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Warm, thick, creamy good-for-you Slow Cooker Apple Cranberry Steel Cut Oats will have you starting your day off right in the new year! 

Ok...so I know everyone knows starting the day with a good breakfast is essential.  This Slow Cooker Apple Cranberry Steel Cut Oats recipe is the perfect way to get a good breakfast in. If you've ever made steel cut oats before, you know that they take longer to cook then other cuts of oats, which makes them perfect for the slow cooker. These hearty Quaker Steel Cut Oats hold up wonderfully in the long cook time of a slow cooker... and the best part?  They cook all night so you can wake to a warm hearty breakfast!

If you've been around here for some time, you know winter is NOT my favorite time of year.  So I like to try to find ways to make the winter months a little more tolerable...

warm, COZY blankets.

soft, THICK sweaters,

a WARM mug of my favorite tea,

and

warm, HEARTY oatmeal for breakfast!

Yup, that's right!  Oatmeal!  Living here in NE Ohio, the winters can be just brutal. (Last year, we weren't even sure spring was ever going to arrive!)  As far as I'm concerned, there is only one way to start the day when the temperatures are below freezing and snow is blowing and that is with a warm breakfast like this one.

What I love about this breakfast is that it's flavorful, but not too sweet (the sweetness comes from apples, dried cranberries and 100% apple juice).  It's convenient because it can cook up all night while you sleep, so that you can have a warm breakfast when you wake up or you can make it during the day and re-heat it in the microwave during the week. (It reheats great!)  It's creamy without the use of any dairy products, but if you like, you can kick the creamy factor up a notch with a splash of milk, half and half or almond milk before serving.

I hit Target once a week, and I'm happy to say, I was able to find everything I needed to make this recipe there.  The Quaker Steel Cut Oats were easy to find in the Hot Cereal section.

I gathered up the ingredients...Quaker Steel Cut Oats, apples, pecans, dried cranberries, cinnamon and (not pictured) 100% Apple Juice and got out my trusty Slow Cooker.

I sprayed the crock of my slow cooker with some cooking spray, measured out 1 1/2 cups Quaker Steel Cut Oats, and began adding ingredients.

Everything went into the crock except the juice.

Then I slowly poured the apple juice into the crock with the other ingredients...

and stirred to combine.  I put the lid on and set the temperature to LOW.

Six to eight hours later I had a warm and delicious oatmeal.  The apples soften and cook right into the oatmeal, the cranberries plump up and become soft and the pecans keep some firmness to them for a nice contrast in textures.

My family thought these oats were perfect and I loved awakening to the smell of apples and cinnamon in the morning.

Are you a fan of oatmeal for breakfast? Will you be giving this easy and delicious recipe a try sometime this winter?  

Slow Cooker Apple Cranberry Steel Cut Oats

By Renee's Kitchen Adventures

Warm, hearty steel cut oats combined with apples, dried cranberries, cinnamon, pecans and apple juice made easy in your slow cooker.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Quaker Steel Cut Oats
• 3 cups peeled, cored and diced fresh apples
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3 cups (100% Juice) Apple Juice

Instructions

1. Spray the crock of a slow cooker with cooking spray to prevent oatmeal from sticking.
2. Add the Quaker Steel Cut Oats, apples, dried cranberries, chopped pecans, and ground cinnamon to the crock. Slowly pour 3 cups 100% Juice Apple Juice into the crock and stir to combine.
3. Put lid on and set temperature to LOW. Cook for 6 -8 hours. Stir before serving. If you like your oats more creamy, you can add some milk, half and half or almond milk before serving.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.

Cook time: 08 hrs. 00 mins.
Total time: 8 hrs. 10 mins.
Tags: steel cut oats, oatmeal, breakfast, apples, cinnamon, cranberries, pecans, slow cooker

Printable Recipe 

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