Cinnamon has been used for thousands of years for its versatility as both a spice and a medicinal herb. It’s been cultivated from Egypt all the way through India. People have relied on cinnamon’s efficacy as an antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, immune booster - even an aphrodisiac - for almost as long as we’ve consumed the plant.

There are three main types of food-grade cinnamon:

• Cinnamomum burmannii. This is the most commonly available cinnamon in the United States and constitutes almost 90 percent of cinnamon sold here.

• Cinnamomum cassia. All the cinnamons in this group are sometimes called “cassia cinnamons,” but this is the only one that shares its true name.

• Cinnamomum loureiroi, known as Saigon Cassia or simply Vietnamese cinnamon, has a slightly different flavour that the cinnamomum burmannii strain.

For the most potent benefits of cinnamon, you will want to consider using the “medical” or “true” cinnamon. These varieties aren’t often available at grocery stores, and can instead be sought at health food or vitamin stores. Cinnamonum zeylanicum and cinnamonum verum are the two medicinal species of cinnamon. The latter is known as true cinnamon because the word verum is taken from the word verus, which is Latin for “true.”

While cinnamon has been reputed for thousands of years to be a miracle plant, only recently have these claims been proven. Science has allowed us to study the benefits of cinnamon through double-blind, evidence based studies. Here’s a whole bunch of reasons why you should make sure you keep some cinnamon stocked in your kitchen.

Cinnamon is jam-packed with antioxidants

In the last few years, there has been an astounding amount of research dedicated to realizing the antioxidant potential of cinnamon. It’s been touted for thousands of years as almost a panacea - a herb that can cure a ton of different ailments. Well, one of the reasons it can do this is because of the huge amount of antioxidants present in cinnamon.

Antioxidants have been hugely popular in recent years. It’s been shown that oxidation of certain organic compounds can create free radicals. Free radicals are, in essence, the cause of cancer. A free radical is an atom missing an electron in the outer shell. They are largely responsible for aging - gradual oxidization causes free radicals, and in turn, we grow old. Antioxidants can prevent - or at least greatly slow - this process.

Cinnamon, when pitted against other vegetables and spices noted for their antioxidant content (ginger, nutmeg, vanilla,) cinnamon proved to have stronger antioxidant power than any of them. Cinnamon hinders oxidization better than nearly every other herb available on the market.

2. Cinnamon is a strong antifungal agent

Cinnamon has been studied for its efficacy as an anti-fungal agent. In tests comparing cinnamon essential oil extracts to fluconazole, a common medical antifungal ointment, cinnamon was just as effective in nearly all cases.

This means that cinnamon extracts can be used to prevent fungal infections - such as yeast infections. One of the most powerful uses for cinnamon is its ability to prevent Candida.

When tested against three different strains of Candida - Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Candida krusei - it was effective in preventing the further growth of the fungus. After 72 hours, the cells responsible for the Candida virus had been damaged by cinnamon’s antifungal agents. They were unable to flourish afterwards.

Cinnamon’s anti-fungal effects are so potent that they can be observed by subjects simply smelling cinnamon. Cinnamon extracts were tested against certain types of fungi. Subjects would inhale the smell of cinnamon essential oil extracts. The frequency and ability of fungi to reproduce was significantly diminished in most cases.

3. Cinnamon can be used as a preservative

Because of its strong action as an anti-microbial agent, cinnamon can be used as a preservative. By preventing the growth of microbes, cinnamon helps food maintain its integrity for as long as traditional preservatives. A study done in August of 2003 showed that cinnamon extract - as little as three drops - stopped the growth and development of various pathogenic fungi in carrot broth. It proved to be just as effective as a number of other essential oil extracts.

When studied on its ability to prevent the growth of pathogens on rice cakes, Cinnamon was tested against mugwort and garlic powder, and proved more efficient than either of them. Cinnamon’s potent enough that a solution of 1% cinnamon extract was just as effective as a solution of 3% - indicating that minute amounts of cinnamon can have powerful effects.

4. Cinnamon can help fight against neurodegenerative disease

Cinnamon has implications for therapeutic use to fight against certain neurodegenerative diseases. It’s known to stimulate the brain to produce certain neuro-protective proteins. When produced in sufficient amounts, these proteins help protect the brain from diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

This, when combined with its general antioxidant capacity, makes cinnamon an amazing medicinal herb. Not only can it prevent the development of such diseases, but it can also help repair damage done to neurons. Maintaining a good amount of cinnamon in your diet might help your neurons learn to communicate more effectively, leading to better working memory and intelligence.

5. Cinnamon can improve your cognitive function

Cinnamon doesn’t just protect you from neurodegenerative diseases. It can straight up boost your brain function. Interestingly, it’s not just the nutrients in cinnamon that do this. A study led by Dr. Zoladz shows that all that’s required to boost brain function is the smell of cinnamon.

People were studied while either chewing cinnamon flavoured gum, or smelling the fresh spice. It’s interesting to note that smell is a huge factor in our ability to taste. When we chew, the same particles we recognize as scent when inhaled are released in our mouth. These particles are absorbed in the olfactory epithelium, where an impulse is sent to our brain that tells us what the flavour is.

When smelling and chewing cinnamon, subject’s working memory, spatial awareness, and visual memory. They were exposed to various scents - peppermint and jasmine were two other contenders - but cinnamon was the only scent to repeatedly produce brain-boosting results.

6. Cinnamon is proven to be effective at fighting diabetes

While the most common suggestion for those suffering from diabetes is to make changes to lifestyles, doctors are looking into supplementing with cinnamon. Cinnamon has been shown to eliminate or maintain a number of things that can contribute to diabetes - oxidative stress, inflammation, and their glycemic index. Cinnamon’s diverse antioxidant and nutrient profile allows it to combat all of these symptoms.

While cinnamon’s effects are still undergoing investigation for the general population, it’s been proven to lower blood sugar in the obese. The effects are less obvious in a healthy population.

Cinnamon makes the body more receptive to insulin. Insulin is a peptide hormone that’s produced by the pancreas, which helps to regulate the amount of sugar produced during carbohydrate metabolism. Diabetics often suffer from a lack of insulin, hence their constant high blood pressure. Supplementation of cinnamon can cause the body’s insulin response to rise, allowing for a level of blood sugar that’s easier to maintain.

