This slight adaptation of this recipe is STRAIGHT out of the church cookbook. My mom used to make this as an easy dessert after a long day at work when my sisters and I were small, and I think you will agree it’s easy to make and tastes so good (even without the shortening, Crisco, or Oleo, as my family used to call it)! The adaptation here is quite far from traditional too, but a pair that is super compatible—lemony basil makes the blueberries sing.
On a Lark Blueberry Basil Crisp with Elderflower
Serves 9
5 cups blueberries
½ cup basil
4 tablespoons elderflower
1 ½ cups quick oats
1 cup flour (feel free to substitute one-to-one gluten-free or whole-wheat flour)
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup canola or grapeseed oil
Combine blueberries and basil with 4 tablespoons elderflower liqueur or cordial, and then stir to mix.
Place the baking dish in the microwave for 7 minutes. (Yep, I said that! It’s just so easy in the microwave, and it always turns out well!)
While the apples are cooking in the microwave, mix together quick oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, and oil. Stir to mix well into crumbles.
When the apples are cooked, top with the dry mixture, smooth over the top of the pan evenly, and cook for another 7 minutes in the microwave.
Serve hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Shauna Niequist inspired this recipe in her book Bread & Wine. It’s a great dessert and it is so healthy that it is also a perfect for breakfast. The recipe here has some slight adaptations but is very close to her original recipe. Enjoy and check out her work.
Blueberry Basil Crisp
Serves 9
5 cups blueberries
½ cup basil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅓ cup maple syrup (divided use)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup whole rolled oats
½ cup walnuts
½ cup almond meal
Preheat oven to 350°F (or 325°F in a convection oven).
Slice, peel, and core apples and place in an 8” x 8” baking dish or cast-iron pan.
Add maple syrup, and stir to mix.
In a medium bowl, combine remaining ¼ cup maple syrup, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ cup olive oil, and stir to combine.
Stir in 1 cup rolled oats, ½ cup walnuts, and ½ cup almond meal.
Stir well and pour over the apples in the pan, spreading out evenly over the top of the pan.
Cook for 30 minutes in the oven until the apples are bubbly and the crisp is light brown. This is a GREAT recipe for dessert OR breakfast!
Find more great food recipes in my second book, Lark Parties! #livinglark
