Baked Cherry Oatmeal Dessert Puddings

It's amazing how cooking in ramekins can turn a fairly ordinary recipe into something that looks gourmet. That's just what I did with a baked cherry oatmeal breakfast pudding that I enjoyed recently, turning them into these gorgeous soft and spongy cherry and oatmeal dessert puddings with a few tweaks like marinating the cherries in balsamic vinegar to deepen their flavor. They were also an excuse to use up some the bags of fresh sweet cherries that somehow keep arriving at my house.

The aroma of cherries and almond essence baking in the kitchen will make anyone want to get right to the dessert course, but these elegant little puddings are not too sweet at all and healthy enough to eat for breakfast if you have any left over.

Baked Cherry Oatmeal Dessert Puddings

Recipe by Lisa Turner
Published on August 6, 2014

Soft, spongy and healthy oatmeal dessert puddings baked with balsamic-marinated sweet cherries

Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 55 to 60 minutes

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Ingredients:

3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup fresh sweet cherries, pitted and chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup raw almonds, chopped
1 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine the oats and yogurt. Cover with a clean dish towel and let stand overnight at room temperature.
Toss the cherries with the balsamic vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, toast the chopped almonds in a dry unoiled skillet over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring or tossing frequently, until lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
Generously butter 8 4 oz ramekins and preheat an oven to 350°F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla, almond extract, baking powder and salt. Pour the mixture into the oats and stir to combine.
Scatter half the cherries between the ramekins. Gently spoon 1/3 cup of the oat mixture in each ramekin and scatter the remaining cherries over the top. Bake uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes or until the top is browned and the pudding is slightly set (it will finish setting while it's cooling, but it should not be too liquid-y either). Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes.
Scatter the toasted almonds over the puddings and serve warm.

Makes 8 servings