7. Cinnamon is effective at fighting bad breath

Cinnamon’s very effective at fighting halitosis. Cinnamon can be used as an ingredient in chewing gum, where some of its antimicrobial effects kill germs that cause bad breath. This can give an immediate end to short-term bad breath.

One of the cool things about cinnamon is that it can be used for oral health without displeasure. The flavour of cinnamon means it can be used in toothpastes, oral anesthetics, and chewing gum. This allows it to offer all the benefit of its bad breath reduction, without having to take unpleasant medicine.

Aside from killing the bacteria, cinnamon just smells great. It’s used in a lot of soaps and shampoos for its pleasant odor. Not only will you be eliminating bad breath, but you’ll be making your breath smell good.

8. Cinnamon keeps your skin looking healthy

Cinnamon boosts the body’s ability to produce collagen. Collagen is a hormone that keeps our skin looking fresh and young - it’s what is responsible for the ‘glow’ people talk about in healthy skin. Collagen production slows as people age, and is hugely responsible for the look of ‘aged’ skin - with less collagen, skin loses some of its elasticity and colour. This is what gives it the telltale look of aging.

Making sure that your body produces enough collagen is crucial in fighting aging skin. Cinnamon is one of the most potent plants in terms of its ability to stimulate the biosynthesis of collagen. With its antioxidant ability, it also prevents oxidization and free radical production in the skin - another benefit for those looking to stay healthy and look young.

9. Cinnamon might play a role in fighting cancer

Another amazing potential benefit - cinnamon might play an important role in fighting cancer. It’s been shown to prevent tumor cells from reproducing. Antioxidants play a huge role in fighting cancer. When a free radical - that’s an atom that’s missing an electron in its outer shell, remember - takes an electron from a neighbouring atom, it turns that one into a free radical. This process continues in a violent chain of atoms stealing electrons from each other, which, in turn, can become a cancer.

Cinnamon also helps the colon in maintaining a proper production of bile, which can prevent colon cancer from occurring.

10. Cinnamon can help maintain colon health

Cinnamon is a good source of calcium, manganese and fibre - three things which are essential for the maintenance of a healthy colon. Calcium and fiber are two nutrients capable of binding to bile salts. This helps the body excrete unnecessary things. Ensuring that the proper amount of bile is produced and disposed of is crucial to having a healthy colon.

11. Cinnamon helps the body break down cholesterol

While the nutrients in cinnamon are breaking down bile, the body must make more. The only way the body can produce more is by breaking down cholesterol. If you have an excess of cholesterol, you may want to consider supplementing with cinnamon - in diabetics, total cholesterol levels were shown to be reduced by up to 26% by daily supplementation. The cinnamon was certainly the cause for this - the study group given a placebo saw no change in cholesterol levels.

12. Cinnamon is fantastic at maintaining blood sugar

Even for those who don’t suffer from diabetes, cinnamon is a fantastic blood sugar modulator. If you spice up a carbohydrate rich meal with some cinnamon, it can counter the blood sugar spike.

Cinnamon’s been studied extensively for its potential to help diabetics. This is largely because cinnamon is capable of lowering blood sugar, which has a huge beneficial effect on diabetics. Cinnamon causes the body to become more receptive to insulin. Insulin is the hormone which helps regulate blood sugar when the body metabolizes carbohydrates.

Not only does cinnamon stimulate the receptors that trigger insulin production - it also inhibits the production of an enzyme that deactivates insulin receptors. This has been tested both in vivo and in vitro (in test-tube experiments and in the human body.) Results have been positive in each experiment.

On top of making humans more efficient at using their insulin - cinnamon prevents insulin resistance. This is a problem that can lead to diabetes. Cinnamon’s ability to promote insulin production is so powerful that it can stop insulin resistance from affecting even people who have a diet rich in sugar.

13. Cinnamon can help prevent HIV

Certain components of cinnamon have been shown to have anti-HIV activity.

IND02, one of the polyphenols in cinnamon, has been shown to be a somewhat effective anti-HIV agent. It binds to and can destroy one of the pathogens responsible for the efficiency of the HIV virus. Scientists speculate that, if harnessed properly, a new and effective HIV prevention medicine could result. Extracting this compound and making more potent varieties could help eventually eliminate HIV!

Some of the flavonoids in cinnamon also prevent HIV. They block the entry of HIV-1 and prevent the buildup of the infection. The fact that cinnamon on its own is fairly effective at both preventing and reducing HIV symptoms means that some powerful medicine could be derived from these polyphenols and flavonols.

14. Cinnamon can improve the menstrual cycle

In a study done on women with polycystic ovary syndrome, 45 women were used to test the effects of cinnamon on the disease. Some were given regular cinnamon supplementation, some were given placebo.

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a disease in which the balance of estrogen and progesterone - two of the most important hormones for sexual function - are out of balance. This causes the development of cysts on the ovaries. This causes delays or dysfunctions in the normal menstrual cycle.

While most of the women didn’t complete the study, there were some positive effects noticed. The placebo group saw no improvement on menstrual cycle. The women who were given cinnamon supplementation saw significant increases in the frequency of their menstrual cycle. This helps ease the discomfort caused by polycystic ovary syndrome. This also suggests that women who are having other issues with the regularity of their menstrual cycles could benefit from cinnamon supplementation.

15. Cinnamon can fight against depression

This study links depression with inflammation of the cells. The subjects studied were in great medical health, having no obvious physical cause for their depression. The study drew a link between the frequency of inflamed cells and depression.

Cinnamon’s a potent anti-inflammatory agent. If you’re depressed and not sure why, you might have an excess of inflammation drawing from your mental reserves. You could consider taking cinnamon supplements - even if they don’t kick your depression, they’ll certainly help you out in one way or another.

Aside from depression, if you experience inflammation or muscle soreness on a regular basis, you should start taking cinnamon. It can get rid of your symptoms in just a few days!

16. Cinnamon can help fight against blood clotting

Cinnamaldehyde, one of the components of cinnamon, helps fight blood clotting. It has a potent effect on blood platelets - the parts responsible for causing blood to clot during emergency situations.

If your blood clumps too much, your platelets are likely overactive. Supplementing with cinnamon will help your blood platelets restore their normal activity. Having clotted blood can have an effect on blood flow to the entire body, causing buildups of cholesterol, high blood pressure, and issues with your mental performance.

Cinnamon prevents your body from releasing arachidonic acid. This is the chemical responsible for platelets making their ‘decision’ to form clots. In people with frequent blood clotting, their bodies produce too much arachidonic acid. Since blood clotting can cause a sort of inflammation, this is another reason cinnamon’s a good anti-inflammatory.

