5 Fall-Inspired Desserts to Make in Your Crock-Pot

Crock-Pots are known for their ability to make delicious, home-cooked meals with minimal effort and clean up, but did you know you can also use them to create an array of different desserts? We’ve curated a list of Fall inspired after-dinner delights from Crock-Pot’s website, all featuring ingredients like cinnamon, apple, pumpkin and cranberry. These warm and comforting dishes are so satisfying, they’ll have you cooking in your Crock-Pot long after the month of Crocktober!

Cinnamon Swirl French Toast Casserole

Ingredients (French Toast)

• 6 Cups of cubed Cinnamon Swirl Bread
• 7 Large eggs
• 2 ½ Cups whole milk
• 1 Cup heavy cream
• ¼ Cup granulated sugar
• ¼ Cup maple syrup
• 2 Teaspoons real vanilla extract
• 1 ½ Teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ Teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¾ Cup chopped dates
• 3 Teaspoons butter, cut into bits
• ¾ Cup candied pecans, coarsely chopped

Ingredients (Candied Pecans)

• 2 Teaspoons melted butter
• 2 Teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 Cup chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Coat the inside of your Crock-Pot® slow cooker with cooking spray
2. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and crisp in a 275 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until slightly dry and hard. Spread bread over the base of your Crock-Pot® slow cooker.
3. While the bread is baking whisk the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg together.
4. Pour mixture over bread and press lightly to make sure all the bread is submerged. Sprinkle on the dates and pecans (recipe below), and finally the cut up pieces of butter and cook on high for 3 to 4 Hours.
5. Garnish with powdered sugar and syrup – enjoy!

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients (Crust)

• 1 Cup graham cracker crumbs
• 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 Tablespoon sugar

Ingredients (Cheesecake Mixture)

• 12 Ounces cream cheese, softened
• ¾ Cup sugar
• 12 Ounces sour cream
• 3 Large eggs
• 1 Egg yolk
• 1½ Teaspoons vanilla extract

Ingredients (Pumpkin Mixture)

• 6 Ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 Ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
• ¾ Cup of sugar
• 1/8 Teaspoon salt
• 2 Large eggs
• 11 Ounces pumpkin puree
• 1¼ Teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• ½ Teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Butter a Crock-Pot® Casserole Crock Slow Cooker or other large slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl, combine the crust ingredients (graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar)
3. Press crust mixture in bottom of the buttered Crock-Pot® slow cooker.
4. Next, prepare just the cheesecake ingredients in a mixing bowl.
5. Beat the 12 Ounces of cream cheese over medium speed until soft.
6. Gradually add the sugar.
7. Mix in the sour cream, one cup at a time.
8. Add the eggs and the yolk one at a time, mixing well after each one.
9. Mix in the vanilla and set cheesecake mixture aside.
10. In a separate bowl, prepare pumpkin Mixture:
11. Using a mixer, cream the cream cheese, mascarpone, and vanilla on medium speed until well combined and smooth.
12. Slowly add sugar and salt.
13. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after you add each one.
14. Add pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice and vanilla; mix until completely combined.

To Assemble

Pour ONLY the cheesecake batter over the graham cracker crust in the Crock-Pot® slow cooker.
Next, dollop the pumpkin mixture evenly over the cheesecake mixture.
Using a table knife, carefully swirl the pumpkin mixture into the cheesecake mixture.
Cover; cook on High for 3 to 4 hours or on Low for 4 to 5 hours, or until cheesecake looks firm but center is still just a bit jiggly.

Refrigerate cheesecake overnight to firm before cutting/serving.

Note: You will assemble the cheesecake mixture and the pumpkin mixture in separate bowls then combine in the Crock-Pot® slow cooker. For best results, start with room temperature ingredients.

Apple Pecan Bread Pudding

Ingredients

• 8 Cups day old bread, cubed
• 3 Cups Granny Smith apples, peeled cored and cubed
• 1 Cup chopped pecans
• 8 Whole eggs
• 1 Can evaporated milk
• 1/2 Cup apple cider or apple juice
• 1 Cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 Teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 Teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 Teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Place bread cubes, apples, and pecans in buttered Crock-Pot®.
2. Mix remaining ingredients.
3. Pour over bread and stir thoroughly.
4. Put lid on Crock-Pot® and start cooking on Low for 3 to 4 hours.
5. Top with caramel sauce, ice cream, or whipped topping.

