Maple-Glazed Baked Beans in the Crock Pot

This recipe is based on one in The Joy of Cooking, I adapted it for the crock pot and made a couple of other changes. As written here, it's pretty low in fat, but you can use bacon instead of the ham if you want something a little more indulgent. (Prep time does not include soaking time.)

• Ready In: 8 hrs 15 mins
• Serves: 8-10
• Yields: 8 cups

Ingredients

• 1  lb dry pinto beans (or another white, pink, or red bean of your choice)
• 2  medium onions, diced
• 6  ounces cooked ham, diced
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  cup pure maple syrup
• 2  tablespoons ground ginger
• 1  teaspoon dry mustard
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)

Directions

1. Soak beans according to your preferred method - check out Recipe 49960 for advice.
2. Drain and rinse beans.
3. Place beans in crock pot.
4. Add all remaining ingredients to pot.
5. Add about 3 cups of water (warning: I used 4 cups and it was a bit too soupy, so I'm guessing at the 3 cups!).
6. Stir all ingredients together.
7. Cook on low for around 8 hours (your cooking time may vary - slow cookers are so variable these days!).