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Baking Expert
Catherine Christiansen
Cinnamon Girl
Toasty, delicious cinnamon warms the senses even before it hits the taste buds. The smell of baking cinnamon melts the frost on winter windows and fills the kitchen with a mouthwatering promise. This month brings three simple, sweet celebrations of cinnamon; spicy, buttery snickerdoodles, classic streusel crunch coffee cake and marshmallow cinnamon rolls straight a grandmother’s Wyoming kitchen.
While standard, store-bought cinnamon will work just fine in each of these recipes, the simplicity of the recipes’ main ingredients offers the chance to explore a variety of cinnamons. Locally, I visit the spice wonks at Savory Spice Shop www.savoryspiceshop.com, who can wax poetic on cinnamon from Ceylon, as well as cassia cinnamon from China, Indonesia and Vietnam.
According to the folks at Savory, Ceylon cinnamon is “true” cinnamon, made from the bark of a cinnamon tree. Its sweet, delicate and slightly citrusy flavor is preferred in England and Mexico and works well in both pastries and Middle Eastern and Indian savory dishes.
Here in the States, the most common cinnamon is Indonesian “cassia” cinnamon, ground from the bark of cassia trees. Basic, smooth and mild, it’s good for most sweet recipes. Chinese cassia packs a spicier punch, while Vietnamese Saigon cassia is reputed to be the best, stronger, richer and darker in color than other cassias. Baking with this robust version will add a new dimension to cinnamon treats.
So explore, stir, sift and roll. Bring in the kids to help with the marshmallow-filled cinnamon buns, a goofy and well-loved recipe from Rachel Johnston, a childhood friend’s grandmother and Midwestern baking queen. The moist coffee cake recipe is perfect antifreeze on a snowy Sunday; chop the streusel well with a pastry blender to add the perfect crunch. Cream of tartar balances with cinnamon in the snickerdoodles keeping the cookies from being too sweet and creating the perfect match for hot coffee or cold milk. Yum.
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