Easy But Delicious Ways To Add Cinnamon To Your Dishes

Cinnamon is one of those mystical culinary components that can change its personality to match the ingredients that surround it without missing a beat. There are uses that take this humble spice flavor beyond the simple cinnamon and sugar toast topping and into the realm of imaginative gourmet creativity. And because you almost always have cinnamon handy in your spice cabinet, you can easily take it for a test spin in a slew of recipes that aren't terribly difficult to create.

Whether you're in the mood for cozy fall cinnamon recipes or hungering for dishes with a complex Caribbean lilt, there are easy and delicious ways to use cinnamon to make a special occasion out of every course on the menu. If you've never considered adding cinnamon into dishes beyond breakfast and pastries, here are a variety of ways to bring this classic spice into other aspects of your culinary world. From sprucing up pot roast to creating quirky pasta desserts, there's a dish for every occasion.

Cinnamon adds an unexpected intricacy to any pot of chili, from your favorite family recipe to the most recent creation you've discovered online. You may have even found concoctions that bring chocolate and cinnamon into the scenario, which adds an extra element for the spice to play off of. Its compatibility with the range of ingredients found in most chilis makes it a fantastic add-in to whatever quantity suits your palate, so it's ready for experimentation at a moment's notice.

Tossing in cinnamon is a quick way to add depth without taking the familiar flavors out of their comfort zone, too. Whether you use ground meat, steak, or only beans and tomato as your base, cinnamon gives the surrounding sauce a lift that you may not be able to put your finger on at first. More discerning palates will know right away what they're tasting and their faces are likely to light up in surprise at how effective cinnamon can be at elevating even a simple chili recipe.

You may not realize it, but cinnamon is one of the components of classic jerk seasoning mix. By tapping into island customs, you can bring the history of cinnamon as a valuable spice to contemporary cooks. Jerk seasoning is a Caribbean favorite that melds cinnamon with ginger, garlic, and scotch bonnet peppers as a rub for chicken and fish. Even with the other elements in the recipe, the cinnamon rises above to become a fundamental layer and a signature component of the spicier end of tropical tastes.

As much as it dresses up meat-based entrees, jerk seasoning is also at home on veggies, especially grilled zucchini and asparagus. This is great news for plant eaters looking to work more cinnamon into their eating habits without resorting to using it to top their oatmeal. Start out with a sprinkle over olive oil-glazed vegetable slices roasted or grilled and add more as the occasion requires.

Cinnamon makes a perfect partner with potatoes of all sorts, giving your roasted tubers a blast of warm flavor without being overbearing. Adding it to plain white or yellow potatoes may not be an idea that would readily occur to home cooks. But cinnamon is a fun alternative to the usual garlic or paprika that have become the go-to seasonings to dress up the starchy matter, especially when taking the form of roasted potatoes, where both garlic and cinnamon share star billing in the recipe.

Of course, cinnamon adds a soothing balance to the earthy natural sugar of a sweet potato and features regularly in baked and roasted sweet potato recipes. You can incorporate nutmeg and cloves to impart a more complex cinnamon-centered spice blend. Or try a fully-loaded baked sweet potato that factors cinnamon into the formula. With a pat of butter or a scoop of plain yogurt or sour cream, the intriguing interplay of sweet, spicy, creamy, and tangy provides a playful taste bud takeover with a soothing cinnamon accent.

North African cuisine has used cinnamon as a key ingredient since being introduced by Arabs in the 7th century. The neutral, nut-forward flavor of a properly-cooked couscous makes this power grain an ideal dish to experiment with Moroccan traditions featuring cinnamon. A native grain like couscous made an obvious forum to add cinnamon with other seasonings to create regional flavors unique to the region.

Kosher.com offers a version that makes creating this lightly sweet dish is as easy as cooking up a pot of grains. Cook up an 8-ounce bag using a mix of 1 cup of milk, a ½ cup of water, with a tablespoon of brown sugar, and 4 tablespoons of butter. Fluffing it with a fork and adding cinnamon and honey to finish off the couscous prepares it for a host of uses, everything from a side salad adorned with raisins and pistachios to a bed for larger chicken, beef, or fish entrees.

