One of the things I love about oatmeal is that you can customize it any you want! I’ve done my fair share of customizing (see this peanut butter, bananas and bacon version, this pumpkin baked version, and these chocolate raspberry overnight oats). Eat it hot or cold, bake it, microwave it, simmer it, or how about give yourself a break and let the slow cooker do the work? That’s what we’re doing today with this Slow Cooker Dark Chocolate Gingerbread Oatmeal.
Yup, gingerbread… See what I’ve done here? This is my sneaky way of eating dessert for breakfast. A festive, holiday cookie dessert that is. Gingerbread cookies were never part of my mom’s regular cookie routine so I’m making up for it these days by drinking Gingerbread lattes, and devouring this oatmeal every morning.
There are so many lovely ways to customize it too. Some topping suggestions for this gingerbread version…
- chopped bananas
- chopped berries
- greek yogurt drizzled with honey or maple syrup
- a spoonful of almond butter
- chopped nuts
- and chocolate, of course
If you’ve ever thought of eating holiday cookies for breakfast, try the next best thing and start your morning off with this cozy, wintery oatmeal topped with your favorite add-ins!
- 3 cups old fashion oats
- 1 teaspoons orange zest
- ⅓ cup molasses
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 8 cups water
- Combine and stir all ingredients in a slow cooker. Set the slow cooker on the lowest setting and cook for about 4 hours. Check the oatmeal at 4 hours and give it a stir. It might be ready to eat at this point. If you’d like to keep it cooking, stir in a cup or two of water. Cook for up to 8 hours.
- If cooking for longer periods, I recommend checking the oatmeal every 2 hours or so, and stirring in an additional cup or two of water.
Nutrition Information (per serving) from Caloriecount.about.com
Calories: 196 Fat: 2.7g Carb: 41.7g Fiber: 4.4g Protein: 4.3g Sugar 16.2g Sodium: 14mg
Hi! I'm Krista, a self-proclaimed vegetable lover who likes to put a creative spin on healthy cooking. Here you'll find a variety of lightened up recipes using fresh and wholesome ingredients! 
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