17. Cinnamon can be used as an anti-bacterial wound dressing

Cinnamon essential oil extracts can be used to dress wounds. The efficiency of these oils has been tested with success. This suggests that cinnamon may soon be making its way into mainstream, over-the-counter medicines. It can be used as a topical anesthetic as well - for some. Some find the burning sensation to numb the pain, others find it to intensify it.

Cinnamon prevents the growth of pathogens. This has been proved in both in test tube experiments and in the human body. Pathogens are basically the bad bacteria. They can cause infections and lead to quite serious illnesses. Used topically, cinnamon can prevent wounds from becoming infected and prevent serious dangers like blood infections.

Different suggestions of how to supplement with cinnamon

You might not want to supplement with encapsulated cinnamon. That takes away the whole pleasure of using a delicious spice as a health product! If you don’t opt for pre-packaged cinnamon capsules, you can consider the following things:

• Cinnamon makes a great addition to a lot of meals. Curries, dips, breads, and most of all, dessert. Most sweet things could do with a sprinkle of cinnamon to add a layer of depth, spice, and nutrition.

• Cinnamon can be mixed into tea for extra flavour and extra health. Mixing cinnamon with red or orange tea can create a flavour infusion that is unforgettable. This also creates an antioxidant infusion that your body will love you for.

• If you can’t make bread with cinnamon, you can simply sprinkle it on top for a tasty snack. Cinnamon’s ability to modulate blood sugar can counter-effect the high carbohydrate load of too much toast. Still, you won’t want to eat much toast. A piece of toast oiled with flax seed oil and sprinkled with cinnamon makes an amazing snack.

7 Amazing Recipes For You To Include Cinnamon In Your Diet

You’ll soon learn - if you don’t know already - about cinnamon’s amazing versatility. It can be used in any type of meal - entrees, appetizers, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, sauces, desserts. You name it - somewhere, cinnamon can have a place. Even a sprinkle added to the most unlikely meals - a pot of chili or stew, some spicy scrambled eggs, a hamburger - can add an unexpected intensity and flavour. A flavour that’s not without an intense nutritional kick.

The first six recipes are some personal favourites. They’re quick to prepare, taste great, and can be made with reasonably few ingredients.

1. Sweet potatoes with cinnamon and ginger

Sweet potatoes may be a high-carb food, but cinnamon’s glucose modulating effects can lower the risk. They’re extremely healthy, loaded with antioxidants and minerals. The cinnamon and ginger improve these benefits, making this meal a nutritional whopper. This particular recipe, slightly varied from this one, serves about four people. The recipe supplies you with over 3 times the daily need for vitamin A (those sweet potatoes will always overcompensate,) 100% of your daily need for manganese. You’ll get half your daily requirement for copper and vitamin C, and nearly as much potassium and vitamin B6.

It only takes 25 minutes to prep and cook. All you’ll need for the meal are

• Six sweet potatoes

• Half an onion

• Four cloves of garlic

• One and a half tablespoons of ginger

• Half a teaspoon of cinnamon

• A tablespoon of honey

• One full cup, plus one tablespoon of veggie or chicken broth

To prepare the meal, first slice the onion into thin rings. Chop the garlic finely.

After this, cut the sweet potatoes into cubes of about a square inch each.

Heat up your tablespoon of broth in a deep pan. Make.sure that you’re stirring for this entire step. First, add the onion, and saute on medium-high for about five minutes before adding the garlic and ginger. When it’s all in the pan, saute for another minute on high heat.

Add the remaining ingredients. Mix until everything is evenly distributed, then let simmer for fifteen minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, if you wish.

2. Five Spice Onion Soup

This is a delightful onion soup with a hint of Eastern flair. The spices make it dense with antioxidants and essential nutrients. It’s a fairly time-consuming appetizer, but with a thirty minute cook time to supply four people with this delicious soup, you won’t regret it.

This meal supplies significant amounts of chromium, copper, and manganese, along with decent amounts of a number of other vitamins.

For this one, you’ll need

• One onion

• One tablespoon, plus six full cups of veggie or chicken broth

• Half an inch of ginger

• Six cloves

• A full cinnamon stick

• Three star anise pods

• Half a teaspoon of fennel seeds

• Six whole shiitake mushrooms, dry

• A tablespoon of soy sauce

• A tablespoon of molasses

3. Cinnamon Rice Milk

This recipe is a walk in the park, taking less than ten minutes to prepare enough drinks for eight people (although it takes about two hours of cooling for them to be read, unless you like warm rice milk. It’s really not too bad - I’ll usually drink one warm right away and wait for the others to cool.) Adding extra cinnamon will really boost the nutritional profile.

All you need:

• 64 ounces of plain rice milk

• A quarter cup of sugar

• Half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon

• Two tablespoons of dark rum (certainly optional, for the health-oriented)

• Cinnamon sticks for garnishing each drink

Warm the rice milk up in a pan, using low heat. Mix the sugar in slowly, stirring frequently, until it’s dissolved.

Remove the milk from the element. Mix in the cinnamon, and the rum if you’re choosing to use it. Let this mixture cool for a few minutes before putting the lid on and refrigerating until cool. Try not to leave in the fridge for more than a day.

When they’re cool (or, right away, if you want a warmed one - it’s kind of like eggnog) pour them into small glasses. Put one of the whole cinnamon sticks in the drink to use as a garnish and, potentially, a straw.

4, Raspberries with Chocolate-Cinnamon Pudding

This recipe is a fun and easy one to whip up. It’ll serve six people and only takes ten to fifteen minutes to make. There’s quite a few carbs in the meal, but using a bit of extra cinnamon can offset the blood sugar spike. The cocoa powder also adds in a tremendous amount of antioxidant benefit.

You don’t want to make this recipe too often - though using less heavy cream or unprocessed sugar can make it a bit healthier. Consider using more cinnamon and chocolate for more health benefit. My take on the recipe is a bit healthier, but not as rich as the original. The original still supplies decent amounts of calcium and iron.

For mine, you’ll need

• Three quarters of a cup of unsweetened cocoa

• A teaspoon of cinnamon

• A quarter cup of cornstarch

• Two thirds a cup, plus a tablespoon, of unprocessed sugar

• 2 and three quarters of a cup of whole milk

• One and a quarter cups of medium-thick cream

• One and a half teaspoons of vanilla

• Two cups of raspberries

Here’s the method to the madness:

First, mix the cinnamon, cocoa, two thirds of the brown sugar, and the cornstarch in a plan. Before turning on the heat, whisk the milk and half a cup of the cream into the mixture.

