Cherries are in season!!! Yay, yay, and double yay! 
For as far as I can remember, cherries have always been my ultimate favourite fruit. Mind you, raspberries are very close behind, if not right next to them. In fact, I’d have a very hard time picking one between the two. But cherries have one little advantage over raspberries: their gorgeous, shiny, deep ruby colour. To me, they look just like jewels!
So anyway, cherries being on sale at my local grocery store, and me being me, well, I went out and bought close to 8 pounds of the delicious fruits. What can I say, I just totally lost all sense of control when I saw this bunch of beautiful, shiny, plump, BRIGHT burgundy cherries all piled up like a mountain of golden coins, looking like some sort of a lost treasure just waiting for me to take home as much as I possibly could.
To my defense, I was planning on freezing some of them… about half of what I bought, in fact. I had every intention to. Really, I swear!
But I think I got a bit carried away… I must’ve gone through 6 pounds already, and not one has seen the interior of my freezer as of yet.
And I don’t think any of them will, to be honest.
Of course, I have made a cherry this and a cherry that, so expect to see a few recipes including cherries in the next couple of days, like these amazing cherry overnight oats, for instance. What a superb breakfast that was. I actually had to eat these 2 days in a row, because the first time I had them, I liked them so much I thought I just had to take pictures and log the recipe. Not that I minded, really! 
I have to admit, however, that the majority of the cherries were just, well, snacked on. By me, and me alone.
I’d open the fridge, see them, grab a handful and eat them right there on the spot, as in standing next to the fridge, like some sort of a guilty thief. Then I’d reach for another handful… and another…
I’m a fruit junkie, what can I say.
Guilty as charged!
INGREDIENTS
(serves 1)
- 125g cup fresh cherries, chopped
- ¼ cup old fashioned oats
- 1 tbsp bulgur
- 1 tbsp black chia seeds
- 1 tbsp hemp seeds
- 1 tbsp raw buckwheat groats
- 1 tbsp dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 8 chopped almonds, toasted
- 1 tbsp grated unsweetened coconut, toasted
- 1 tsp agave nectar (or honey)
- 1 cup boiling water
Garnish
- 1 tbsp 0% fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 fresh cherry
- 1 tsp cacao nibs
- 1 tsp grated unsweetened coconut
- Unsweetened soy milk, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
The previous night
- Bring water to a boil.
- Toast almonds and coconut in a small non stick pan, over medium heat.
- Meanwhile, pit and chop cherries. Try not to eat them all…
- Add oats, chia, bulgur, hemp seeds, buckwheat groats, toasted almonds, coconut, cocoa powder and cinnamon to a plastic container with a tight fitting lid. Close the lid and give that a good shake.
- Add boiling water and agave nectar and stir until well combined. Toss in cherries and give that a quick stir.
- Put the lid on and refrigerate overnight (or at least 4 hours)
In the morning
- Transfer to serving bowl and add as little or as much milk as you like
- Top with a dollop of plain yogurt and a fresh cherry
- Sprinkle with cacao nibs and grated coconut
Did you say cherries?
And is that chocolate milk I see?
Care for a bite?
What a beautiful healthy breakfast – love the combination of grains, seeds, coconut, cherries, chocolate!
These overnight oats sound great. 8 pounds of cherries? Nice!
Right on! And it looks like they are going on sale again next week. Guess who will be getting more?
I am totally with you on the fruit monster thing. I single handedly ate through close to 2 lbs of cherries this past weekend, and I cannot even fathom the number of pounds of blueberries I’ve consumed this summer. They’re just GREAT snacks! Definitely going to have to try this version of over night oats.
Good to know I’m not the only one!
Maybe it’s a good thing we don’t have access to that much fruit year round. It makes us appreciate them even more when they are in season!
p.s. Gooseberries will be in season soon… can’t wait!
tell me about eating non stop cherries! I made Jam .. baked a cake .. ate a ton and yet again bought a packet yesterday..
This looks lovely and perfect breakfast treat too.
