START TO FINISH: 40 minutes (15 minutes active)
MAKES: 3 cups
Sprinkle this baked topping on yogurt for breakfast, on ice cream for dessert, or on any sweet to which you’d like to add nutty flavor and crunchy texture. If you prefer, instead of pumpkin seeds, use raw sunflower seeds or chopped nuts. And if you can’t find black sesame seeds, simply increase the white sesame seeds to 3 tablespoons. As always with tahini, be sure to stir well before measuring to reincorporate the oil that separates to the top. The crumble will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Don’t stir the crumble vigorously as it bakes. A gentle hand will preserve the nubby, clumpy texture that makes the crumble so appealing.
60 grams (¼ cup) tahini
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
98 grams (¾ cup) all-purpose flour
43 grams (½ cup) old-fashioned rolled oats
82 grams (6 tablespoons) packed light brown sugar
23 grams (2 tablespoons) pumpkin seeds
13 grams (1½ tablespoons) black sesame seeds
13 grams (1½ tablespoons) white sesame seeds
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) salted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes and chilled
Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with kitchen parchment. In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, vanilla and sesame oil. Set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oats, sugar, pumpkin seeds, both sesame seeds and the salt. Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients and, using your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles wet sand and holds together when pinched. Drizzle with the tahini mixture, then fold with a rubber spatula until combined and the mixture forms marble-sized clumps; smaller and larger bits are fine.
Spread the mixture in an even layer on the prepared sheet. Bake until the crumble is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, using a metal spatula to scrape up and flip the mixture 2 or 3 times during baking. Let cool to room temperature.