Using medium heat, bring the concoction to a boil. Reduce to medium-low until it’s thick. Make sure you constantly stir during this step to prevent it from sticking or clotting.

Take the pudding from the heat and mix in the vanilla.

Pour the pudding into individual small dishes for single-servings, or put the whole mixture into a bowl for later serving. Plastic wrap the dessert and put into the fridge, unless you prefer it warm.

Take the remainder of your cream. While the pudding is cooling, whip the cream with the rest of your sugar until it begins peaking. Garnish your servings of pudding with whipped cream and raspberries, then dive in.

5. Cranberry Sauce With Cinnamon

This recipe only takes fifteen minutes to make. Cranberry sauce can go with a number of meals, from Christmas turkey to roast venison. The vitamin component of the cranberries and pineapple blends with the powerful macronutrients in cinnamon and ginger, making this sauce a powerhouse of nutritional value. While providing only 60% of the daily allowance for vitamin A, this sauce is still incredibly healthy. Antioxidants aren’t assigned a daily intake, so it’s hard to measure how potent a product will be with its antioxidant capacity.

Since this sauce is sweetened entirely naturally, it fuels your body with healthy fructose-based sugars. It makes about two cups of sauce.

All you need is

• A cup of orange juice

• A teaspoon of ginger

• A teaspoon of orange zest

• A quarter teaspoon of cinnamon

• 12 ounces of cranberries

• Half a cup of pineapple

• Half a cup of honey

To make the sauce, first chop up your ginger and orange zest. Mix together the ginger, cinnamon, orange juice and zest in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.

Making sure you’ve rinsed the cranberries, you can add them to the pot. Turn the element down to medium and let cook for ten minutes.

While the sauce is boiling, you can crush up your pineapple. Once ten minutes have passed, you can add the pineapple and honey into the mixture. After this, the sauce is ready to cool.

6. A Recipe For Awesome, Energizing Oatmeal

This recipe is ready in ten minutes and yields enough to feed two people. It’s a quick way to make a powerfully nutritional, complete breakfast. This can fuel you for a good portion of the day - an ultimate combination of antioxidants, fiber, and minerals. This recipe gives you 72% of your daily allowance for copper, 63% for phosphorous, 53% of your magnesium, and 50% of your vitamin B1. Along with that, it has significant amounts of manganese, vitamin E, omega-3s, calcium, fiber, and iron. There’s also a good amount of protein in it.

You’ll need the following:

• A cup of rolled oats

• Two cups of water

• Half a teaspoon of cinnamon

• A quarter cup of raisins

• A quarter cup of sliced almonds

• Sweeten with honey or maple syrup

• Your favourite fruit, diced into small pieces

Preparation is, of course, simple. Boil the water in a saucepan. Add the oats and turn the heat down to minimum. Cook the oats or five minutes, making sure to stir it so it doesn't stick together.

Once the oatmeal’s cooked a bit, add the rest of the ingredients. Depending on if you like your fruit or berries to be cooked or crunchy, you might want to wait until the oatmeal’s fully cooked before adding them. Sometimes the nice crunch of an apple or the cool sweetness of a cold orange can really punctuate a delicious oatmeal.

Once it’s cooled (or to help along the process) you can add milk if you like, and the honey or maple syrup (or just plain old sugar. If you do this, maybe use a bit extra cinnamon to combat the blood glucose spike.)

7. My Favourite Cinnamon Roll Recipe

This meal clocks in at a much longer preparation time than the others, coming in at just about two hours with the baking. It’s not the most nutritious, but there’s a good amount of cinnamon. You’ll get many of its antioxidant benefits, and the blood sugar spike normally caused by eating sweet treats will be balanced by the cinnamon.

This recipe makes around twelve servings.

For the dough, you’ll need

• A quarter ounce of yeast

• Half a cup of warm water

• Half a cup of milk

• A quarter cup of sugar

• A third of a cup of butter

• A teaspoon of table salt

• An egg

• Three and a half to four cups flour

For the filling, you’ll need

• A half cup of butter, plus a tablespoon

• Three quarters a cup of sugar, plus two more tablespoons

• Two tablespoons or 2-3 sticks of cinnamon, freshly ground

• Three quarters of a cup of raisins, cranberries, or ground nuts

For the glazing, you’ll need

• Four tablespoons of butter

• Two cups of powdered sugar

• A teaspoon of real vanilla

• Three to six tablespoons of hot water

Here’s the process!

First, make sure your oven is preheated to 350 fahrenheit.

Dissolve the yeast first in warm water, and let it sit by itself.

While it’s sitting, melt the butter. Take a large bowl and whisk together the milk, sugar, butter, the salt and your egg. Then whisk in two cups of flour. Mix it until it's a nice, smooth consistency.

Once it’s smooth, mix in the yeast mixture and more flour until the dough is easy to handle.

Sprinkle flour on a surface and knead the dough on it for a few minutes. When it’s well kneaded, put it in a greased bowl.

Cover and let sit until it’s grown to roughly twice its original size. This usually takes between one and a half hours.

When it’s reached twice its size, punch the dough back down. Using the same floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle fifteen by nine inches.

Spread your butter to cover the dough. Mix together your sugar and cinnamon, then shake or sprinkle it over your dough. Evenly spread the nuts you chose over the dough.

Starting on the long side, roll the dough. Don’t roll it too tightly, or the buns will come out too small. Make sure to pinch the edges. Cut into slices as you like - I prefer to aim for around twelve.

After coating a baking pan with melted butter, you can sprinkle sugar on it evenly. Put the cinnamon rolls atop the sugar. Make sure they’re in close proximity to each other. Let them sit without heat for forty five minutes or until the dough has risen to twice its original size.

Bake for half an hour, or until they’re cooked to your preference.

While baking, begin the glaze. Mix together the butter, vanilla extract, and the powdered sugar with hot water. Add the water by the tablespoon to make sure the glaze doesn’t get too watery.

Spread the glaze over the rolls once they’re freed from the oven and cooled slightly - just enough for the glaze to melt a little bit.

Cinnamon is an incredible, versatile spice that everyone should include in their spice cabinet.

