Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Soup (with slow cooker instructions)

Tomato soup is almost always a crowd favorite. Making homemade tomato soup in the past has been a challenge, producing less than delicious results. I had made this ONE with grilled cheese croutons which I liked, but my kids still preferred the can version. So I had given up of finding something to replace the quintessential tomato soup from the can. You know the soup. The kind we all loved as children, and still secretly love as adults.

A few weeks ago I got the hankerin' not for chili as the typed accent would allude, but for homemade tomato soup. I was a little cautious about trying to make some because of the aforementioned soup disasters.

After some searching, and a little self pep-talking, I found a recipe that I thought would be successful. This recipe called for roasting tomatoes instead of using the canned ones. I thought that was a good start since all the previous recipes I have tried used the canned ones.

I had posted on Instagram about the smell of the roasting tomatoes and garlic. Gosh it was ever so delightful. From that smell alone I was hopeful. Roasting the tomatoes and garlic is the "hardest" part and really it was nothing.

The soup came together easily and I only made a few alterations from the original recipe.

The use of an immersion blender (best thing ever) made this soup so smooth. In our house, it is normal for us to top our tomato soup with a little bit of sour cream. The fancy swirly depicted was just for you, normally we just drop a large dollop smack in the middle.

Another tomato soup staple...well the grilled cheese sandwich of course.

A few months ago we had these amazing grilled cheese sandwiches at our local farmer's market. They were DIVINE. In fact, they were so divine that we followed them up to another farmer's market a few hours away. Kidding. We were already planning on being there and they just happened to be there too. We like to think it was divine intervention. Anyway. I noticed something about how they made there sandwiches. They grilled the bread and cheese separate at first. Big piles of ooey gooey cheese melted all by itself and then was added to the grilled bread before letting it cook a little more.

It. Was. Divine.

So I tried it. It was life-changing and I will probably only be making them this way from now on. But this post isn't about grilled cheese sandwiches. I digress.

You should give this soup a go. Seriously. If you don't have an Instant Pot, no worries you can make it in a crock pot too. I will put those directions too.

Happy tomato soup eating!

Okay guys, so let me explain this recipe "card" situation. Bear with me for just a bit longer. I have made these recipe print offs. I admittedly do this the hard way. There are not recipe widgets in blogger (yes I know I should switch to wordpress, but since I am not sure how much I am going to blog again I don't want to switch). Because of this I have to create my own recipe template. I had one I was using, but I wanted to switch it up so I created this layout using PicMonkey of course. The image is going to be in the post and then there will be a print option. For short recipes, there will be one page. For longer ones, two.

I know it isn't as fancy as a widget, but I think it will work nonetheless for either printing or screen shotting (since that is what a lot of us do anyway).

Thanks guys!


PRINT HERE

Slow Cooker Mexican Corn on the Cob

When my husband was a teenager, he lived in the great heartland state of Ohio. He lived in a fairly small town that was full of small town perfection. He even worked on a farm. A sweet corn farm to be exact. I have heard many times about him driving the tractor, singing some country song while working, and the glories of fresh corn on the cob. Seriously, don't get him started on fresh corn. He will declare at least once that if it is fresh enough, the best way to eat it is raw right off the stalk. He is also adamant that cooked corn on the cob should be almost as crunchy as the fresh stuff. He has a few opinions on the matter of corn on the cob if you couldn't tell. So when I declared (I can do my own declaring after all) that I was testing out a new recipe that would involve corn on the cob, he looked at me skeptically and inquired how I was going to be cooking this corn. "Why, in the crock pot." I sweetly replied. He pretty much grunted in disbelief. Ya, well I will show you. Show him I did. This corn was off the charts good. Plus it was a combo of two of my favorite things, Mexican Corn on the Cob and the ease of cooking in a crock pot. After one bite from Husband (aka the corn on the cob professional), he declared, "Hey, that is pretty good. I am pleasantly surprised." He then ate several ears. That my friends is what I call success. So here is the low down on how to make your very own Mexican Corn on the Cob in the slow cooker.

 

Buy and husk the corn. Get ready the right amount of foil sheets (long enough to wrap up a corn cob), chili powder, Cotija cheese, finely chopped fresh cilantro, and butter or mayonnaise.

