I woke up this morning to the smell of brown sugar and pecans wafting through my house.  I was confused at first, surely the hubby didn’t bake something before running off to work.  As I descended down the stairs, I remembered the deliciousness that I put into my crock pot last night and then I couldn’t wait to check it out!

I opened the crock pot and was welcomed by a layer of pecans that had risen to the top of my Pyrex bowl. I took a wooden spoon and cut into the mixture – pecans, then golden raisins and cranberries, followed by steel cut oats, cooked to perfection and lightly sweetened with brown sugar.  I scooped out some of the oats into my bowl, added some milk and a sprinkling of brown sugar and dug in.  It was amazing, so delicious, so warm, so filling, so EASY and so good for you!

Want the recipe?  Well here you go – Crock Pot Steel Cut Oats (also called Irish Oats)

Get out your crockpot.  We’re going to make it into a double broiler. Find a dish that can withstand the constant heat and that can fit into your crockpot – I used my 4 cup pyrex measuring cup.

Into your Pyrex (or whatever you choose to use) dish, add 1 cup steel cup oats, 3 1/2 cups of water and 1/2 cup of milk.  Then add your mix-ins! I chose golden raisins, cranberries and pecans – about 1/4 cup of each.  I also added some flax seed (a couple of TBSPs) just because – hey, it’s healthy!  Add 2 Tbsp of brown sugar (or maple syrup or honey) to add a little sweetness.  Put your dish into your crockpot and add water into the crockpot basin – until it reaches about 1 inch from the top of the bowl filled with your oat mixture.  Cover crockpot with lid, turn on low and let cool overnight!  Mine cooked for 12 hours but I bet it would have been just fine cooking for 9 or 10.

In the morning, wake up to the smell of deliciouness and enjoy your new favorite cold weather breakfast.  You can also make this plain or lightly sweetened for the kiddos and then add mix-ins when it is ready to eat but adding everything the night before makes it more flavorful, the raisins and cranberries are plump and the pecans are lightly sweetened and softened.