black forest cherry chocolate parfaits

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and we all know it’s all about the chocolate! It’s also about sharing that chocolate with someone you love. This recipe is perfect for V-Day: It makes just two perfectly-portioned cherry and chocolate parfaits (try saying that a few times fast!). The ingredients are super simple too, but you can get a little fancy and add some cherry kirsch to the cherry sauce if you want. I definitely recommend it!

chocolate parfaits with cherries on a tray with spoon

Oh, and don’t fret–I know cherries aren’t in season right now. But you can always buy dark sweet cherries in the frozen section or in the canned section of most grocery stores, and those work just perfectly! Not only are these desserts the perfect option for a date-night in (or a movie night with your roommate!), they’re so simple to make.

Cook the cherries with some sugar, water, corn starch, and of course that cherry kirsch, to make your luscious sauce. Layer crushed Oreos, your silky, sweet spiked cherry sauce, and a pillowy dollop of whipped cream into small parfait-sized glasses, and you’re done!

spoon in a glass with chocolate parfaits with cherries

You’ll want to keep this cherry chocolate dessert in your back pocket for the whole year round, honestly! You can, of course, double the recipe if you’d like four parfaits instead of two. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Did you make these chocolate parfaits? Show us on Instagram @Lulus  using #lovelulus–and score more sweet styles in our Valentine’s Shop!

This recipe comes from our food contributor, Stephanie Simmons, of Blue Bowl. Her goal with her kitchen-tested recipes is to get you excited about cooking, show you how good food can taste, and prove that you don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen to make a good meal. 

  • PREP TIME: 30 MINS
  • SERVES: 2
  • chocolate cherry dessert
  • cherry desserts
  • black forest dessert
  • cherry chocolate

Ingredients

For the Cherry Sauce:

  • 4 cups canned, fresh, or frozen cherries
  • 6 Tbsp water
  • 3 Tbsp corn starch
  • 2-4 Tbsp cherry kirsch
  • 6 Tbsp granulated sugar

For the Whipped Cream:

  • 1 cup cold heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

  • 10 Oreos, crushed

Directions

Make the Cherry Sauce:

  • Stir together the water and corn starch to fully dissolve the starch.
  • Add the mixture to a medium pot with the rest of the cherry sauce ingredients.
  • Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly, then cook for 7 minutes, stirring the whole time. Turn the heat off and set the sauce aside to cool.

Make the Whipped Cream:

Add whipped cream ingredients to a bowl that’s larger than you think you’ll need (it’ll splatter) and mix on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Assemble the parfaits:

  • Divide the crushed Oreos in half and divide half between the bottom of your two glasses. Do the same with the cherry sauce and whipped cream, then repeat.
  • Top with remaining cherry sauce. Enjoy!

Serve + Store:

These can be made ahead and refrigerated for a few hours, if desired, but they’re best on the first day.