Apple Butter

Ingredients

• 3 Pounds cooking apples (Rome recommended)
• 2 Cups granulate sugar
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 Teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 Teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

1. Peel and slice approximately apples.
2. Place in Crock-Pot® with sugar and spices.
3. Cook on low for approximately 21 hours.
4. Use a potato masher to break up apples.
5. Place 2 wooden spoons over the top of the Crock-Pot® and place lid on wooden spoons to allow liquid to evaporate and cook approximately 3 hours more.
6. Apple butter is ready when no free liquid remains. Apple butter can be canned, refrigerated or frozen.

Apple, Cranberry And Almond Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped almonds plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
• 1 cup blueberries plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
• 1 cup red apple, peeled and diced plus 2 tablespoons diced with skin for garnish
• 1 cup brown sugar plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 cup canola oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cup wheat flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. In a bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
2. In the mixing bowl of your Oster® Planetary Stand Mixer, mix cranberries, apples, sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Preheat oven to 400˚F/205˚C.
3. In the shaft for accessories, install the paddle beater, place the bowl and the splatter protector. Turn on your mixer set at Speed 4.
4. Once you observe all ingredients are mixed, add slowly the dry ingredients mixture; flour, baking powder, etc. Wait for all the ingredients to blend.
5. Remove mixture from mixing bowl and pour into greased muffin cups. Insert muffin tray in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of one of muffins comes out clean.
6. In the meantime, in a skillet mix almonds, cranberries, apples with skin and reserved sugar for garnish with 3 tablespoons of water. Wait approximately 3 minutes for the sugar to dissolve and the fruit to caramelize.
7. Once the muffins are ready, place on a rack to rest. Remove muffins from the cups and pour mixture on top to garnish. Serve with freshly brewed coffee.

Enjoy baking up a storm with Crock-Pot, all Crocktober long! All recipes featured here and many more can be found on Crock-Pot’s website. Find our full selection of Crock-Pots in store or online here.

6 Kitchen Appliances and Gadgets That People Are Obsessed With

Here are six of our favourite trendy products that everyone is buzzing about.

1. SodaStream

The SodaStream isn’t technically a new product – the company was founded in 1903 and their home soda makers became popular in the 1970s and 80s. SodaStream products have made a big comeback in recent years, mostly due to consumers’ focus on health and environmental impact.

People who want to drink more water for better health swear that the SodaStream makes the task of drinking water much more exciting. Making your own sparking water at home can also save money and you’ll keep plastic bottles out of the waste cycle.

2. Instant Multi-Cooker

Multi-cooker pots burst onto the kitchen gadget scene a couple of years ago and took the domestic world by storm. It seemed like you couldn’t call yourself a proper home chef without owning one of these, and it’s easy to see why. The Express Crock Multi-Cooker can cook up to 70% faster than traditional methods, or can be set to slow cook all day. This little gem is a master at homemade chili, stew, sauces, poultry (home-made hot wings? Yes please!), steamed fish, rice, soup, dessert, bread, and even yogurt.  It’s so fast and versatile, it might even leave your stove and oven feeling left out.

If you’re not convinced that your counter needs an Express Crock Multi-Cooker on it, Crock-Pot has a whole library of delicious recipes for you to check out right here.

3. Vitamix Blender

This is a serious piece of kitchen equipment, and Vitamix owners swear that it has changed their lives. Vitamix doesn’t make an “every-once-in-a-while margarita mixer” that’s stored away nine months out of the year; they make a use-it-every-day, can’t-live-without-it, commercial-grade blender.

Vitamix machines have all the power you need to pulverize ingredients, releasing flavours and marrying them together to create better-tasting blends. Eating healthy can be a challenge sometimes, so taste makes a big difference. With precise settings that can chop, grind, puree, or juice to perfection, you’ll be making your own delicious salsa, soup, nut butter, sorbet, sauces, and of course the most perfectly smooth smoothie you’ll ever taste in your life.

A Vitamix blender isn’t cheap, but knowing that it’s a quality piece of a equipment that will get used every day and last a lifetime (many people have passed theirs on to their kids and grandkids!) makes it completely worth it.

4. Vegetable Spiralizer

Another big healthy eating trend that’s taken the cooking world by storm is spiralized veggies. In an effort to replace the not-so-healthy pasta dishes, people have discovered this tasty, curly alternative. Pasta lovers can enjoy all the flavour, taste, and texture of their favourite dishes every day with a fraction of the carbs and calories. The catch is that creating the noodle-y spirals can be difficult with traditional kitchen tools, so products like the Vegetti can speed things up.

Not sure how to incorporate spiralized veggies into your regular recipes? Here are twelve yummy ideas.

5. Food Dehydrator

Food dehydrating is a healthy and cost-effective way to preserve meat, fruit, veggies and other foods. Using low heat and air, dehydrating reduces the overall amount of water found in food. Once the water is removed, the food is resistant to bacteria and doesn’t spoil as quickly as it normally would. The bonus of food that has been properly dehydrated is that it retains most of its original nutritional value. After food is cooked, it starts to lose the overall nutrition potential. A food dehydrator allows you to retain all of those nutrients and vitamins in your food, getting the benefits of a raw food diet but without the hassle of continuously buying raw food. It’s perfect for making healthy snacks for the whole family, saving you money, calories, and waste.

The Weston Food Dehydrator has a compact, lightweight design that can fit in even a small kitchen, and is easy to clean. Apple chips, here we come!

6. Home Smoker

This is the product that has made professional meat smokers very nervous. Nothing can beat the mouthwatering goodness of food cooked in a real smoker, and The Char-Broil® Connected Electric Smoker & Roaster has created a whole new generation of backyard barbecue masters.

This reliable smoker and roaster will impress your friends with tasty mouth watering burgers, charred veggies, juicy steaks and smoky chicken. This backyard must-have plugs into any common 120V power outlet and comes built with 15 pre-set temperature levels for all your cooking. Here’s the kicker – it has its very own smartphone app! You can virtually monitor your food’s temperature and general cooking information in real time and will let you multi-task in various locations without having to constantly go check on the food in your smoker. You won’t miss a minute of the big game while making the most mouth-watering ribs, steak, burgers, chicken, or veggies.

Did we miss a new, trendy kitchen product you can’t live without? Post it in the comments!

10 Genius Kitchen Gadgets for the Clever Chef

These days, there is no end to the amount of gadgets out there, especially for the kitchen. Let’s face it, not all of them are useful, and they end up taking up precious space in your kitchen. To save you some trouble, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite, affordable and genius kitchen gadgets, whether you want to up your own kitchen game, or surprise your favourite home chef.

Gotham Steel Bacon BonanzaGenius Kitchen Gadgets

Many chefs swear by cooking bacon in the oven. It reduces the fat, eliminates stovetop splatter, and guarantees a perfectly crispy result. The Bacon Bonanza makes cooking bacon in the oven even easier: the non-stick rack spaces up to 12 pieces of bacon perfectly, the non-stick pan catches the grease for easy cleanup, and both are dishwasher safe.

PL8 Fresh Herb Saver

Genius Kitchen Gadgets

Fresh herbs are a key ingredient to taking the quality of your home cooking up a notch. But unless you’ve got your own fresh herb garden, store-bought herbs don’t last very long in the fridge. This simple little item will add life to your fresh herbs so you can use them again and again, and save you the sadness of watching them wilt in your fridge. Its compact size fits easily in any fridge door. Works for saving asparagus, too!

Zipstrip Herb Stripper

Genius Kitchen Gadgets

Now that you have all of these fresh herbs just sitting around, you’ve got to use them! This little gem will save you loads of time; it easily strips, collects and measures herbs all in one step. Four separate sized holes fit any variety and size of woody, stemmed herbs (such as rosemary, thyme and tarragon) and the bowl easily catches the leaves and simply measures your portion.

Brooklyn Brownie Copper Pan

Genius Kitchen Gadgets

What’s the best part of a pan of brownies? The corners, of course! This time-saving brownie pan will give you 18 perfectly portioned corner pieces every time. The durable, non-stick surface allows you to mix the batter right inside the pan, no pre-greasing required. The slicer insert slides right out when the brownies are done, with no arguments about who gets the corners.

Ove Glove

Genius Kitchen Gadgets

Traditional oven mitts are awkward and bulky, and who hasn’t burned themselves on the oven using a tea towel? Never fear, because the Ove Glove is here to save your precious fingertips. Three layers of insulation protects from heat, flame and steam up to 540℉, and the five fingers with silicone grip will have you nimbly dashing around your baking and barbecuing like the kitchen hero that you are.

One Stop Chop Cutting Board

If you’re obsessed with keeping your cooking space neat and tidy through the dinner-making process, have we got the gadget for you. This beautiful bamboo cutting board hides secret, tidy prep drawers underneath to store your ingredients until you’re ready to use them, making room on your cutting board in the process. Aahh…satisfying, isn’t it?

Genius Kitchen Gadgets

Joseph Joseph Adjustable Rolling Pin

Genius Kitchen Gadgets

 

So, you like precision, do you? Oh, we’re gonna get precise. Any good baker knows that winging it is a recipe for disaster, especially when it comes to making the perfect dough. That’s why the always-inventive Joseph Joseph gave bakers this ingenious rolling pin that measures the thickness of the dough while you roll it. Simply attach one of three included sets of discs to the pin for rolling thicknesses of 3/8”, 1/4″ and 1/16”. There are also measurements etched into the barrel help you roll sheets of dough to exact widths. Guesswork, you’ve met your match.

Soda Stream Source Soda Maker

Genius Kitchen Gadgets

If you’re trying to kick the sugary drink habit, the Soda Stream makes healthy, carbonated beverages at home, right on your countertop. Have your beverage your way with customizable carbonation settings, and optional low-sugar, natural flavours. Voted Best New Product in 2016 by Canadian Living, this handy, compact gadget will save you money on your grocery bill, and save hundreds of plastic bottles and cans from going into the waste cycle.

Crock-Pot Express 8-in-1 Crock Multicooker

Genius Kitchen Gadgets

This is not your mother’s Crock-Pot. This insanely useful appliance is the new rock star of the small appliance world for people who love to cook, and even people who don’t. This multi-cooker does the job of a slow cooker, electric pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, sauté/browning pan, and warming pot. It’s a single appliance that does the job of seven! And we don’t know about you, but we definitely don’t have the space in our humble kitchens to store all seven of those appliances. Whether you want to prep your meal in the morning and cook all day, or have a fast healthy home-cooked meal in under an hour–this one-pot wonder does it all!

I Could Eat A T-Rex Pasta Measuring Tool

Genius Kitchen Gadgets
No matter how long you’ve been cooking, you’ll likely never be able to eyeball the perfect portion of pasta. A pasta measuring tool is essential to any cook’s tool kit, so why not make it fun, too? This adorable tool helps you portion pasta for a kid, woman, man or a visiting T-Rex. Warning: approach hungry T-Rex with care, and don’t make any sudden movements.

It’s Crock-tober! Share Your Classic Crock Pot Recipe to Win

Autumn is in full swing, and with it comes the changing colours, crisper air, and a desire for comfort food. There’s nothing better than having your crock pot simmering away on your kitchen counter with a delicious soup just waiting for you to enjoy.

Crock Pot Recipes - London Drugs Blog

We know you love Crock Pots. Now you can win one!

October is the month where we pull out our crock pots and those old favourite recipes we love. Maybe some are passed down through the family, or others you’ve only tried recently. But why keep those recipes to yourself?

We’d love to hear what your favourite crock pot meal is and put some of those great recipes into action. Plus, share the love with others!

Four ways to enter the contest:

1. Submit your recipe in the comments below (1 entry)
2. Enter through our sign up form from Oct. 28 – Nov 1 (1 entry)
3. Share your recipe on Twitter with #LDCrocktober (1 entry)
4. Follow @londondrugs on Instagram and let us know in the comments (1 entry)

Also, here are some of our favourite recipes to make for an easy Crock Pot dinner!

1. Crock Pot Baked Spaghetti

Slow Cooker Crock Pot Baked Spaghetti - London Drugs Blog

Who can go wrong with a delicious cheesy baked spaghetti in the Crock Pot? Try this fool-proof recipe from The Magical Slow Cooker or share your very own recipe with us in the comments below!

2. Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Sometimes all you need is chicken soup and a good book on a crisp fall day. This classic Crock Pot recipe from The Black Peppercorn will soothe your soul – but we also want to know what else you would add to it!

3. Crock Pot Turkey Meatballs

Crock Pot Turkey Meatballs - London Drugs Blog

Meatballs are a crowd favourite and oh-so-easy to whip up in the slow cooker. Try this tasty recipe from Well Plated and tell us in the comments below what you would pair your meatballs with!

We will be giving away Crock Pots all month long through Facebook, Twitter, and right here on the blog. Check back often to see dates for each giveaway!