Slow Cooker Overnight Apple Crisp Oatmeal

We are an oatmeal-cooked-overnight-in-the-slow-cooker kind of family. It's sorta become an obsession over the past few years. We love waking up to a hearty breakfast awaiting us - especially on busy mornings. I've shared with you several variations on my basic recipe like, my carrot cake version (my personal favorite). I wanted to incorporate apples and warm, fall-inspired spices in my newest version of cooking steel cut oats in the slow cooker. But, I, also, wanted there to be a twist. My mind went to apple crisp, a dessert that I make often for my family.

The premise of this recipe is to start with steel cut oats (I really don't recommend cooking any other type of oats overnight in the slow cooker ... unless you want totally mushy oatmeal). Then, a few basic ingredients like, milk, water, brown sugar and butter get stirred in. Warm, fragrant spices like, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg are stirred in. Chunks of crisp apple are then added before lidding the slow cooker as you head off to bed.

I do top this at the time of service with an apple crisp-style topping that I make a bit prior to starting the oatmeal in the evening. (The crisp topping takes about 40 minutes to bake, but only a few minutes to prep.) It is totally optional, but therein lies the "crisp" part of the recipe. Alternatively, some store-bought basic granola could be sprinkled on top if you don't wish to make the topping from scratch.

NOTE: I cook this oatmeal in a metal bread pan that fits perfectly down into my oval slow cooker. I loosely crumple up a piece of foil, place it on the bottom of the slow cooker insert, pour in about four cups of hot water and place the bread loaf pan atop the foil. A steam effect is created. Following this method ensures that the oatmeal does not burn and clean-up is a lot easier. This, also, ensures that the oatmeal stays moist and very creamy.

Yields 4 - 6 servings.

Overnight Vanilla and Coconut Oats with Cacao Nibs

I've been following My Whole Food Life for quite some time now. Melissa's blog is one chocked full of creative recipes that are vegan and made using unprocessed ingredients. She is quite an inspiration. She is known for her overnight oat recipes and I've been wanting to try some of them for a long while now. Since she recommends eating the oats cold in the morning (they can be heated if desired), I was waiting until warmer weather arrived to delve into making some batches. I recently adapted one of her coconut vanilla versions to my liking and I am now officially hooked.

 

I love the texture and healthfulness of this recipe. And, as odd as it may sound, I can't believe how refreshing oatmeal can be when prepared this way. Know that this isn't your typical, hot oatmeal, however. It is meant to be eaten cold and it isn't overly sweet.

I can't wait to experiment with other flavors and variations. In my house, we live on steel cut oats made overnight in the slow cooker in the winter months. But, I am totally loving these oats cold out of the fridge now that we're waking up to warm temps here in Michigan.

Melissa uses steel cut oats on their own in her overnight oats recipes, but suggests using rolled oats if you don't want that extra crunchy texture and if you desire a smoother result. I used a combination of both and thought it was perfect.

This recipe makes enough for one serving. It can easily be adapted to make several servings at once.