   

 I will say, after trying both butter and mayonnaise I lean a little more towards mayonnaise but the kiddos liked the butter. You can use either.

 

Place a piece of corn on a sheet of foil. Spread a healthy amount of mayo or butter on the top of the piece of corn. AND by healthy I mean a lot, not actually healthy. Sprinkle the chili powder, cheese, and cilantro on top.

 

Wrap the corn on tight and snuggly, so that water used in the crock pot does not get in.

 

Add 1/3 cup water into the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the foil-wrapped corn into the slow cooker. Mine holds six ears of corn. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Remove from slow cooker with tongs and unwrap one beautiful ear of corn. Sprinkle with a little more cheese, some salt, and squeeze some fresh lime juice over the top. Then dive right in.

 

You will be pretty happy that you did. Plus it will be sure to silence the harshest corn on the cob critics. Mostly because they will be too busy inhaling this delightful Mexican Corn on the Cob.  

Potato Cheddar Sausage Soup: Slow Cooker Saturday

Every Fall something momentous happens. Soups get introduced back into our menu. I feel like every Fall when this happens, I gush and gush about my love for soups. I then in turn talk about how my family (curse them) do not love soup as much. It really is uncool.

Well I am not going to talk about that this Fall. I am just going to talk about this oh-so-good Potato Cheddar Sausage Soup.

First, it is a soup.

Win.

Second, it is made in the slow cooker. Might I just add, welcome back Slow Cooker Saturday (at least for this week. Wink. Wink.).

Win.Win.

Everything but the cheese and the corn goes into the slow cooker and it just sits there and makes your house smell awesome all day.

I love when a soup is light and hardy all at the same time. Sometimes chowders feel too heavy, but my boys don't always appreciate a broth heavy soups, you know because they are strapping young men and all. This Potato Cheddar Sausage Soup is the perfect happy medium.

Happy soup making weather! Er, uh, I mean happy Fall.

print HERE

Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I know, I know, it isn't really soup weather anymore. Unless you live in Idaho and then it is soup weather sporadically off and on until the end of June. You know it could be 70 one day and then snowing two days later.

We like variety around here. Well, we don't really like it but we don't really have a chance. So we are going to pretend that we like it.

The best thing about crazy weather ...

I don't have to pack away my sweaters.
I can have soup 9 months out of the year.

So yes, I made soup. The weather was just chilly enough that I hopped on that train and whipped up this soup. I had bookmarked several different recipes and did a little remix and I came up with this recipe. The end result was super dreamy and warmed me up perfectly on such a chilly day.

One of my little secret weapons in this recipe is the use of boxed wild rice.

The great thing about using a boxed wild rice is that there is a spice packet inside. That little add umph is so special. Special and fantastically yummy.

So if you have some uncharacteristically chilly days, make yourself some of this soup. If you want this soup and it is not chilly where you live, crank up the AC, pretend it is a chilly day, and make some soup. Oh and of course you need some of this crazy easy Dutch Oven Artisan Bread on the side.

Eat up and hey, thanks for stopping by another Slow Cooker Saturday.

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Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

You know those meals from your childhood that you will always remember? You know how some of them are good memories and some of them are bad memories (tater tot casserole, I am talking to about you).

Well beef stroganoff is one of the beloved meals, right up there with won tons and taco casserole. There is something about beef and sauce over noodles. Double YUM.

A few weeks ago, I had realized I had never made stroganoff for my kids. Hang my head in shame now. I was kind of baffled how I had yet to make one of my favorite childhood dishes for my own kids. I mean I do like them and all.

Thinking on it, I realized that sometimes I am so focused on making all the new Pinterest recipes that I forget about the tried and true, time-tested ones.

Do you ever find yourself doing that same thing?

So in order to rectify my cooking atrocity, I put beef stroganoff right on the menu. I did change it up a bit from my childhood version. Don't worry, it is just as good. I used beef strips instead of ground hamburger and I popped it in a slow cooker to let it simmer all day long.

My house smelled grand all day. The kids LOVED it. Plus for a second I was transported to  my 12 year old self. A few demanding, "MOM!"s and I was right back.

I didn't mind because I still had my beef stroganoff.

The hungry people at your dinner table will love every last bite of this meal.

