Cherry & Dark Chocolate Recipe

Prepare cherries

If using fresh cherries, pit them. Place cherries in a small saucepan with 1/2 cup water, sugar, vanilla (if using a pod, scrape seeds into the pan and add the pod), and lemon juice.

Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Cook 6–8 minutes until cherries are softened but still hold shape and a light syrup forms. If using frozen cherries, simmer 4–6 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool in the syrup; discard the vanilla pod if used. Keep warm or room temperature until serving.

Make caramel

Place pitted dates and 1/4 cup hot water in a small blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Add coconut oil or butter and sea salt, blend again until very smooth. If too thick, add up to 1–2 tablespoons additional hot water to reach a pourable consistency. Taste and adjust salt.

Cook porridge

Combine oats, milk, water, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Reduce heat to low and cook 6–8 minutes, stirring, until the oats are creamy and have absorbed most of the liquid. If you prefer thinner porridge, stir in a splash more milk. Stir in maple syrup or honey if using. Remove from heat.

Prepare chocolate and almonds

While porridge is finishing, roughly chop or shave the dark chocolate. Toast almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat 3–4 minutes, shaking the pan, until fragrant and lightly golden. Remove from heat and roughly chop if not already chopped.

Assemble: Spoon porridge into bowls. Drizzle 1–2 tablespoons date caramel over each serving. Top with a generous spoonful (about 3–4 tablespoons) of the vanilla-poached cherries and a few tablespoons of the cherry syrup. Scatter chopped toasted almonds and shaved dark chocolate over the top. Add extra fresh cherries for garnish, if desired.

Serve immediately while porridge is warm so the chocolate melts slightly into the porridge and caramel. Leftover poached cherries keep refrigerated up to 3 days; date caramel keeps in a sealed container up to 1 week.