Thanks Kankana! Looks like we’re on the same page… I’m planning on getting more cherries next week, and maybe this time, some of them will make it to the freezer… maybe!
I live in Glendale, California, were we have a lot of Armenian stores. It was there that I discovered the wonderful Noyan Sour Cherry preserves, “made by little grandmas in Armenia”. They became my favorite thing to top plain yogurt and Mueslix. Then when I wanted to use it in May for my son’s First Communion Wafer Torte cake, I searched every Armenian store in Glendale, and there was none! Last week, I was told that sour cherry preserves are seasonal, and they should be back in Glendale in about two weeks. I can’t wait!
If you happen to find Noyan Sour Cherry preserves, do yourself a favor and get a jar. The jar is also quite lovely, and I use my old ones for storing loose spices. Then you can enjoy cherries when the fresh ones are gone.
Awesome breakfast fare!!! Where does one find chocolate nibs and chia seeds….I do not see them in the stores…epicéries here in France…but we’re headed to the States in three weeks…are there any particular brands or stores where I may purchase these??..We’ve got the “cerises” covered!!!!
Thanks Donna.
Chia seeds are available in the natural food section of “standard” grocery stores here in Quebec. Cacao nibs are a bit trickier to find and one has to go to specialty stores to get the. I couldn’t tell you about the US, really… I think they have a store called whole foods market. I guess you could find them there or at any natural food store. These guys also have stores / distributors in the US and Canada and do online ordering for the US. Hope this helps!
Love cherries and chocolate together. I also love those dishes too. Pier 1 right?
Right on! Love that store… if only they weren’t so darn expensive!
Sounds so good can’t wait to try it. Love the flavor combination of cherries and coconut. I did something similar last night with pancakes.
Funny, I was planning on making cherry chocolate pancakes this week-end! I hope your pancakes turned out good!
Oooh, that looks so delicious! Some of the cherries here are ready but my parents orchard wont be ready so a while so I’m holding out and not buying any until then. I’m so excited! They better hurry up
OMG, if I had access to just one tree full of cherries, I would be in heaven. I can’t even start to imagine a whole bunch of trees full of cherries. Think of me when you go and pick up your cherries and eat one or two (pounds) for me
Are you planning on making all sorts of cherry goodies?
This looks so good I can almost smell it. But it might be too much work (I’m pretty lazy). Would that I could just sign up and have one of these emailed to me each morning!
Wouldn’t that be a joy! Overnight oats are fairly easy and quick to prepare, in fact. It might seem complicated, but it’s not, really! I say you should give it a try.
Really lovin’ the toons, by the way! 
I’ve been loving on cherries too lately! Your post looked and sounded so wonderful that I had to make one for me with a few tweaks for GF…it’s in the fridge right now, can’t wait to taste! Will link back to you once I post it
Thank you for your delicious recipes and lovely photos!
Alright! That is awesome!
I so can’t wait to see your version. I’m almost positive that I’ll end up wanting to try it too… 
I’ve very much have been enjoying the cherries. This combo seems like dessert. Are you sure I can eat it for breakfast?
You ain’t seen nothing yet, Tender! Wait ’til you see the next few ones that I did with cherries.
And the one that I am planning on doing this week-end… I can guarantee you can have this one for breakfast, or dessert if you want to, without feeling guilty in the least! 
I’m the same way when it comes to cherries, I saw them on sale the other day and grabbed three bags! Now it’s just a matter of eating them or freezing them all before they go bad. Thanks for the great breakfast suggestion, I look forward to trying this.
Cherries go bad??? Oh no! This can’t happen! Quick quick, eat them Sylvie!
I’ve got a few more cherry recipes coming up too… one of which is pretty decadent! I hope they can inspire you and help rescue those poor cherries from a horrible, horrible death! 
Made this yesterday and a mango-tropic version today! YUM! I officially love overnight-oats : ) now if I get some time to actually post them…this week has been crazy! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Alright!
I so can’t wait to see your version. I’ll be keeping an eye out for your posts! Aren’t overnight oats the best? Don’t know how I ever lived without ‘em! 