**add the Worcestershire sauce in with the beef broth**

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Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie

Life has been crazy busy around here. Okay, so it is always crazy. However, it just seems to have an extra dose of crazy around here. Things especially get hairy around the time the kids get home from school. Most days it feels a little like a snowball rolling down a massive mountain picking up speed as it goes, taking out trees, moose, rocks, and humans in it way. By trees I mean me. By moose, I mean me. Basically, all of the above, I mean me.

Charming story Larissa, why are you sharing? Good and valid question.

The answer comes down to this: most days if dinner isn't quick and easy and/or already pulled together that means we are having breakfast for dinner.

AKA if it isn't in a slow cooker, then eggs and toast it is. I exaggerate a tad. Sometimes we have tacos.

Since the good old slow cooker has been getting some use, I decided it was time I share a slow cooker recipe here and there. Remember when I would share a slow cooker recipe every Saturday. Remember when it was called Slow Cooker Saturday. 

We had this Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie a few weeks ago. Traditional chicken pot pie is delightful. However, it can also be time intensive to make. I refer back to that whole no time thing I was previously talking about.

Ain't nobody got no time for that. Any one tired of that line yet? Obviously I am not.

This Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie is packed with flavor and it is so simple to throw together.

The filling is made in the slow cooker. Just before the filling is done you pop refrigerator biscuits in the oven. When the filling is done you top with one or two biscuits. You can even sprinkle some shredded cheddar cheese on top if you are feeling wild and crazy.

Slow Cooker Banana Walnut Oatmeal

Welcome to Slow Cooker Saturday! Today I am sharing a recipe for this Slow Cooker Banana Walnut Oatmeal.

I am trying to get better at eating breakfast. By eating breakfast, I mean eating an actual meal instead of eating part of a banana or a small cup of yogurt. I have never been a huge breakfast eater. Part of that is time, but the majority of the reason is that I have had the mind set that starting off my day with SO much food is a calorie nightmare.

As I have gotten older, I have tried really hard to break this train of thought. After all, it isn't the quantity as much as the quality of what I start my day off with. I have tried to realize that breakfast is actually really, really necessary. Especially if I am fueling my body with good foods.

There is a growing list of breakfast foods that I am starting to really love.

Oatmeal is one of them. Oatmeal is hardy and filling. Plus it is also really versatile. This Slow Cooker Banana Walnut Oatmeal I am particularly fond of because it includes two of my favorite healthy ingredients--bananas and walnuts. Yum. The steel cut oats add a nuttiness that I love. This is a warm and wonderful way to start off the day.

This particular recipe is a slow cooker recipe. You can throw everything in the night before and set the automatic timer to have it all ready for the morning. Or you can make it the day before and store it in the fridge. This Slow Cooker Banana Walnut Oatmeal last for up to four days in the fridge and is easily reheated. Just add a little milk if necessary.

Once the oatmeal is ready, I scoop it into a bowl and I add some fresh slices of bananas, a handful of walnuts, and a sprinkling of brown sugar. Man was this yummy.

Here is to healthy, hardy, and yummy breakfasts. Do you have healthy breakfasts that you make all the time? Please share. Add this Banana Walnut Oatmeal into your rotation. Your family will love it.

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Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese

Welcome to another Slow Cooker Saturday. Today I am sharing our most favoritest kid friendly comfort food--Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese.

My Little Men love, love, LOVE macaroni and cheese. In a pinch, we go for the every familiar blue box. While that little blue box is just fine, homemade macaroni and cheese is WAY better. My boys are always amazed with how much bigger the macaroni noodles are in homemade versus the box. They kind of think I am magical.

Who am I kidding? I am. Ha. Okay maybe I am not the magical one, this Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese is the magical one.

This recipe is cheesy, creamy, and full of traditional flavor. This mac and cheese is great right as is it done and it is glorious reheated. That is a full on stamp of approval from me, since I am not a left over fan.

All my kids loved it. They did keep asking me why it wasn't bright orange like boxed versions. I didn't have the heart to explain chemical coloring and all that jazz. I just told them the box had color added, but we had flavor.

I am pretty sure they didn't understand. That didn't keep them from scarfing it all down though.

So win for me. Win for them. Win for everyone.