Cinnamon has been used for thousands of years for its versatility as both a spice and a medicinal herb. It’s been cultivated from Egypt all the way through India. People have relied on cinnamon’s efficacy as an antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, immune booster - even an aphrodisiac - for almost as long as we’ve consumed the plant.

There are three main types of food-grade cinnamon:

• Cinnamomum burmannii. This is the most commonly available cinnamon in the United States and constitutes almost 90 percent of cinnamon sold here.

• Cinnamomum cassia. All the cinnamons in this group are sometimes called “cassia cinnamons,” but this is the only one that shares its true name.

• Cinnamomum loureiroi, known as Saigon Cassia or simply Vietnamese cinnamon, has a slightly different flavour that the cinnamomum burmannii strain.

For the most potent benefits of cinnamon, you will want to consider using the “medical” or “true” cinnamon. These varieties aren’t often available at grocery stores, and can instead be sought at health food or vitamin stores. Cinnamonum zeylanicum and cinnamonum verum are the two medicinal species of cinnamon. The latter is known as true cinnamon because the word verum is taken from the word verus, which is Latin for “true.”

While cinnamon has been reputed for thousands of years to be a miracle plant, only recently have these claims been proven. Science has allowed us to study the benefits of cinnamon through double-blind, evidence based studies. Here’s a whole bunch of reasons why you should make sure you keep some cinnamon stocked in your kitchen.

Cinnamon is jam-packed with antioxidants

In the last few years, there has been an astounding amount of research dedicated to realizing the antioxidant potential of cinnamon. It’s been touted for thousands of years as almost a panacea - a herb that can cure a ton of different ailments. Well, one of the reasons it can do this is because of the huge amount of antioxidants present in cinnamon.

Antioxidants have been hugely popular in recent years. It’s been shown that oxidation of certain organic compounds can create free radicals. Free radicals are, in essence, the cause of cancer. A free radical is an atom missing an electron in the outer shell. They are largely responsible for aging - gradual oxidization causes free radicals, and in turn, we grow old. Antioxidants can prevent - or at least greatly slow - this process.

Cinnamon, when pitted against other vegetables and spices noted for their antioxidant content (ginger, nutmeg, vanilla,) cinnamon proved to have stronger antioxidant power than any of them. Cinnamon hinders oxidization better than nearly every other herb available on the market.

2. Cinnamon is a strong antifungal agent

Cinnamon has been studied for its efficacy as an anti-fungal agent. In tests comparing cinnamon essential oil extracts to fluconazole, a common medical antifungal ointment, cinnamon was just as effective in nearly all cases.

This means that cinnamon extracts can be used to prevent fungal infections - such as yeast infections. One of the most powerful uses for cinnamon is its ability to prevent Candida.

When tested against three different strains of Candida - Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Candida krusei - it was effective in preventing the further growth of the fungus. After 72 hours, the cells responsible for the Candida virus had been damaged by cinnamon’s antifungal agents. They were unable to flourish afterwards.

Cinnamon’s anti-fungal effects are so potent that they can be observed by subjects simply smelling cinnamon. Cinnamon extracts were tested against certain types of fungi. Subjects would inhale the smell of cinnamon essential oil extracts. The frequency and ability of fungi to reproduce was significantly diminished in most cases.

3. Cinnamon can be used as a preservative

Because of its strong action as an anti-microbial agent, cinnamon can be used as a preservative. By preventing the growth of microbes, cinnamon helps food maintain its integrity for as long as traditional preservatives. A study done in August of 2003 showed that cinnamon extract - as little as three drops - stopped the growth and development of various pathogenic fungi in carrot broth. It proved to be just as effective as a number of other essential oil extracts.

When studied on its ability to prevent the growth of pathogens on rice cakes, Cinnamon was tested against mugwort and garlic powder, and proved more efficient than either of them. Cinnamon’s potent enough that a solution of 1% cinnamon extract was just as effective as a solution of 3% - indicating that minute amounts of cinnamon can have powerful effects.

4. Cinnamon can help fight against neurodegenerative disease

Cinnamon has implications for therapeutic use to fight against certain neurodegenerative diseases. It’s known to stimulate the brain to produce certain neuro-protective proteins. When produced in sufficient amounts, these proteins help protect the brain from diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

This, when combined with its general antioxidant capacity, makes cinnamon an amazing medicinal herb. Not only can it prevent the development of such diseases, but it can also help repair damage done to neurons. Maintaining a good amount of cinnamon in your diet might help your neurons learn to communicate more effectively, leading to better working memory and intelligence.

5. Cinnamon can improve your cognitive function

Cinnamon doesn’t just protect you from neurodegenerative diseases. It can straight up boost your brain function. Interestingly, it’s not just the nutrients in cinnamon that do this. A study led by Dr. Zoladz shows that all that’s required to boost brain function is the smell of cinnamon.

People were studied while either chewing cinnamon flavoured gum, or smelling the fresh spice. It’s interesting to note that smell is a huge factor in our ability to taste. When we chew, the same particles we recognize as scent when inhaled are released in our mouth. These particles are absorbed in the olfactory epithelium, where an impulse is sent to our brain that tells us what the flavour is.

When smelling and chewing cinnamon, subject’s working memory, spatial awareness, and visual memory. They were exposed to various scents - peppermint and jasmine were two other contenders - but cinnamon was the only scent to repeatedly produce brain-boosting results.

6. Cinnamon is proven to be effective at fighting diabetes

While the most common suggestion for those suffering from diabetes is to make changes to lifestyles, doctors are looking into supplementing with cinnamon. Cinnamon has been shown to eliminate or maintain a number of things that can contribute to diabetes - oxidative stress, inflammation, and their glycemic index. Cinnamon’s diverse antioxidant and nutrient profile allows it to combat all of these symptoms.

While cinnamon’s effects are still undergoing investigation for the general population, it’s been proven to lower blood sugar in the obese. The effects are less obvious in a healthy population.

Cinnamon makes the body more receptive to insulin. Insulin is a peptide hormone that’s produced by the pancreas, which helps to regulate the amount of sugar produced during carbohydrate metabolism. Diabetics often suffer from a lack of insulin, hence their constant high blood pressure. Supplementation of cinnamon can cause the body’s insulin response to rise, allowing for a level of blood sugar that’s easier to maintain.

