I love waking up and having breakfast ready for the kids. That alone makes this recipe wonderful, but this easy make-ahead dish also has a creamy, rich chocolate flavor that makes it feel like more of a treat than a healthy, whole grain breakfast! It is perfect for a cold winter morning!
I know some people are afraid to use the slow cooker for oatmeal because they dread the messy cleanup. My advice? Use a heat-proof glass bowl (I use one of these Pyrex bowls) inside of a round slow cooker and fill the slow cooker with just a few inches of water (also known as a double boiler) to not only ensure an easy cleanup, but to keep your oatmeal from burning while you sleep.
Ingredients
- 1 cup steel cut or old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
- 1/4 cup raw cacao powder (much healthier than cocoa!)
- dash of pink Himalayan salt
- 1/2 t. cinnamon (adds great flavor and regulates blood sugar
- 1/2 coconut sugar or maple syrup
- 1 cup whole fat coconut milk
- 3 cups water
- Sometimes I even add 2 tablespoons of freshly ground flax seed. No one will know it’s in there and it will actually level blood sugar so they won’t get hungry as quickly.
- Measure out all of your dry ingredients and add to the inner bowl. Add the coconut milk and water. Stir.
- Make sure there are several inches of water in the crockpot before placing the inner bowl inside of it.
- Place the lid on your crockpot.
- Set on low or medium (you may need to experiment depending on how hot your crockpot gets and how many hours you sleep).
- Go to bed.
You will wake up to the smell of creamy hot chocolate! Serve and enjoy, topping with more cinnamon if you like.
When eating this slow cooker oatmeal as leftovers, we simply warm up the oatmeal in the microwave and add in a bit more milk. As with all leftover oatmeal, give it a good stir to make it creamy again.