This Macaroni and Cheese is perfect for a chilly day, a busy school day, or really any day you are hungry and want something yummy. In my case, that is any day. Ha.

Happy blustery day to you all. Enjoy yourself some ooey gooey Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese.

Love ya!

 

printable recipe HERE

*cook on low*

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Spicy Cashew: Slow Cooker Saturday

I cannot take credit for these delightfully yummy cashews. This recipe comes to you thanks to The Hubs. Over a month ago The Hubs came home with a bag full of cashews from the bulk section of our favorite grocery store. He declared he was making Slow Cooker Spicy Cashews.

Okay husband. That sounds great. Scratch that. That sounds delicious.

This guy I am married to often introduces me to the yummiest food. However, not matter how hard he tries, I am never going to willing eat peas. Sorry dude.

Back to the cashews. These cashews has just the right amount of kick. The spices work together for this great smoky heat. And even though I know it shouldn't matter, the spices also give the cashews the prettiest color.

These cashews are done and ready to eat in under an hour and a half. They also store great. These cashews also make a great gift. Put them in a mason jar. Add a label. Write a note. You know something like, "We are nuts about you." You know how I like a gift with a cheesy saying.

Get Printable Recipe HERE

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Potato Corn Chowder: Slow Cooker Saturday

Welcome to the long awaited revival of Slow Cooker Saturday. I have been meaning to bring it back for months and months and months, but obviously I couldn't get my act together.

However, I knew when I made this warm your belly Slow Cooker Potato Corn Chowder I had to bring Slow Cooker Saturday back to life.

This chowder is completely family friendly. All my boys devoured it. The heaping serving of bacon thrown on top of the soup probably helped their love a little bit. Just a little bit. Oh bacon. On Instagram (you know you want to follow along @larissa_anotherday) I referred to this as bacon with a side of soup. Ha. That is how we do things around here.

This soup is easy to throw together and is altogether so very yummy on a cold day.

You will not be sad you made this soup.

Okay, now to the recipe.

First, I am trying something new with how I get recipes to you. Since I am still in the dark ages and still use blogger I do not have access to a recipe widget that will make printing recipes easier for you. I am fully aware that makes getting recipes from my site more than a little annoying. So until I make the big girl step to switch over to Wordpress and to actually install a .com, I have come up with a format allowing you, the reader, to have a print friendly recipe.

I am going to offer the recipe in a jpg and pdf form. So you can either right click on the photo of the recipe and save it OR you can click the PDF link. The choice is yours. Either way, you will have a printable recipe.

Hope that makes life a little easier. Let me know what you think. LOVE YA.

Get printable recipe HERE

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Barbacoa Tacos: Slow Cooker Saturday

We really like tacos at our house. Like really, really, REALLY.

While I love a good traditional taco along with the next gal, I grow a little weary of having them every time we want tacos.

That means a little variety is in order.

So far some of the varieties we have loved are Shredded Chicken Tacos and Shredded Beef Tacos. Yum!

This new variety, Barbacoa Tacos, is equally delightful.

I will be truthful that they are a wee bit on the spicy side. That is due to the delightful chipotle peppers that go into it. So you can either adjust it to make it less spicy, you can slather them in sour cream and guac, or you can make the kiddos some quesadillas while the adults scarf down on the Barbacoa Tacos.

Anyway you choose to serve them up, you should. Every one needs a little fiesta once in awhile.

Just add pico, some guac, and an indulgent helping of tortilla chips. Oh, and if you want, open up a yummy Mexican soda. After all, it is a fiesta, even if it is just a fiesta at the dinner table.

Seriously. Yum.

I insist you make these. I mean, I don't want to be pushy, but really I am just looking out for your taste buds. They should really get to experience these.

Ole'.

Slow Cooker Barbacoa Taco
adapted from Top Secret Recipes

4 pound chuck roast
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tablespoons lime juice
2-3 canned chipotle chiles (or less for less spice)
2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon  ground cloves
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 bay leaves

tortillas
cheese
lettuce
pico de gallo
guacamole
sour cream

Make an adobe sauce by combining the vinegar, lime juice, chipotles, garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, salt, and cloves in a blender until smooth. Set aside.

