Black Forest Overnight Oats

May 7, 2019 Frank Mastrandrea Comments 0 Comment

I honestly don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that once I cracked the code on the concept of overnight oats, solving the riddle of a healthy, tasty breakfast got a LOT easier! I’ve probably experimented with 40 or 50 recipes (and counting) and I’m forever tweaking even my favorites, the majority of which are based off of (surprise!) famous desserts!

Black Forest cake was a natural dessert to translate into an overnight oats recipe. The combination of deep chocolate flavors (here, reinforced three ways with the almond milk, syrup and chocolate chunks) and the dark sweet cherries makes this one recipe that I haven’t messed with too much since my very first attempt.

Ingredients

1/4 cup, Old-Fashioned Oats
1 tsp, Brown Flax, Ground
1/4 cup, Almond Milk, Chocolate, Unsweetened
1/2 tsp, Vanilla extract
1 tbsp, Chocolate Syrup
1 tbsp, Chocolate Chunks (8 pieces)
1/4 cup, frozen Dark Sweet Cherries

Simple Preparation

This is one of the more straightforward overnight oat preparations. In fact, it’s one of the only ones I’ve created that fits into the “just mix everything all together” genre. It’s also one of the few recipes that is easy to make as a single-serving. Normally, my recipes are intended for small batches (2-to-4 servings).

The only “trick” here is to defrost the cherries to room temperature, either with a quick 30 seconds in the microwave or on the counter. You want them JUST loose enough that they release some juice into the bottom of whatever measuring cup or container you put them in.

Combine the first six ingredients into the overnight oat jar of your choice and mix well. Then spoon the cherries on top, pouring the remaining juice over the cherries before sealing the container and putting it in the fridge for at least 4-5 hours but preferable overnight.

Let’s Eat!

I highly recommend warming the oats for one minute in the microwave, and then decanting into a small bowl and mixing everything up well before enjoying. I know, however that there are plenty of people who enjoy COLD overnight oats. I assume therapy is available for these people.

Notes

Using unsweetened original almond milk instead of the chocolate unsweetened has an impact on the depth of chocolate flavor, but not a huge one… so don’t let that stop you from trying this. The chocolate chunks vs. regular chocolate chips, however? I’d encourage you to shoot for these if possible, as the chunks tend to hold up a bit better.