Let’s prepare this delightful make-ahead oatmeal:

1. Combine Initial Ingredients in Slow Cooker (Night Before):

• Generously grease the insert of your 3-quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray or a little butter. This is very important to prevent the oatmeal from sticking badly.
• To the greased slow cooker, add the 4 cups of water, 1 cup of uncooked steel-cut oats, 1 cup of vanilla soy milk (or vanilla almond milk), 3 tablespoons of packed brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract.
• Stir these ingredients together well to ensure the oats are moistened and the sugar and salt are distributed.

2. Slow Cook Overnight:

• Cover the slow cooker securely with its lid.
• Cook on the LOW heat setting for 7-8 hours (typically overnight). The oatmeal is done when the oats are very tender and have absorbed most of the liquid, and the mixture is creamy.

3. Stir in Peaches (In the Morning):

• Once the oatmeal has finished cooking, turn off or unplug the slow cooker.
• Prepare your peaches: If using fresh peaches, wash, pit, and slice them. If using frozen sliced peaches, ensure they are thawed.
• Gently stir the 2 sliced medium peaches (or 2 cups of thawed frozen peach slices) into the hot cooked oatmeal until just combined.

4. Serve with Toppings:

• Spoon the warm Overnight Peach Oatmeal into bowls.
• Serve immediately, topped with optional garnishes like sliced almonds, a sprinkle of extra brown sugar, a dash of ground cinnamon, and/or additional fresh peach slices, as desired.

Wake up to a warm, delicious, and ready-to-eat breakfast