Trim excess fat off of the roast. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat. Sear the roast on each side until browned, about 3-4 minutes a side. Transfer the roast to a slow cooker. Pour the adobo sauce over the meat. Next pour in the chicken broth and add in the bay leaves.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours.

Take out and shred. Skim the fat off of the liquid. Add the meat back into the liquid. Cook another 30 minutes with the lid off.

Serve over tortillas with the toppings of your choice.

Enjoy!

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Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup {Slow Cooker Saturday}

Welcome to Slow Cooker Saturday! Would you like a side of soup with your grilled cheese croutons? Sounds good to me.

Er..I mean a side of grilled cheese croutons with your soup. Yeah, that is what I meant.

Either way, both the soup and the grilled cheese croutons are kind of fabulous.

At our house we love ourselves some tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. I really wanted to try and make a snazzier version of our typical open a can tomato soup. Yes, I just said we like our tomato soup from the can. I am not ashamed of it.

Back to the snazzy version of tomato soup. I decided to try a tomato basil version that you can make in the slow cooker, and then I got all crazy and I decided that grilled cheese croutons were needed.

The tomato soup just hung out all day in the slow cooker making my house smell divine.

Once it was ready and just waiting to be eaten, I whipped up some grilled cheese croutons. I highly recommend making these if you make this soup. They are kind of like soul mates and it would be cruel to keep them a part.

I like to make our grilled cheese sandwiches with this extra divine and extra special gourmet butter.

Chef Shamy Gourmet Garlic Butter is kind of ridiculous. It should probably be a part of your life immediately.

To make the grilled cheese croutons, simply gather up some good old white bread, some American cheese slices, and this butter.

Drop a spoonful of butter into a hot skillet.

Once it melts add in the bread and cheese (in sandwich form of course). Cook one side until golden brown. Add in a bit more butter and then flip the sandwich and cook the other side until it is golden and the cheese is melted.

Keep on making sandwiches. I recommend making one per person.

Then cut the sandwiches up in cubes. Give them time to set out and dry a bit. Only for like 15-20 minutes. I set them on a cookie sheet and just let them get dry and a teeny bit crunchy. You can let them set out longer, but I like mine still a little chewy.

Now they are all croutony and ready to go on top of some Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup.

YUM!!

Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup
adapted from 365 Days of Slow Cooking

1 onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 Tablespoons caramelized tomato paste**
2 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup of heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

**To make the tomato paste, saute 1 8oz can of tomato paste in a skillet with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the tomato paste until it reduces slightly and turns a deep red.

Heat up some olive oil  in saute pan. Add in diced onion into the pan and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add in garlic, basil, and oregano and cook for another minute. Slowly stir in flour and cook for another minute while stirring constantly.

Take off the heat and transfer it to a slow cooker. Add in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, broth, honey, and salt. Stir and cover. Cook on low for 5-7 hours.

Remove the lid and turn to high. At this point, use an immersion blender and blend the soup until it is smooth and creamy. Add in the heavy cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 10 minutes on high without the lid.

Serve in a bowl topped with grilled cheese croutons.

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Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Beef {Slow Cooker Saturday}

So today might be one of those posts, where not much is written in the actual post has to do with the recipe itself. Don't get me wrong the Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Beef is super yummy. A little bowl of goodness. Sweet and savory, with just the right amount of spice. The beef and the peanut butter are kind of crazy together. Like long lost high school sweethearts who find each other after 20 years, and after finally reuniting run hand in hand through a field of daisies.

Yeah, something like that.

Speaking of fields of daisy. I have the hand holding sweetheart thing taken care of. Alas, I do not have the field of daisies. Winter has been long. I am really excited to see some daisies. Heck, I would love to see a green blade of grass.

That seems romantic, running hand in hand through blades of grass. Not really, so I take it back. I just want the daisies.

I am grateful for the sun. Luckily we do see it on a regular basis. So I'll try not to have a wah-fest about the still bitter temps. Glass half full.

Or should it be bowl half full. Half full of Thai Peanut Beef, because you already scarfed down half of your serving.

See how I did that. Thai Peanut Beef to daisies back to Thai Peanut Beef. Yeah, I am good like that.

I am good like a big old bowl of Thai Peanut Beef.

Haha! Guess I ended up talking more about this recipe then I thought I would.

