Basil Raspberry Crisp

It is raspberry season in Minnesota, and the good folks at Driscoll's sent me a coupon, and asked me if I would be interested in using some of their berries in a recipe. Heck yeah! 

As luck would have it, the raspberries were also on sale at the store, so I bought a TON! Then, to decide what to make. I had several ideas, so I ran them by my husband, Ray. Of course, he chose crisp, because he loves it. I was glad, because it's simple, delicious, and I had everything on hand to make it.

I wanted this to be really special, since I had the chance to really showcase these beautiful berries. I have a lot of fresh herbs in the garden, so basil seemed like a different spin on this. The smell of this coming out of the oven was heavenly. You have to try it ! 

Basil Raspberry Crisp 

3 cups (3 six ounce containers) fresh raspberries 

2 tablespoons corn starch 

2/3 cup sugar 

6 large fresh basil leaves, minced

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar 

3/4 cup rolled oats 

1/2 cup all purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/8 teaspoon cloves 

1/8 teaspoon allspice 

In a large bowl, mix together raspberries, cornstarch, and sugar. Gently fold in basil. Divide equally into 4 buttered individual casseroles, or place in a buttered 8x8 baking dish. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Spread across top of berry mixture. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until bubbly, and topping is golden brown. Top with vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream.