Knowledge Base > Fran Costigan - New Year's Jumpstart

New Year's Jumpstart

Fran Costigan - New Year's Jumpstart

This event was on Tuesday, January 06, 2026 at 1:00 pm Pacific, 4:00 pm Eastern

Start 2026 on a sweet note. Join Chef Fran Costigan, Rouxbe Director of Vegan Pastry for a January deep-dive into the essential building blocks of vegan desserts. She’ll explore the … Read More.

Recorded

Question:

How can I make a good crumble topping and what are some sweet alternatives other than refined sugar that won't spike blood sugar very much?

— Patricia Zirul

Answer:

So first thing I wanna say, Patricia, is crumble toppings. There are many, there's lots you can do. I'm gonna give you some ideas. I am not a doctor. Everybody is bio individual. Uh, you are what's gonna spike blood sugar or not, I can't speak to, but crumble toppings often contained rolled oats, which are great. I don't use quick oats, I use regular oats and um, you can add some ga paste or maple syrup to sweeten and or even yeah, date paste and, and whatever your oats and your nuts together, if you mix them up, you're going to get clumps. And that makes a wonderful crumble. And remember to use spices. We had a wonderful event with Ori Zohar who's the co-founder of Burlap and Barrel, which is a spice company that I love. And he told us all about spices. They enhance flavors they can make using sweetener you, you know, a little bit less. And also their, most of them have health supportive properties.
Fran Costigan

Fran Costigan

Director of Vegan Pastry

FranCostigan.com