7. Cinnamon is effective at fighting bad breath

Cinnamon’s very effective at fighting halitosis. Cinnamon can be used as an ingredient in chewing gum, where some of its antimicrobial effects kill germs that cause bad breath. This can give an immediate end to short-term bad breath.

One of the cool things about cinnamon is that it can be used for oral health without displeasure. The flavour of cinnamon means it can be used in toothpastes, oral anesthetics, and chewing gum. This allows it to offer all the benefit of its bad breath reduction, without having to take unpleasant medicine.

Aside from killing the bacteria, cinnamon just smells great. It’s used in a lot of soaps and shampoos for its pleasant odor. Not only will you be eliminating bad breath, but you’ll be making your breath smell good.

8. Cinnamon keeps your skin looking healthy

Cinnamon boosts the body’s ability to produce collagen. Collagen is a hormone that keeps our skin looking fresh and young - it’s what is responsible for the ‘glow’ people talk about in healthy skin. Collagen production slows as people age, and is hugely responsible for the look of ‘aged’ skin - with less collagen, skin loses some of its elasticity and colour. This is what gives it the telltale look of aging.

Making sure that your body produces enough collagen is crucial in fighting aging skin. Cinnamon is one of the most potent plants in terms of its ability to stimulate the biosynthesis of collagen. With its antioxidant ability, it also prevents oxidization and free radical production in the skin - another benefit for those looking to stay healthy and look young.

9. Cinnamon might play a role in fighting cancer

Another amazing potential benefit - cinnamon might play an important role in fighting cancer. It’s been shown to prevent tumor cells from reproducing. Antioxidants play a huge role in fighting cancer. When a free radical - that’s an atom that’s missing an electron in its outer shell, remember - takes an electron from a neighbouring atom, it turns that one into a free radical. This process continues in a violent chain of atoms stealing electrons from each other, which, in turn, can become a cancer.

Cinnamon also helps the colon in maintaining a proper production of bile, which can prevent colon cancer from occurring.

10. Cinnamon can help maintain colon health

Cinnamon is a good source of calcium, manganese and fibre - three things which are essential for the maintenance of a healthy colon. Calcium and fiber are two nutrients capable of binding to bile salts. This helps the body excrete unnecessary things. Ensuring that the proper amount of bile is produced and disposed of is crucial to having a healthy colon.

11. Cinnamon helps the body break down cholesterol

While the nutrients in cinnamon are breaking down bile, the body must make more. The only way the body can produce more is by breaking down cholesterol. If you have an excess of cholesterol, you may want to consider supplementing with cinnamon - in diabetics, total cholesterol levels were shown to be reduced by up to 26% by daily supplementation. The cinnamon was certainly the cause for this - the study group given a placebo saw no change in cholesterol levels.

12. Cinnamon is fantastic at maintaining blood sugar

Even for those who don’t suffer from diabetes, cinnamon is a fantastic blood sugar modulator. If you spice up a carbohydrate rich meal with some cinnamon, it can counter the blood sugar spike.

Cinnamon’s been studied extensively for its potential to help diabetics. This is largely because cinnamon is capable of lowering blood sugar, which has a huge beneficial effect on diabetics. Cinnamon causes the body to become more receptive to insulin. Insulin is the hormone which helps regulate blood sugar when the body metabolizes carbohydrates.

Not only does cinnamon stimulate the receptors that trigger insulin production - it also inhibits the production of an enzyme that deactivates insulin receptors. This has been tested both in vivo and in vitro (in test-tube experiments and in the human body.) Results have been positive in each experiment.

On top of making humans more efficient at using their insulin - cinnamon prevents insulin resistance. This is a problem that can lead to diabetes. Cinnamon’s ability to promote insulin production is so powerful that it can stop insulin resistance from affecting even people who have a diet rich in sugar.

13. Cinnamon can help prevent HIV

Certain components of cinnamon have been shown to have anti-HIV activity.

IND02, one of the polyphenols in cinnamon, has been shown to be a somewhat effective anti-HIV agent. It binds to and can destroy one of the pathogens responsible for the efficiency of the HIV virus. Scientists speculate that, if harnessed properly, a new and effective HIV prevention medicine could result. Extracting this compound and making more potent varieties could help eventually eliminate HIV!

Some of the flavonoids in cinnamon also prevent HIV. They block the entry of HIV-1 and prevent the buildup of the infection. The fact that cinnamon on its own is fairly effective at both preventing and reducing HIV symptoms means that some powerful medicine could be derived from these polyphenols and flavonols.

14. Cinnamon can improve the menstrual cycle

In a study done on women with polycystic ovary syndrome, 45 women were used to test the effects of cinnamon on the disease. Some were given regular cinnamon supplementation, some were given placebo.

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a disease in which the balance of estrogen and progesterone - two of the most important hormones for sexual function - are out of balance. This causes the development of cysts on the ovaries. This causes delays or dysfunctions in the normal menstrual cycle.

While most of the women didn’t complete the study, there were some positive effects noticed. The placebo group saw no improvement on menstrual cycle. The women who were given cinnamon supplementation saw significant increases in the frequency of their menstrual cycle. This helps ease the discomfort caused by polycystic ovary syndrome. This also suggests that women who are having other issues with the regularity of their menstrual cycles could benefit from cinnamon supplementation.

15. Cinnamon can fight against depression

This study links depression with inflammation of the cells. The subjects studied were in great medical health, having no obvious physical cause for their depression. The study drew a link between the frequency of inflamed cells and depression.

Cinnamon’s a potent anti-inflammatory agent. If you’re depressed and not sure why, you might have an excess of inflammation drawing from your mental reserves. You could consider taking cinnamon supplements - even if they don’t kick your depression, they’ll certainly help you out in one way or another.

Aside from depression, if you experience inflammation or muscle soreness on a regular basis, you should start taking cinnamon. It can get rid of your symptoms in just a few days!

16. Cinnamon can help fight against blood clotting

Cinnamaldehyde, one of the components of cinnamon, helps fight blood clotting. It has a potent effect on blood platelets - the parts responsible for causing blood to clot during emergency situations.

If your blood clumps too much, your platelets are likely overactive. Supplementing with cinnamon will help your blood platelets restore their normal activity. Having clotted blood can have an effect on blood flow to the entire body, causing buildups of cholesterol, high blood pressure, and issues with your mental performance.

Cinnamon prevents your body from releasing arachidonic acid. This is the chemical responsible for platelets making their ‘decision’ to form clots. In people with frequent blood clotting, their bodies produce too much arachidonic acid. Since blood clotting can cause a sort of inflammation, this is another reason cinnamon’s a good anti-inflammatory.

