Slow Cooker Almond Joy Steel-Cut Oats

I am a huge fan of Almond Joys. 

If I had to choose a candy bar, Almond Joy would be #1.

Unfortunately, because of my "trying to eat clean" thing, I have not had 

an Almond Joy in...years probably! I can't even remember.

Well, I wanted to recreate an almond joy. A healthier version.
In a steel-cut oat form.

I love steel-cut oats and I love Almond Joys.
Why not combine the two?

Well the result was this:

deliciously healthy

chocolatey

coco-nutty

almond-buttery

Perfection. In a bowl. For breakfast.

But wait, it gets better!
This recipe makes SO much so you can enjoy this all.week.long.
Or for two weeks.

But probably not because I always end up eating a little more than a serving.
It's just way too good.

Plus, this recipe requires minimal effort.
Just throw everything into the crockpot and anxiously wait. ;)
Then top the oats with coconut, a dollop of almond butter, and a sprinkle of dark chocolate chips.

I have to admit, it was difficult to take pictures of this before digging in.
It smelled amazing! And looked amazing. And I could really eat this forever.

I hope these oats help cure your chocolate and/or almond-joy cravings because they sure satisfy mine! :)

Slow Cooker Almond Joy Steel-Cut Oats

Total Time: 4-5 hours (varies from crockpot to crockpot)
Servings: 12
Nutrition (per serving, does not include toppings):
Calories (212), Fat (5.3g), Protein (6.9g), Carbs (34.9g), Sugars (3.9g), Fiber (6.3g)
Low in saturated fat, high in calcium and iron, high in fiber, very high in vitamin B6, high in vitamin E

Ingredients:

• 3 c. steel-cut oats, uncooked
• 9-10 c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or regular milk) See Notes**
• 2 large, very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 heaping cup) See Notes**
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 c. high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder
• Toppings: unsweetened shredded coconut, dark chocolate chips, almond butter, almonds

Directions:

1. Lightly spray inside of crockpot with a bit of non-stick cooking spray.
2. Pour all ingredients (minus toppings) into large 6 qt. crockpot and whisk until cocoa combines with the milk.
3. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Stir occasionally, if possible, to avoid oats sticking to sides. This shouldn't be an issue though if you sprayed the crockpot with cooking spray before adding all the ingredients.
4. Oats will be thick. Add more milk, or water, if you want a thinner consistency. 
5. Transfer oats to a bowl and add desired toppings to make it "almond-joy-like" :)
6. Refrigerate leftovers. Reheat oats in saucepan on stovetop over medium heat with a bit of almond milk or water until oats reach desired consistency. Add more/less liquid depending on how thick you like your oats.

**Notes: You can use water or half water, half milk but I used all almond milk because it makes the oats so creamy! I actually used almond coconut milk to get some added coconut flavor. ;)

Using 2 ripe bananas may not make the chocolate oats as sweet as you like them to be. I like my chocolate super rich and dark so I don't add tons of sweetener. If you like sweeter oats, add honey or your preferred sweetener, to taste, either before or after you cook them.