitchen Serf.
Recipe
Crunchy Sugar Muffin Topping
You just need one ingredient to mkae a crunch sugar topping on your muffins! Find out what it is.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup sanding sugar, or turbinado sugar or crystal sugar
Instructions
- Prepare muffins for baking
- Sprinkle a teaspoon of sanding sugar or turbinado sugar over the top of each muffin before baking them.
- Bake according to muffin recipe instructions.
Notes
Be sure to use sanding sugar or turbinado sugar or a sugar with a larger crystal size. Granulated sugar will not work if you want a crunchy topping.
Recommended Products
This post and/or recipe may contain affiliate links, which means if you click through and make a purchase, I'll earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See Disclosure policy.
Comments
No Comments