Name: Honeyed Fig Topping with Vanilla and Cinnamon
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 5 ounces dried figs (about 1 cup), each fig quartered and stemmed; 1 1/2 tablespoons honey; 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Why This Recipe Works

We set out to see which variety of oats, cooked in what particular way, would give us the best oatmeal recipe. We found that first toasting steel-cut oats with a small amount of butter in a skillet accented their nutty flavor and then cooking them uncovered in three cups water to one cup milk at a steady simmer, without stirring, gave the oatmeal recipe a creamy (not mushy) texture.

Instructions

Bring figs, honey, 1 ½ tablespoons water, vanilla, and cinnamon to simmer in small saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until liquid reduces to glaze, about 4 minutes. Spoon a portion over individual bowls of hot oatmeal; serve immediately.