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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. 🙂
2. Place all ingredients (except the toppings) into the crock pot. Give it a nice stir, cover and cook on low for 7 hours.
I love steel cut oats, and they are so easy made in the slow cooker. I don't know why I haven't cooked them with apples and cinnamon yet. Seems only normal somehow.
Your son sounds adorable! Hope he is better and stays well.
Haha, by the picture I thought this had crumbled bacon in it. (Must be the apples) I was all excited, I kinda have a thing for bacon! This looks delish though, even without the bacon in it!
I'm always looking for something quick on the weekend and this looks like just the thing for this weekend. Poor little Aaron. I hope he feels all better soon!
Love this new twist on steel-cut oats…we LOVE them in the crockpot, but have only tried them with cranberries and dried cherries. Apples are a natural!
Jamie,
I was wondering what kind of apple you would recommend in this recipe?
Hi Kim,
I used fuji apples for this recipe, but I would imagine gala or golden delicious would also be great. Granny Smith would also be good, especially if you like a little bit of tartness to your apple. Good luck!
~Jamie
“Delicious” apples are best for eating raw; they do not hold up to heat well. If you use them you may end up with mush instead of bites of apple.
Have you never heard of apple pie?? They’re pretty tasty, no mushiness.
The apple holds up well in this slow cooking overnight oatmeal.
Who uses delicious variety apples in pie?
Love this and I agree with the steel cut oats. Great texture. And the temps just dropped here in Sunny Southern California so this recipe caught my attention. I've made a similar variation on this from a dish I had in St. George a few years ago. The variation I use is to use all apple cider or apple juice instead of the water/milk liquid. And slivered almonds instead of pecans just because I love almonds.
I now know what I am having for breakfast tomorrow. This looks delicious. Thank you! I love your recipes!
Genius!!! Quick question, though…what size crock pot do you recommend? Thanks!
You need at least a 3 1/2 quart sized crock pot. You can, of course use one that is larger. Mine is the 6 quart size and it worked really well. Good luck to you!
~Jamie
Hi Jamie,
When you add all the ingrediants, that includes the milk right? I didn't notice it in the crock pot picture, so I wanted to make sure before I try this. Looks super yummy!
Anonymous,
Yes, add the 1 1/2 cups of milk right in with the other ingredients. Good luck! Hope you love it!
~Jamie
Hello Sweetie,
Just wanted to thank you for having such an inspirational blog. Hope you have an amazing week full of lots of beautiful things.
Feel free to drop past my blog if you have time =)
-Mia xoxo
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