If you've ever tried butternut squash with brown sugar and butter, you've missed out on an even cozier creation if you haven't also incorporated cinnamon into the recipe. The neutral flavor of the squash itself lets whatever you put on it shine, and cinnamon is a prime candidate. Though it's usually thought of as a savory dish topped with garlic and herbs, you can also add brown sugar and butter to your cinnamon-topped butternut squash and turn it into a sweet dish similar to pumpkin.

The easiest way to prepare this cinnamon-topped gourd is by slicing your squash in half lengthwise and spreading both inner surfaces with a mix of butter or olive oil, cinnamon, and maple syrup. You can also add chili powder with cinnamon to take your squash in the direction of sweet heat to dazzle your dinner guests while challenging your own palate. Then, roast until tender and discover the magic cinnamon lends to a humble gourd vegetable in search of sensational flavor.

One of the simplest and most versatile uses for cinnamon in the kitchen is sprinkling it into butter to make a supreme seasoned spread. It brings a down-home feel to whatever you're serving, especially when melted over corn on the cob, but anyone familiar with this tasty treat knows it's perfectly at home on cornbread and biscuits. It's a table topper that comes standard with a visit to Texas Roadhouse, where the rolls and cinnamon honey butter are featured players.

But there's no need to reserve a seat at the Roadhouse to get your fill of cinnamon butter. The easiest way is to follow a handy copycat recipe of cinnamon butter that involves whipping unsalted butter with cinnamon, confectioners' sugar, and honey. You can add more cinnamon and even a bit of brown sugar if more sweetness or a richer flavor is required. Then, spread it on everything from dinner rolls to pancakes to oatmeal to enjoy a classic combination that lets you work cinnamon into any meal you choose. It also makes a great homemade gift for the cinnamon lovers in your circle.

Maybe you don't think of pasta as a dessert food, but a quick online search will reveal a world of sweet pasta possibilities as a familiar dish in regions of the world like Hungary, Croatia, and Romania. You'll also find inventions featuring strawberry sauce over noodles and rigatoni tubes baked into chocolate cakes! And when you add cinnamon and brown sugar instead of the savory seasonings you're used to, you end up with an intriguing dish designed to wow your crowd with its creativity and soothing flavors.

One version of sweet cinnamon pasta involves adding cinnamon and sugar to pasta chips as a crunchy snack, something that can be easily accomplished in your home kitchen. Food blogger Cristina's Kitchen offers a take on an easy cinnamon-based sweet pasta dish that can expand your dessert options. Boil 250 grams of the pasta of your choice in a liter of milk with 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and 5 tablespoons of brown sugar to create a creamy sauce. Sprinkle on more cinnamon and brown sugar to top and garnish it with roasted almonds or pistachios to add an extra element of crunchy flavor.

Preparing baked apples is an age-old practice that gives modern cooks an easy way to work cinnamon into their culinary regimen. There are a few easy ways you can incorporate cinnamon into a baked apple dish, the simplest of which is slicing six sweet apples that have been peeled and cored, then topping them with a mix of cinnamon, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Place them in a buttered casserole dish and bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 45 to 50 minutes, tossing them and adding a bit of water at the halfway point.

For a more elegant presentation, slice the tops off of your apples and scoop out the interiors, then create a mash using your apple flesh mixed with walnuts, raisins, and butter. Lay the tops back on and roast in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 45 to 50 minutes, covering them with foil at the 20-minute mark. This is a great way to dress up your autumn or winter holiday table with a sweet and spicy cinnamon recipe that will perfume in the air with festive fragrance.

Cinnamon over rice may bring to mind a more rice pudding-style dish, but it also provides a savory side dish that can bring unexpected flavor to the table. You can conjure up either version to accent your dinner menu, or try both and see how far you can take the cinnamon-and-rice concept. Mexican cinnamon rice consisting of cinnamon with raisins, garlic, and onions marries the best of sweet and savory elements in a textural dish that can turn your dinner into a playful side dish that broadens your definition of Latin fare.

