Four-Ingredient Crumb Cookies
If you like the crumbs on top of crumb cake or apple crumb pie, crumb cookies are for you! They are made with just four ingredients and taste just like buttery crumbs!
To make these cookies, you mix together melted butter, brown sugar, rolled oats, and flour until crumbs form.
Then, you press those crumbs into a greased mini muffin tin. Each depression will be filled slightly over halfway.
Bake until they they just begin to brown. Let them cool in the muffin tin and then invert carefully onto a plate to pop them all out.
Variations
Just like any crumb topping, there are lots of variations you can make with this recipe.
My favorite variation is to add in spices. Try mixing in a teaspoon of cinnamon, a half teaspoon of nutmeg, and a half teaspoon of ginger. Or, use any spice blend that you like!
Other Simple Desserts
If you are looking for other desserts that have just a few ingredients, try:
- ice cream bread (It’s just two ingredients.)
- honey cookies
- double chocolate chip cookies
- snickerdoodle bars (If you don’t have the cream of tartar in the house, you can still make them – they will just be a little crispier.)
- cookie cupcakes (They are basically chocolate chip cookies in cupcake format.)
Crumb Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons brown sugar this is the same as 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon
- 5 tablespoons rolled oats this is the same as 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Mix all ingredients until coarse crumbs form.
- Divide evenly in a 24 count mini muffin pan sprayed with non-stick baking spray. The crumbs should come up just over halfway in the depressions.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the they start to lightly brown.
- Cool for ten minutes in the tin and then invert to gently release the cookies.
Notes
Nutrition
Can you make these as bars?
I just made these! So, didnt have unsalted butter so used salted. Good thing as I can’t imagine not having the little bit of salt. Overall they really need more flavor. I liked the idea and simplicity – but next time will add coconut or something else to up the flavor. Also, used quick oats as the recipe did not mention if quick or long cooking oats were best! Would love to get your thoughts on that.
I like them with just the basic flavors, but I have made them with cinnamon added as well and it’s a nice touch. Both quick and longer cooking oats work well. The longer cooking ones will give more of a crunch.
These may be better than chocolate chip cookies. Love them.
Can I add cinnamon? How much would you suggest
Hi! Those look awesome, but I have a question. Do they hold together?
Yes.. they do hold together.
These look great! Did you mix the ingredients with your hands or use a mixer? Also did you just scoop the mix in the muffin tins or do I need to press it down? TIA
I mixed by hand. And, when I put them in, they are more together than just a pile of crumbs, but not pressed completely flat.
Am in love with this recipe! Am guilty as charged for picking at cakes. Must try this :)
I actually had to LOL on this one when I read the heading as I am so guilty of this. Can’t wait to try them though.
Guilty as charged over here as well! I “may” have picked some of the topping off the apple crisp I took to the neighborhood block party on Sunday. But I am sure no one could tell, right? I can’t wait to try this recipe, but I only have regular muffin tins so I guess I will have to make bigger ones. Oh darn!
Hah! Enjoy the big ones! Let me know what you think!
These look criminally inviting. The sort of thing that one cannot resist taking “just a little crumb” -except then the fragile structure crumbles, needs “tidying up”, breaks off unevenly again…a bit more to right that…until you’ve neatened it into nonexistence.
Curious as to the making though: how loosely or compacted does the crumb mixture need to be in order to form cookies that aren’t overly fragile?
The muffin tin is the key. When I tried making them on cookie sheets, they were way to fraglie. But, in the muffin tins they come together as they bake without needed to compact them all that much. Wheb I put them in, they are more together than just a pile of crumbs, but not pressed completely flat.
Bahaha this is awesome. I do love the crumbly topping but I like the soft layer underneath provided by whatever it is on top of. Maybe I could make a thin bread or use my muffin top pan and put this on top haha.