With the December holidays behind me, I'm trying to be a little more heart healthy. This doesn't mean I'm dieting -- as I'm a miserable failure at all diets. Tell me I can't eat butter and I'll day dream incessantly about buttered toast. No, in my world, being healthier means trying to eat more whole grains and vegetables, which usually isn't a problem as I love both.

So to start off my new year, I vowed to make and eat more steel-cut oats. Steel-cut oats are the actual oat grain buds (or groats) that have been cut into two or three pieces by steel blades. Unlike their flat rolled oat cousins, they plump up when you cook them, much like rice or wheat berries. And although they can take 30-40 minutes to cook, the earthy nutty flavors and satisfying chewy texture are worth the wait. But waiting a half hour or more for your breakfast to cook can cramp your weekday morning routine. This is why I try to make a large batch of steel-cut oats on the weekend. You can also purchase precooked steel-cut oats at Trader Joe's (in the freezer section).

So what do you do with the oats once they're cooked? Eating them with brown sugar or honey plus a handful of nuts and/or dried fruit is a great and simple breakfast. If you're avoiding sugar, just use cooked apples or pears, which add deep fruity undertones. But if you want something really special, try baking with your precooked steel-cut oats. For years I've made Nut and Fruit Oatcakes and Strawberry Oat Squares. This week, however, I tried something slightly different and loved it.

In the mood for something a little lighter and airier, I decided to make steel-cut oat muffins. Much like my oatcakes and oat squares, I started with a base of steel-cut oats, flour and butter. Yet unlike those baked treats, I used a little less butter and instead added in some buttermilk (which is naturally lowfat) for added tangy flavor and to moisten things up a bit. For a burst of sweetness, I nestled some cherry jam into each muffin (being sure to include at least one cherry in each). Hot out of the oven, the muffins smelled and tasted a bit like cherry pie.

So if you're looking for a heart-healthy breakfast that tastes like an indulgence, or simply another way to use your leftover steel cut oats, try some jammy oat muffins. Served warm, they are the ultimate morning treat.

Note: these muffins taste best when warm, so be sure to either eat them all soon after baking, or just reheat in the microwave the next day.

Low-fat Steel-Cut Oat Muffins with Cherry Jam Inside

Makes: 1 dozen muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
½ cup bran or oat flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup cooked steel cut oats
1 egg
¼ cup brown or regular sugar
4 Tbsp cold butter cut into small pieces
½ tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
½ cup cherry jam (or another fruit preserve)
½ cup dried cherries (optional)
¼ cup slivered or chopped almonds (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix flour, bran or oat flour, cinnamon, sugar and salt.

3. Cut in your butter (you can do this in a food processor, with a pastry cutter, or just squeeze the butter between your fingers and into the flour until you have something resembling small floury butter pebbles).

4. Mix in your steel-cut oat (do not do this in the food processor) with either a wooden spoon or using your fingers, mixing until fully incorporated.

5. In a separate bowl, beat your egg into your buttermilk and then add to the flour and oat mixture, stirring until combined. If adding dried cherries and nuts, mix in now.

6. In a prepared muffin pan (either sprayed with oil or with muffin liners inserted) divide your batter evenly for 12 muffins.

7. Using a teaspoon, indent a hole into the middle of each muffin and then spoon in about 1 tsp of jam plus at least one or two cherries.

8. Set in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.

9. Serve warm and enjoy.

Sunday mornings are special at my house. Instead of rushing around and trying to make breakfast for my daughters while finding homework or soccer shoes, I get to lounge around, reading the paper while my husband cooks up a pot of steel-cut oats. I live for Sunday mornings, with my hot cup of coffee and steaming bowl of oatmeal.

Because one batch of oats was never enough to feed the four of us, my husband started making two batches each Sunday. But two batches was just a bit too much for our crowd and I often ended up with about a cup of cooked oats leftover. With this little container of oaty goodness each weekend, I set out on a quest to find the perfect oat cake recipe. Remembering some lovely oatcakes I used to order at a little café when we lived on Nob Hill, I started experimenting.

