Overnight Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats (Crock Pot)

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  A couple of weeks ago my little twin boy Aaron (age 5) and I were sitting in the waiting room at the doctors office. The poor kid has been sick this winter more times than I can count. I actually can't count REALLY high, I was just trying to paint a picture here. He's been sick, my friends. Many times. Thanks for your concern. You are always so thoughtful like that.

Anyhow, there we were. The sweet thing wrapped up in a blanket on my lap while we looked at pictures in a gourmet Italian cooking magazine. Yes, of course he wanted to read that kind of magazine. Thanks for asking. Again, always thinking outside of yourself aren't you. :)


While looking at a particularly beautiful photo he said to me,

"Hey Mom. You know what my FAVORITE thing to HATE is?"

With a chuckle I asked what it might be. 

"Goat Cheese. That. Is my favorite thing to hate."

"Your FAVORITE thing?" I laughed. "People usually don't call something they hate their favorite."


"Well, I really like to hate goat cheese so I'm going to call it my favorite thing to hate."

Fair enough. Who am I to govern his favorite things!

P.S. There is no goat cheese or hate involved in this recipe, I just thought it was a cute story you might get a little chuckle out of. This recipe is about steel cut oats and cooking them in the crock pot while you sleep so you can have a hearty breakfast of apple cinnamon wonder when your feet hit the ground in the morning. Nothing to hate about that, is there?

Do you know about Steel Cut Oats, dear reader?

I'm not talking about about Old Fashioned Oats, or Instant Oats or the oats Charles Ingalls may have fed his horse.

Steel cut oats are whole grain groats that have been cut into pieces and retain a bit of the outer bran coating. They take longer to cook than Regular Oats and certainly Instant Oats, but have a wonderful nutty flavor and more substantial texture. I prefer it to regular oatmeal, any day. 

This Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats recipe is full of flavor. The apples cook right with the steel cut oats. As the mixture cooks it gets this golden, crispy caramelized top to it... Oh, it's good. Super good. Hope you try some today, or tonight or first thing in the morning. :)

Overnight Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats

Time: 10 minutes prep + 7 hours crock pot cooking

Yield: 6 servings

Recipe slightly adapted from Monica at A Yummy Life

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2 medium sized apples, peeled and chopped

1 C steel cut oats (uncooked)

3 T brown sugar

2 T butter

1/2 t cinnamon

1 T flax seed (optional but wonderful)

1/4 t salt

1 t vanilla

1 1/2 C milk (I used 1%)

1 1/2 C water

Toppings:

milk

chopped pecans

maple syrup

1. Spray the inside of your crock pot with cooking spray. You will need a crock pot at least 3 1/2 quarts in size, or larger. I used a 6 quart crock pot and it worked out well. 
2. Place all ingredients (except the toppings) into the crock pot. Give it a nice stir, cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

2. Dish the oatmeal into individual bowls and pour a little bit of milk...

maple syrup

and chopped pecans over the top, if you so choose.

Then, dish up a wonderful bite full. Enjoy!