For a simple rice pudding, boil prepared rice in your choice of milk and add sugar and cinnamon to taste. The resulting dish will take on a creamy, starchy texture rich with warm spices and a touch of sweetness. Add a sprinkle of nuts or granola on top with a little dried fruit like raisins or dates and you can serve it as a simple dessert, or even enjoy it for breakfast in place of oatmeal.

Cinnamon is a great way to give a boost of flavor to burgers and other red meat dishes, especially slower-cooked cuts like traditional pot roasts. It gives a blast of robust heartiness you can accentuate with chili powder or paprika to triple the spices for a super complex brew. It may seem counterintuitive at first to have cinnamon in the pot with your prime cut, but once you smell the simmering spices wafting through your kitchen, you'll see how much cinnamon adds to the meal. The umami notes of the roast become even more intriguing with cinnamon present, flavoring the juices as they cook down and add comforting complexity.

It only takes a teaspoon of cinnamon mixed in with your other chosen seasonings to jazz up your roast. Try it in addition to your favorite blend or start with a new combination that puts cinnamon at the center of the formulation. You can also use beer like stout and citrus flavors to infuse the meat with even brighter flavor that pairs deliciously with cinnamon's flexible personality.

As a featured player in traditional chai, cinnamon makes a perfect inclusion to your tea-based poaching liquid to add succulent flavor to shrimp. The natural sweetness of the shrimp melds with the cinnamon and other spices, lending extra flavor that activates a whole different region of your taste buds. It's also light enough to not overwhelm your senses in case you have other powerful flavors on the plate.

Creating chai-poached shrimp only requires brewing your black tea and spice blend of ginger, anise, peppercorn, cloves, and cinnamon, bringing it to a boil and steeping for around 15 minutes. Reduce it to a simmer and toss in your shrimp for around 10 minutes to cook and infuse with flavor. Strain and drain them and add them to a bed of white or jasmine rice or incorporate them into a more involved dish, anything from Japanese to Indian to American surf and turf.

It's not uncommon to find cinnamon as a staple in Thai dishes, especially those in which the seasoning blend requires a careful balance of sweetness and earthiness. Thai cuisine is renowned for its masterful use of spices and seasonings, a tradition that brings cinnamon onto the scene in sumptuous layered dishes. Noodles like those used in traditional pad Thai often feature cinnamon, which lends to the other elements in the spread.

Poaching your shrimp in chai may seem a bit unorthodox, but the cinnamon as a chief spice in the blend is a perfect complement to the sweetness of the shrimp that takes your dish into decidedly Asian Pacific territory. A recipe from Nigella Lawson combines Thai noodles flavored with cinnamon, topped with prawns in a savory mix of chicken stock and soy sauce. The combination brings both the aroma and flavor of cinnamon into an authentic dish that proudly shows off its Asian-Pacific heritage.

Sauces are a workable way to get more cinnamon into your dining life. For Asian dishes, adding complexity to soy sauce is easy when you consider cinnamon a candidate for the mix. A spiced sweet soy sauce is a prime element in Sichuan recipes that you can use to bring restaurant-level elegance and authenticity to your home recreations of Chinese classics. This shake-on sauce also includes anise, peppercorns, and fennel seeds, bringing bold spice where cinnamon is a natural fit and plays a crucial part in the overall flavor composition.

Mexican sauces like mole incorporate the hearty warmth of cinnamon, mixing it with unsweetened chocolate for a more umami version of the ingredients' usual partnership. Rather than starting from scratch, you can begin with a canned or jarred mole and mix in a teaspoon or so of cinnamon to increase the richness in a way that makes sense with the other ingredients. And there's no reason you can't add a simple cinnamon syrup to your early morning eating to top your favorite breakfast foods. It's little more than a simple syrup using white and brown sugar with water and vanilla with enough cinnamon to warm up your day.