After a few tries, I came up with a recipe that created great breakfast cakes: supple, yet still firm, with a hint of nuttiness, and just the right amount of fruit to add bits of sweetness to each bite. They are the perfect quick breakfast for a hungry child before school, and an antidote to a crazy Monday morning.

I’ve also added jam, instead of fruit and nuts, to create a Sunday dessert. The outcome is a pan of delicious oat squares filled with gooey strawberries. It’s a crowd pleaser for both kids and adults.

With either recipe, these oatcakes take only about five minutes to throw together. So now, in addition to benefiting from the treat of a lovingly cooked oatmeal breakfast on Sundays, I get the added perk of a nut and fruit oat cake on Monday mornings, or strawberry oat squares Sunday night. It’s a win/win/win situation.

Note: For a great recipe detailing how to make steel-cut oats, see Kim Laidlaw’s Steel-Cut My Oats. Trader Joe’s also sells cooked steel-cut oats in their freezer department. I tried them in my recipe and it turned out great. So, if you’re not interested in making your own pot of porridge, this is a great alternative.

Nut and Fruit Oat Cakes

Makes 9 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked steel-cut oats
3/4 stick of softened butter
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup cut up currants, prunes, raisins or dried apricots
1/4 cup chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degree.
2. Combine butter, sugar and egg and mix until combined. I use an electric mixer, but you can do this by hand.
3. Add in the cooked oats, being sure to fully incorporate it into the mix.
4. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl and then add to the oat and butter mixture.
5. Add in fruit and nuts and mix until just incorporated (but not too much or the batter will become rubbery).
6. Spread the batter into a greased 8 x 8 pan.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
8. Cool and serve.

Strawberry Oat Squares

Makes 9 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked steel-cut oats
3/4 stick of softened butter
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup strawberry or other fruit jam
2 Tbsp brown sugar

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degree.
2. Combine butter, sugar and egg and mix until combined. I use an electric mixer, but you can do this by hand.
3. Add in the cooked oats, being sure to fully incorporate it into the mix.
4. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl and then add to the oat and butter mixture.
5. Spread half the batter into a greased 8 x 8 pan.
6. Top with the jam, spreading it evenly over the batter.
7. Spread the remaining batter over the jam.
8. Sprinkle brown sugar on top.
9. Bake for 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
10. Cool and serve.

I've never been a big fan of oatmeal, or any hot mushy cereal. Yik. But a few years ago, I discovered steel-cut oats, which are also known as coarse-cut oats, Irish oats, Scotch oats, and pinhead oats (I like that name the best). Steel-cut oats are chopped oat groats, which only have the outer hull removed, so they are more nutritious than the more popular rolled oats. They are also nuttier, more flavorful, and retain a chewy texture. Like most whole grains, however, they take a while to cook, so you have to plan ahead. Most upscale supermarkets carry steel-cut oats, and Bob's Red Mill makes a superior packaged product. If you can find them, it's a good idea to purchase these in bulk as they tend to be fresher.

These are perfect for a rainy, chilly winter weekend morning when you are lounging around reading the paper and have 45 minutes to kill. I like my oatmeal with fruit, preferably seasonal, and since I typically eat this in the winter, I often make it with sauteed apples. A drizzle of pure maple syrup is also delicious.

Steel-Cut Oats with Apples

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the oats:
3 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup steel-cut oats
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the apples:
2-3 medium apples, peeled and cored
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Pinch of cinnamon

Preparation:

To make the oats, in a large saucepan, bring the water and milk to a slow boil. Meanwhile, melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a frying pan and add the oats. Toast the oats for about 15 minutes, until golden and toasty. Add the oats and the salt to the boiling water, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thick and creamy (but not mushy), about 30-40 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the apples, cut the apples into medium chunks. Melt the butter in a frying pan, then add the apples, sugar, and cinnamon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender and caramelized, about 15 minutes.

Serve the oatmeal topped with the apples. MMMMMmmmmmm.