warm apple pie for breakfast
*This article has been updated 2019

My friend,  an outstanding Charleston hostess and ASE reader has given me a great idea for breakfast – steel cut oatmeal that heats up overnight in a slow cooker and is ready to eat before you can pour your coffee in the morning. If you add fruit your kitchen will smell like you have a pie baking. Good idea, right?

Consider the possibilities:  Apple juice instead of water?  Dried cranberries, almonds, apple chunks, blueberries, coconut milk, brown sugar, pumpkin, banana slices, apple sauce, raisins, currents, cinnamon, walnuts, honey, dried figs, vanilla, ground flaxseed, maple syrup, and quinoa – you get the idea.

Feel good about serving steel cut oats.  They are less processed than rolled oats and retain more nutritional value and fiber. They are said to reduce cholesterol and lower high blood pressure.  They are a good source of magnesium and they have a low glycemic index. They take longer to cook than rolled oats – and since we are all in a hurry in the morning, that has been a challenge.  Not anymore.

Some basic hints might help.

  • All slow cookers are not created equal.  One might produce perfect oatmeal in four hours while another takes eight hours.  Make your first batch or two during the day and figure out the right cooking time for your machine.  You’ll want the edges to be slightly browned.
  • Always put some oil, cooking spray or butter on the surface of the slow cooker.  Forget once and you will understand why.
  • Extra oatmeal can be reheated in the microwave for another meal.

overnight_cinn_oat - warm apple pie for breakfast

Photo from All Recipes.com

My friend offers her tried and true recipe for Overnight Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal.

1 Cup of Organic Apple Juice

3 Cups of water

One cup of steel cut oats (or oatmeal)

2 Apples, peeled and diced small

½ TB of organic ground cinnamon

Raisins to taste

Assemble all ingredients in your slow cooker.

Set timer to heat your apple cinnamon oatmeal on low heat for five hours – ending at whatever time you want to spoon some into your bowl for breakfast.

She serves it with maple sugar, but her husband adds honey.  Her mother adds peanut butter and ginger.  The variations are limitless. Some like milk or half and half.

Note: She thinks the apples and raisins add enough sweetness.  She has not greased the pot, but thinks it is a good idea.

The following are links to other slow cooked oatmeal recipes, but you can use your imagination.

overnight_cinn_oat2 warm apple pie for breakfast

From the Yummy Life.com

 Overnight, Slow Cooker, Apple Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal

banana_coconut_milk warm apple pie for breakfast

Banana, Coconut Milk recipe

cherry_almond warm apple pie for breakfast

Cherry Almond

 pumpkinpieoatmeal warm apple pie for breakfast

Pumpkin Pie in a slow cooker double boiler

I like Bob’s Red Mill Organic Steel Cut oats.

bobsredmillorganicsteel warm apple pie for breakfast

Bob’s Gluten Free Steel Cut Oats

glutenfreesteelcutoats warm apple pie for breakfast

You may already have a slow cooker.  If you need one, you can begin with a modest commitment.

ovalslowcooker warm apple pie for breakfast

This small, 1.5 quart Oval Slow Cooker has a removable inner ‘crock’ which is easy to wash.  It does not have a programmable timer, but you can plug it into a hardware store light timer and get the same effect.  Under $20.00

onofflightimer warm apple pie for breakfast

On-off light timer, under $20.00

3qt_crockpot for warm apple pie for breakfast

This 3 quart Crock Pot is not programmable, but you can plug it into a light timer and get the same result. Under $20.00

4qt_programmableslowcooker for apple pie at breakfast

This 4 Quart Programmable Slow Cooker with Ceramic Insert is on sale for $149.

6qt_programmablecrockpot warm apple pie for breakfast

This six quart programmable Crock Pot is $31.99.

slowcooker_liners for warm apple pie for breakfast

Slow cooker disposable liners:  Reynolds sells liners for your slow cooker which is just the kind of clean-up simplification I appreciate.  $6.20 for four liners.

ASE has written several other articles on slow cookers – we must love them!

Time is Money

slow cooker

and

New Pressure Cookers vs Slow Cookers

pressure cooker

Did we miss something important? Let us know in the comments below ~ thanks!