17. Cinnamon can be used as an anti-bacterial wound dressing

Cinnamon essential oil extracts can be used to dress wounds. The efficiency of these oils has been tested with success. This suggests that cinnamon may soon be making its way into mainstream, over-the-counter medicines. It can be used as a topical anesthetic as well - for some. Some find the burning sensation to numb the pain, others find it to intensify it.

Cinnamon prevents the growth of pathogens. This has been proved in both in test tube experiments and in the human body. Pathogens are basically the bad bacteria. They can cause infections and lead to quite serious illnesses. Used topically, cinnamon can prevent wounds from becoming infected and prevent serious dangers like blood infections.

Different suggestions of how to supplement with cinnamon

You might not want to supplement with encapsulated cinnamon. That takes away the whole pleasure of using a delicious spice as a health product! If you don’t opt for pre-packaged cinnamon capsules, you can consider the following things:

• Cinnamon makes a great addition to a lot of meals. Curries, dips, breads, and most of all, dessert. Most sweet things could do with a sprinkle of cinnamon to add a layer of depth, spice, and nutrition.

• Cinnamon can be mixed into tea for extra flavour and extra health. Mixing cinnamon with red or orange tea can create a flavour infusion that is unforgettable. This also creates an antioxidant infusion that your body will love you for.

• If you can’t make bread with cinnamon, you can simply sprinkle it on top for a tasty snack. Cinnamon’s ability to modulate blood sugar can counter-effect the high carbohydrate load of too much toast. Still, you won’t want to eat much toast. A piece of toast oiled with flax seed oil and sprinkled with cinnamon makes an amazing snack.

7 Amazing Recipes For You To Include Cinnamon In Your Diet

You’ll soon learn - if you don’t know already - about cinnamon’s amazing versatility. It can be used in any type of meal - entrees, appetizers, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, sauces, desserts. You name it - somewhere, cinnamon can have a place. Even a sprinkle added to the most unlikely meals - a pot of chili or stew, some spicy scrambled eggs, a hamburger - can add an unexpected intensity and flavour. A flavour that’s not without an intense nutritional kick.

The first six recipes are some personal favourites. They’re quick to prepare, taste great, and can be made with reasonably few ingredients.

1. Sweet potatoes with cinnamon and ginger

Sweet potatoes may be a high-carb food, but cinnamon’s glucose modulating effects can lower the risk. They’re extremely healthy, loaded with antioxidants and minerals. The cinnamon and ginger improve these benefits, making this meal a nutritional whopper. This particular recipe, slightly varied from this one, serves about four people. The recipe supplies you with over 3 times the daily need for vitamin A (those sweet potatoes will always overcompensate,) 100% of your daily need for manganese. You’ll get half your daily requirement for copper and vitamin C, and nearly as much potassium and vitamin B6.

It only takes 25 minutes to prep and cook. All you’ll need for the meal are

• Six sweet potatoes

• Half an onion

• Four cloves of garlic

• One and a half tablespoons of ginger

• Half a teaspoon of cinnamon

• A tablespoon of honey

• One full cup, plus one tablespoon of veggie or chicken broth

To prepare the meal, first slice the onion into thin rings. Chop the garlic finely.

After this, cut the sweet potatoes into cubes of about a square inch each.

Heat up your tablespoon of broth in a deep pan. Make.sure that you’re stirring for this entire step. First, add the onion, and saute on medium-high for about five minutes before adding the garlic and ginger. When it’s all in the pan, saute for another minute on high heat.

Add the remaining ingredients. Mix until everything is evenly distributed, then let simmer for fifteen minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, if you wish.

2. Five Spice Onion Soup

This is a delightful onion soup with a hint of Eastern flair. The spices make it dense with antioxidants and essential nutrients. It’s a fairly time-consuming appetizer, but with a thirty minute cook time to supply four people with this delicious soup, you won’t regret it.

This meal supplies significant amounts of chromium, copper, and manganese, along with decent amounts of a number of other vitamins.

For this one, you’ll need

• One onion

• One tablespoon, plus six full cups of veggie or chicken broth

• Half an inch of ginger

• Six cloves

• A full cinnamon stick

• Three star anise pods

• Half a teaspoon of fennel seeds

• Six whole shiitake mushrooms, dry

• A tablespoon of soy sauce

• A tablespoon of molasses

3. Cinnamon Rice Milk

This recipe is a walk in the park, taking less than ten minutes to prepare enough drinks for eight people (although it takes about two hours of cooling for them to be read, unless you like warm rice milk. It’s really not too bad - I’ll usually drink one warm right away and wait for the others to cool.) Adding extra cinnamon will really boost the nutritional profile.

All you need:

• 64 ounces of plain rice milk

• A quarter cup of sugar

• Half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon

• Two tablespoons of dark rum (certainly optional, for the health-oriented)

• Cinnamon sticks for garnishing each drink

Warm the rice milk up in a pan, using low heat. Mix the sugar in slowly, stirring frequently, until it’s dissolved.

Remove the milk from the element. Mix in the cinnamon, and the rum if you’re choosing to use it. Let this mixture cool for a few minutes before putting the lid on and refrigerating until cool. Try not to leave in the fridge for more than a day.

When they’re cool (or, right away, if you want a warmed one - it’s kind of like eggnog) pour them into small glasses. Put one of the whole cinnamon sticks in the drink to use as a garnish and, potentially, a straw.

4, Raspberries with Chocolate-Cinnamon Pudding

This recipe is a fun and easy one to whip up. It’ll serve six people and only takes ten to fifteen minutes to make. There’s quite a few carbs in the meal, but using a bit of extra cinnamon can offset the blood sugar spike. The cocoa powder also adds in a tremendous amount of antioxidant benefit.

You don’t want to make this recipe too often - though using less heavy cream or unprocessed sugar can make it a bit healthier. Consider using more cinnamon and chocolate for more health benefit. My take on the recipe is a bit healthier, but not as rich as the original. The original still supplies decent amounts of calcium and iron.

For mine, you’ll need

• Three quarters of a cup of unsweetened cocoa

• A teaspoon of cinnamon

• A quarter cup of cornstarch

• Two thirds a cup, plus a tablespoon, of unprocessed sugar

• 2 and three quarters of a cup of whole milk

• One and a quarter cups of medium-thick cream

• One and a half teaspoons of vanilla

• Two cups of raspberries

Here’s the method to the madness:

First, mix the cinnamon, cocoa, two thirds of the brown sugar, and the cornstarch in a plan. Before turning on the heat, whisk the milk and half a cup of the cream into the mixture.

