Ease the weekday breakfast rush by setting up your slow cooker with a batch of steel cut oats before you go to bed. When you wake up, the oatmeal will ready to serve! Cooked slowly and steadily, steel cut oats make a creamy, soft porridge that can be dressed up with your favorite dried fruits and sweeteners. In place of the dried cranberries, try raisins or chopped dried dates or apricots.
Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated on the stove or in the microwave; stir in a little water or milk if the oats are too thick.
In the crock of a small or medium slow cooker (such as a 2- or 4-quart size), combine the steel cut oats, dried cranberries, cinnamon, maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt and water. Stir to combine. Cover and set the slow cooker on "low." Cook for 7 to 9 hours, until mixture is creamy and the steel cut oats are soft. Stir the mixture to incorporate any excess liquid into the oats, and add more brown sugar or maple syrup if the oats are not sweet enough. Serve hot and top with milk, additional maple syrup, chopped nuts or wheat germ.This recipe for Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats serves 4 to 5 people.
