Cinnamon Recipes

Thank you for purchasing the Phinnamon Mindanao cinnamon bark in powder or chip form, as well as the Phinnamon coco nectar!

Here are the recipes that I’ve used so far.

Tea, using the Mindanao cinnamon bark. Boil half liter of water. Once water is on rolling boil (water is boiled rapidly with lots of bubbles forming), pour it in teapot onto 8 grams of cinnamon bark. Steep for 7-10 minutes. (Don’t boil the cinnamon if you’re making tea.) You can do a second steep of the same cinnamon bark that you initially used. Credits to Chef Guido Nijssen (leftmost) for the tea preparation.

Flavoring. Boil shrimps in water with ginger, onion, and salt. Once shrimps are cooked, put off fire, and then drop a handful of cinnamon bark and green vegetable leaves (such as pechay). The cinnamon puts a gentle and elegant edge on the shrimp taste. Yum!

Cinnamon Coco sugar. I mixed 3 coconut sugar to 1 cinnamon powder. Yum! I especially like this because coconut sugar has a low glycemic index and cinnamon has anti-diabetic properties.

Exfoliant. Mix 2 teaspoons of coconut oil with 2 pinches of Mindanao cinnamon bark crumbs (get the fine ones). Massage onto face and neck for 3-5 minutes, wipe off with soft cloth or tissue paper, and then rinse with water (I don’t use soap anymore). You could moisturize further, but I don’t moisturize anymore as some oil is still left on my face and neck.

Hair spa. I mixed 2 tablespoons of cinnamon powder into 3 cups of coconut milk. I applied the mixture onto my scalp and massaged my scalp, using the cinnamon as a micro scrubber. Let the mixture stay on your hair for at least an hour. The result for me was soft hair, and I felt that my scalp is cleaner. As to the scent, using the words of my daughter (as I did a hair spa on her, too): “My hair smells like pan de sal, Mom!” Hahahaha! On a serious note, I’ll experiment next time what flower oil I should mix into it. I’m totally loving this hair & scalp food.

Peanut butter sandwich sprinkle. I sprinkled Phinnamon coco nectar on my peanut butter sandwich. Yum!

Peanut butter sandwich with cinnamon coconut sugar sprinkle

Dust to hot chocolate drink. Use just a pinch to enhance the fragrance of your hot choco drink. There will be a slight slimy consistency from the cinnamon powder, so I hope you won’t mind it (I don’t).

Pancake with Morado (red) banana and Phinnamon coco nectar. I used the pre-mixed pancake flour bought from the supermarket, and I followed the instruction indicated in the box. I added 3 Morado bananas for 1/2 pack, and cooked it, as instructed in the box. Instead of the usual syrup, we sprinkled the pancake with Phinnamon coco nectar. Yum!

Caramelized chorizo. We make our own chorizo (pork sausage) at home so we know what’s in it and to avoid preservatives. I feel blessed that Linda, who cooks well, is with me to do it. Today, chorizo finds its way to Sophia’s baon (snack) to school. I asked Linda to caramelize lots of onions (Sophia’s another favorite!) in coconut sugar with cinnamon. I got multi-grain bread for more interest. Yum!

Cinnamon yogurt. I’ve been making this yogurt recipe at home (no special equipment needed), and it’s creamy and pure (store-bought yogurt can be loaded with hard-to-pronounce ingredients – lol). I made it even more special, and my husband did forego his usual oatmeal breakfast for this. My 9-year old daughter loved it a lot! Yogurt cleans our intestines, cinnamon helps control blood sugar, and coco nectar is low in Glycemic Index.

Spiced rice. For a cup of rice, I dropped 4 pieces Philippines cinnamon bark chips, 2 large pandan leaves, and 10 curry plant leaves. Wonderful aroma! I hope you could try it.

Tea. I woke up early morning due to upset stomach, which continued on until day time. I drank cinnamon tea, and there was instant relief. Our ancestors used this natural remedy, as the Philippines has 16 endemic cinnamon species. (I’ve only seen the Cebu, Mindanao, and Kalingag cinnamons).

Boiled banana with Phinnamon coco nectar. For friends who are watching their sugar intake (diabetic, pregnant, weight watcher, or just healthy-eating enthusiast), you might consider pairing boiled banana with Phinnamon coco nectar. Banana has moderate Glycemic Index (GI) at 51. Coco sugar has low GI at 35, and cinnamon helps control blood sugar.

Tea. I feel blessed, on this rainy day, that ginger, lemongrass, and cinnamon are accessible to me. Chemical-free, nutritious, fragrant, and flavorful. I hope you could try this tea.