Part 1:Tips for Successful Slow Cooker Breakfast & Dessert Recipes

Have you ever had a crock pot disaster? I sure have! Check out my most disastrous story and my tips to avoid my mistakes!

Probably the most memorable crock pot fail I have ever had was a delicious egg casserole that was supposed to cook overnight and promised a decadent egg and sausage dish ready and waiting for family (and company) the next morning.

Everyone was so excited as I poured ingredient after ingredient into my largest slow cooker and turned that baby on low, depending on it to do it’s magic as we all slept.

The next morning there was actually a crowd around the pot as I lifted the lid in anticipation.

And then we saw the most horrifying sight known to crock-pot kind…

The “burnt egg rock” inside the pot was simply not fit to eat. It was clearly way over-cooked even though I had followed the instructions to a “T”.

I learned an important lesson that day, breakfast (and dessert) crock pot recipes generally need to be treated differently that most main and side dish recipes.

Don’t Fix and Forget It

Most slow cooker main dish recipes tend to have the reputation of throw it in and forget about it. That is a fantastic feature and true of many recipes, but this is where many dessert and breakfast (and even some side dish) recipes can fail big-time if you aren’t careful. The advantage to cooking these dishes in a slow cooker isn’t always a fix and forget it option, but rather you might want to use your slow cooker for a breakfast or dessert recipe (or more delicate recipe):

• To save oven space during a holiday or when cooking for a crowd (or save energy by NOT heating up the oven)
• To prolong a cooking time while you are multi-tasking or
• To cook/bake while away from the kitchen
• To keep food warm for a potluck brunch

Regardless of why you choose to use your slow cooker for these recipes, you will want to watch those cook times. Speaking of times…

Breakfast for Dinner

It is best to test breakfast and dessert recipes and recommended times when you are home (and awake). I generally look at the times given on a recipe as a basic guide but not as a steadfast rule. Slow Cookers and their recipes have changed significantly over the years. Pots cook hotter and some very unevenly. You need to get to know how your crock pot cooks and how the recipe does with delicate ingredients (read: eggs, dairy) before letting her pull an overnighter on her own. Plan a night to have breakfast for dinner and test out a recipe you are interested in during the day.

Check out Part 2 of this post to learn about the bowl that saved my breakfast and more.