Cherry-Almond and Chocolate Oatmeal



It’s still Cherry season here in Michigan and that means I have a few recipes coming up on the blog featuring  Cherries. We love Cherries and though Michigan produces roughly 70 of the tart Cherries in the US and has over 3.8 million Cherry trees, it’s a shame we haven’t ventured on Cherry picking yet. I wish we could do it before the season is over (which is ending pretty soon!). I am not sure we’ll find the time but hopefully we can at least do blueberries even though we have to may have to pass up on the cherries. 🙁

I do believe, and I may be biased of course, that Michigan cherries are the best! They are so lovely and juicy and they are simply the best when eaten at their peak! I love both sweet and tart cherries. I even enjoy spitting out the pits…. 🙂

I know that cherries go well with chocolate so one day I decided to make a Chocolate Oatmeal with added cherries. For extra texture and crunch, I sprinkled some sliced Almonds on top. Naturally, a big Cherry fan himself, my hubby absolutely loved it. Can’t blame him for it was a truly fabulous breakfast dish. How can it not be? Perfectly flavored with cocoa powder, vanilla and spices, sweet yet with a hint of tanginess from the cherries and yummy nuttiness from the Almonds – you can’t go wrong!!! Have I convinced you enough?

Why not try it for breakfast one of these days and taste and see how amazing it is. Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups milk
2 teaspoons, vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons, unsweetened Cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 cups oats (quick cooking or old-fashioned)
1/2 cup dried Cherries
1/3-1/2 cup Sliced Almonds

Procedure

In a saucepan (big enough to accommodate about 4 cups of liquid) over medium heat, combine milk, vanilla extract, cocoa, the spices and brown sugar. Blend the ingredients using a whisk. Bring to a simmer. Add the oats and cook, stirring constantly until tender (slightly mushy). Quick cooking oats will probably just need about 2-3 minutes while the old-fashioned ones will take a few minutes longer. It all depends on the kind of consistency you want the oats to have.

When the oatmeal is already tender, stir in the dried cherries until well-mixed. Cook for another minute. You can either mix in the Almonds at this point or just sprinkle them on top.

Serve immediately in individual bowls. Adjust the sweetness to your taste and pour in more milk as needed. Sprinkle each bowl with sliced Almonds. Serves between 4-6 people. Enjoy!

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Last updated on October 1st, 2019 at 01:00 pm

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6 Comments

    • July 13, 2013 / 3:42 am

      Thanks, Nicole! We really love this for breakfast. 🙂

    • July 16, 2013 / 2:41 am

      Thanks, Jodie! Appreciate it. Glad you stopped by. 🙂

  1. Carla
    August 5, 2013 / 1:49 pm

    I'm almost always serving cereals to my daughter when it's school days so this would be a welcome change for her.

    • August 8, 2013 / 6:43 am

      Hope your daughter likes it. I also have other oatmeal recipes in the site that you may wish to try. Thanks Carla.

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