You already know how invaluable your slow cooker is for those mostly-hands-off dinners, but breakfast? Brunch? You bet. From an irresistible nutty oatmeal to Maple-Bacon Bread Pudding, the sweet and savory recipes here make easy work of the most important meal of the day.

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Greek Yogurt Parfaits with Slow-Cooked Apricot Preserves

These beautiful treats are delicious for breakfast, a snack, or dessert (for the latter, use vanilla yogurt). If you’ve been intimidated to make your own preserves, this super-easy recipe is the perfect place to start.

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Cranberry Cashew Oatmeal

Two kinds of cranberries make this oatmeal irresistible: fresh cranberries for a sour pop and dried for a sweet finish. A drizzle of warm cream over the bowlfuls is a delicious addition.

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Breakfast Polenta with Figs & Brie

A breakfast polenta is a thing of beauty: almost no stirring and still lots of flavor. For the best look as well as taste, be sure to use the beige Calimyrna figs, rather than the darker black Mission variety.

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Maple-Bacon Bread Pudding

This sweet-savory bread pudding makes a great brunch on a chilly winter morning. Serve sprinkled with additional crisp, crumbled bacon or chopped pecans.

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Steamed Marmalade Walnut Breakfast Pudding

A steamed pudding is old-fashioned comfort food, often served as a side dish or for dessert, but here it's morphed into a breakfast treat.

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Slow-Cooked Spinach Strata with Gruyère & Garlic

Like a grilled cheese casserole, this aromatic dish will please adults and kids alike. To make it a bit more hearty, feel free to add matchsticks of ham or prosciutto.

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