Using medium heat, bring the concoction to a boil. Reduce to medium-low until it’s thick. Make sure you constantly stir during this step to prevent it from sticking or clotting.

Take the pudding from the heat and mix in the vanilla.

Pour the pudding into individual small dishes for single-servings, or put the whole mixture into a bowl for later serving. Plastic wrap the dessert and put into the fridge, unless you prefer it warm.

Take the remainder of your cream. While the pudding is cooling, whip the cream with the rest of your sugar until it begins peaking. Garnish your servings of pudding with whipped cream and raspberries, then dive in.

5. Cranberry Sauce With Cinnamon

This recipe only takes fifteen minutes to make. Cranberry sauce can go with a number of meals, from Christmas turkey to roast venison. The vitamin component of the cranberries and pineapple blends with the powerful macronutrients in cinnamon and ginger, making this sauce a powerhouse of nutritional value. While providing only 60% of the daily allowance for vitamin A, this sauce is still incredibly healthy. Antioxidants aren’t assigned a daily intake, so it’s hard to measure how potent a product will be with its antioxidant capacity.

Since this sauce is sweetened entirely naturally, it fuels your body with healthy fructose-based sugars. It makes about two cups of sauce.

All you need is

• A cup of orange juice

• A teaspoon of ginger

• A teaspoon of orange zest

• A quarter teaspoon of cinnamon

• 12 ounces of cranberries

• Half a cup of pineapple

• Half a cup of honey

To make the sauce, first chop up your ginger and orange zest. Mix together the ginger, cinnamon, orange juice and zest in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.

Making sure you’ve rinsed the cranberries, you can add them to the pot. Turn the element down to medium and let cook for ten minutes.

While the sauce is boiling, you can crush up your pineapple. Once ten minutes have passed, you can add the pineapple and honey into the mixture. After this, the sauce is ready to cool.

6. A Recipe For Awesome, Energizing Oatmeal

This recipe is ready in ten minutes and yields enough to feed two people. It’s a quick way to make a powerfully nutritional, complete breakfast. This can fuel you for a good portion of the day - an ultimate combination of antioxidants, fiber, and minerals. This recipe gives you 72% of your daily allowance for copper, 63% for phosphorous, 53% of your magnesium, and 50% of your vitamin B1. Along with that, it has significant amounts of manganese, vitamin E, omega-3s, calcium, fiber, and iron. There’s also a good amount of protein in it.

You’ll need the following:

• A cup of rolled oats

• Two cups of water

• Half a teaspoon of cinnamon

• A quarter cup of raisins

• A quarter cup of sliced almonds

• Sweeten with honey or maple syrup

• Your favourite fruit, diced into small pieces

Preparation is, of course, simple. Boil the water in a saucepan. Add the oats and turn the heat down to minimum. Cook the oats or five minutes, making sure to stir it so it doesn't stick together.

Once the oatmeal’s cooked a bit, add the rest of the ingredients. Depending on if you like your fruit or berries to be cooked or crunchy, you might want to wait until the oatmeal’s fully cooked before adding them. Sometimes the nice crunch of an apple or the cool sweetness of a cold orange can really punctuate a delicious oatmeal.

Once it’s cooled (or to help along the process) you can add milk if you like, and the honey or maple syrup (or just plain old sugar. If you do this, maybe use a bit extra cinnamon to combat the blood glucose spike.)

7. My Favourite Cinnamon Roll Recipe

This meal clocks in at a much longer preparation time than the others, coming in at just about two hours with the baking. It’s not the most nutritious, but there’s a good amount of cinnamon. You’ll get many of its antioxidant benefits, and the blood sugar spike normally caused by eating sweet treats will be balanced by the cinnamon.

This recipe makes around twelve servings.

For the dough, you’ll need

• A quarter ounce of yeast

• Half a cup of warm water

• Half a cup of milk

• A quarter cup of sugar

• A third of a cup of butter

• A teaspoon of table salt

• An egg

• Three and a half to four cups flour

For the filling, you’ll need

• A half cup of butter, plus a tablespoon

• Three quarters a cup of sugar, plus two more tablespoons

• Two tablespoons or 2-3 sticks of cinnamon, freshly ground

• Three quarters of a cup of raisins, cranberries, or ground nuts

For the glazing, you’ll need

• Four tablespoons of butter

• Two cups of powdered sugar

• A teaspoon of real vanilla

• Three to six tablespoons of hot water

Here’s the process!

First, make sure your oven is preheated to 350 fahrenheit.

Dissolve the yeast first in warm water, and let it sit by itself.

While it’s sitting, melt the butter. Take a large bowl and whisk together the milk, sugar, butter, the salt and your egg. Then whisk in two cups of flour. Mix it until it's a nice, smooth consistency.

Once it’s smooth, mix in the yeast mixture and more flour until the dough is easy to handle.

Sprinkle flour on a surface and knead the dough on it for a few minutes. When it’s well kneaded, put it in a greased bowl.

Cover and let sit until it’s grown to roughly twice its original size. This usually takes between one and a half hours.

When it’s reached twice its size, punch the dough back down. Using the same floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle fifteen by nine inches.

Spread your butter to cover the dough. Mix together your sugar and cinnamon, then shake or sprinkle it over your dough. Evenly spread the nuts you chose over the dough.

Starting on the long side, roll the dough. Don’t roll it too tightly, or the buns will come out too small. Make sure to pinch the edges. Cut into slices as you like - I prefer to aim for around twelve.

After coating a baking pan with melted butter, you can sprinkle sugar on it evenly. Put the cinnamon rolls atop the sugar. Make sure they’re in close proximity to each other. Let them sit without heat for forty five minutes or until the dough has risen to twice its original size.

Bake for half an hour, or until they’re cooked to your preference.

While baking, begin the glaze. Mix together the butter, vanilla extract, and the powdered sugar with hot water. Add the water by the tablespoon to make sure the glaze doesn’t get too watery.

Spread the glaze over the rolls once they’re freed from the oven and cooled slightly - just enough for the glaze to melt a little bit.

Cinnamon is an incredible, versatile spice that everyone should include in their spice cabinet.

 

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