📖 Instructions

1. First, gather your ingredients! Make sure you've got your rolled oats, cherries (fresh or frozen will work!), dark chocolate, milk, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt ready to go.
2. Next, in your medium saucepan, combine the rolled oats and milk. Give it a little stir to make sure everything is combined nicely.
3. Now, turn the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Don't let it boil over; we want a nice, smooth consistency.
4. Once simmering, reduce heat to low and let it simmer for about 5-7 minutes, or until the oats have absorbed most of the liquid and are creamy. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
5. While the oats are simmering, chop up your dark chocolate into small pieces. Don't be too precise; rustic is good!
6. Remove the oats from the heat and stir in the maple syrup. Taste test at this stage and adjust accordingly. Sometimes a little extra maple syrup makes all the difference!
7. Gently fold in your chopped cherries. You can use fresh or frozen cherries for this, but if you're using frozen, make sure you've let them thaw a bit beforehand.
8. Stir in the chopped dark chocolate until it's mostly melted and distributed throughout the oats.
9. Finally, spoon the chocolate cherry bomb oats into your favorite baking dish and let it cool slightly before serving. You could also let it cool completely and enjoy it cold the next day; yum!
10. Optional: If you're feeling fancy, top with a few extra cherry halves and some chocolate shavings right before serving. It looks beautiful, and that's always a plus, right?