Black Forest Cake Overnight Oatmeal

You all said to me that you wanted more overnight oatmeal recipes, and this is one that will start your day right. I mean, what could be better than waking up to a BLACK FOREST CAKE!?

This recipe was a tough cookie to crack. Much to my disappointment, cherries are not the most flavorful ingredient, especially in its whole form. Their flavor is locked in within that fragile skin.

The first time I made it, I dropped the berries in whole. In the morning, the oatmeal was very flavorless and did not taste at all like a Black Forest Cake. Then, I tried something a little different:  I blended the cherries first, so the oatmeal soaked up "cherry juice," which gave it much more flavor.

I also snuck in a little bit of strawberry preserves to enhance the berry flavor. Other possibilities would be "cherry extract" or "cherry flavor," anything to give more berry flavor to the final product. However, your oatmeal will be fine without any of that.

You can top with nondairy yogurt (there are many coconut varieties), but it's not necessary. Just make sure you have some shredded coconut and chocolate chips on top. You could also stir in some cocoa powder, but I didn't want to get carried away. :)

Black Forest Cake Overnight Oatmeal

by The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: Overnight

6052660

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1/3 cup pitted cherries, fresh or frozen and thawed
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup regular rolled oats
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1 tsp cherry or strawberry jam or preserves (optional)
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup plain or vanilla yogurt (I use SoDelicious coconut)
• 1 tsp chia seeds (optional)
• 1 tbsp shredded coconut
• handful of chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Combine cherries and water in a small blender (like a Magic Bullet) and pulse for 10-20 seconds. It does not have to be perfectly smooth.
2. Add "cherry water" to a mason jar and combine with oats, coconut milk, optional jam, chia seeds, and salt. (The jam will intensify the berry flavor.)
3. Cover with lid and shake, shake, shake until combined.
4. Store in the refrigerator overnight (or for several hours). Top with yogurt, shredded coconut, and chocolate chips. Eat cold or warm up in the microwave!

Powered by Recipage

**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account!  You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!