Couldn't be helped, it was just that good.

Almost as good as running hand in hand with The Hubs through a field of daisies. I probably should point out that I can't actually see The Hubs running through a field of daisies. Mayhaps a stroll on the beach would have been a better and a little more manly.

Basically, nothing is as good as running hand in hand anywhere with The Hubs. Ahhhhh. Yes, yes, very sweet. Sweet but true.

But this Thai Peanut Beef is pretty darn good

Give the recipe a whirl. Then go running through a field of daisies. Okay I am all done with the daisies.

Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Beef

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds of thinly sliced flank steak, or stir fry meat
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon chili garlic sauce
1 Tablespoon canola oil
crushed peanuts
sliced green onions

Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Sear the meat until browned, about 3-5 minutes. Drain the meat and put the meat in the slow cooker.

Combine the beef broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, and chili garlic sauce in a bowl. Whisk everything together. Pour over the beef in the slow cooker.

Cook on low for 4-5 hours. The sauce will be a little thicker and there will be some caramelized portions. Stir once more.

Serve over steamed rice and top with crushed peanuts and sliced green onions.

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Slow Cooker Chocolate Pudding Cake {Slow Cooker Saturday}

 

"Dad is great. Makes us chocolate cake!"

I love Bill Cosby. By the way, the above little jingle was from a Bill Cosby skit. Just in case you didn't know that and were perplexed over my sudden declaration of love for Bill Cosby.

I watched The Cosby Show pretty regularly as a kid. Remember when nighttime TV was kid friendly? That was good TV. I really miss it. I think it would be rather grand to watch a TV show with my kids. A little Full House or maybe some Family Matters. 

Sigh. Good times. I know there are still some shows that are kid friendly, you know like Phinneas and Ferb. Still they are really hard to come by.

I digress.

This all started with some chocolate cake, a little jingle and some love for Bill Cosby. So basically what you really need to know is that this all started with chocolate cake.

A Slow Cooker Chocolate Pudding Cake to be exact.

A gooey, chocolatey, rich, and velvety chocolate cake to be more exacter (totally made up my own word). Which is all the more delightful because it cooks itself up in the slow cooker. Glory be.

The ingredient list isn't too long. You probably have everything in your pantry, except maybe the Dutch processed cocoa powder. Trust me friends, you will want to use Dutch processed cocoa powder--don't use the regular stuff. I do happen to know from experience. The taste is drastically different. By different I mean it goes from inedible and trash worthy to glorious and dish me up the biggest serving possible please.

I have said before that I am not a huge fan of chocolate cake. The Chocolate Sheet Cake  I made a while back until now had been the only chocolate cake I liked. This of course is not including brownies, which I love dearly. Yes I just said I dearly love brownies, like they were my grandma.

Now I can add this Slow Cooker Chocolate Pudding Cake to the Chocolate Sheet Cake. Both of them are good for completely different reasons. I will be honest, both of them remind me of different aspects of a brownie...which is probably why I love these cakes so much.

Serve it warm. Serve it room temperature. Serve it cool from the fridge (that is The Hubs' fav). Basically just serve it up. You won't be sorry.

Slow Cooker Chocolate Pudding Cake
adapted from America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution

Print Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
4 Tablespoons butter, melted cooled
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup boiling water

whipping cream (optional)

Line the back side of the slow cooker with an aluminum foil collar. Make the collar by layering two sheets of aluminum foil that measure about 16" long. Fold over each other in thirds, so that you end up with a 6 layered foil rectangle measuring about 4" by 16". Press the foil collar to the the backside of the slow cooker. Make sure that the foil collar does not reach the top of the slow cooker. Spray with cooking spray.

Whisk the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together milk, melted butter, egg yolk, and vanilla. This mixture might clump up a bit. That is okay. Add this mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. The batter will be sticky and stiff.

Scrape the batter into the slow cooker and spread the batter to the edges.

Mix the rest of the 1/2 sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa powder. Sprinkle the mixture over the batter in the slow cooker.Slowly pour the boiling water over the top. Do not stir. Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2-2 hours. Cake is done when the top looks a little cracked and the sauce is bubbling.

Remove foil collar and let the cake sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Top with a dollop of whipped cream if desired.

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