Table of Contents
- What's Inside the Three Shades of Cinnamon Kit
- Korintje Apple Crisp with Brown Sugar Oat Topping
- Saigon Cinnamon Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
- Ceylon Cinnamon Maple Pear Galette
- Saigon Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing
- Korintje Cinnamon Snickerdoodles
- Three-Cinnamon Coffee Cake
- Same Word on the Label. Three Very Different Personalities.
- FAQs
Recipes for Three Shades of Cinnamon Kit - Yes, they do taste and are used completely different!
Most kitchens have one jar that simply says cinnamon, which is a little like labeling three horses “brown” and pretending they all ride the same. The Three Shades of Cinnamon Kit from Tradition Spice Company gives you Korintje, Saigon, and Ceylon side by side so you can actually taste the difference. Korintje is warm, balanced, familiar, and easygoing. Saigon is louder, sweeter, and intensely aromatic. Ceylon is delicate, floral, lightly citrusy, and better when you want cinnamon to complement the food instead of wrestling it to the ground. These six recipes give each bottle a job that fits its personality, including three fall favorites and three year-round reasons to keep cinnamon within arm's reach.
What's Inside the Three Shades of Cinnamon Kit
Korintje Cinnamon
2.6 oz regular bottleBalanced, warm, sweet, and familiar. The dependable choice for apples, cookies, oatmeal, coffee cake, and everyday baking.
Saigon Cinnamon
2.0 oz regular bottleBold, rich, sweet, and highly aromatic. Best when cinnamon is supposed to walk into the room before the dessert does.
Ceylon Cinnamon
1.6 oz regular bottleDelicate, floral, lightly citrusy, and smooth. A fine match for pears, lighter cakes, custards, fruit, and subtle desserts.
Now let's quit talking about cinnamon and start baking with it. The first three recipes lean hard into fall. The last three work any month of the year, including one coffee cake that gives all three cinnamons separate jobs because apparently even spices appreciate a little division of labor.
Korintje Apple Crisp with Brown Sugar Oat Topping
This is where Korintje feels right at home. Its familiar warmth settles into the apples instead of bulldozing them, which is exactly what you want when the fruit is supposed to taste like fruit and not a cinnamon delivery system.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Korintje Cinnamon, divided
- 6 cups peeled, sliced apples
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving if common sense prevails
Directions
Heat the oven. Preheat to 375°F and lightly butter a 9-inch square baking dish.
Season the apples. Toss the apples with 1/3 cup brown sugar, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons Korintje Cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Spread in the baking dish.
Make the topping. Mix oats, 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon Korintje Cinnamon, salt, and pecans if using. Work in the cold butter until the mixture forms uneven crumbs.
Cover the apples. Scatter the oat mixture evenly over the fruit without packing it down.
Bake until bubbling. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until the apples are tender and the topping is deeply golden.
Wait just long enough. Let it rest 10 minutes before serving warm.
Saigon Cinnamon Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
Pumpkin can swallow mild spice without even saying thank you. Saigon Cinnamon solves that problem. Its stronger aroma and richer sweetness stay noticeable through pumpkin, brown sugar, and a buttery streusel, which is why this is no place for shy cinnamon.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Saigon Cinnamon, divided
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup neutral oil
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, for streusel
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, for streusel
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
Directions
Heat the oven. Preheat to 425°F and line a 12-cup muffin pan.
Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk 1 3/4 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and 1 teaspoon Saigon Cinnamon.
Mix the pumpkin base. In another bowl, whisk pumpkin, eggs, oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth.
Bring the batter together. Fold the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture just until no dry streaks remain.
Make the streusel. Stir 1/2 cup flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and the remaining 1 teaspoon Saigon Cinnamon together. Mix in melted butter until crumbly.
Bake hot, then finish lower. Divide batter among the cups and top with streusel. Bake 5 minutes at 425°F, reduce the oven to 350°F without opening the door, then bake 14 to 16 minutes more.
Cool slightly. Let the muffins rest in the pan 10 minutes before moving them to a rack.
Ceylon Cinnamon Maple Pear Galette
Ceylon Cinnamon earns its keep when the dessert is a little quieter. Pears already bring floral sweetness, so the softer citrusy character of Ceylon fits in without barging through the front door. Maple rounds it out and a rustic galette means nobody has to pretend your pie crust edges were supposed to be perfect.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Ceylon Cinnamon
- 1 refrigerated or homemade 9-inch pie crust
- 3 firm-ripe pears, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- Pinch of salt
- 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar, optional
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, optional
Directions
Heat the oven. Preheat to 400°F and line a sheet pan with parchment.
Season the pears. Toss pears with maple syrup, cornstarch, sugar, Ceylon Cinnamon, lemon juice, orange zest, and salt.
Fill the crust. Lay the dough on the sheet pan and arrange the pears in the center, leaving a 2-inch border.
Fold it rustic. Bring the dough edges up over the fruit, pleating as needed. Brush the crust with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar and almonds if using.
Bake until deeply golden. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the pears are tender and the crust is browned.
Cool before slicing. Give it at least 15 minutes so the filling can settle down and behave itself.
Saigon Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing
If a recipe has the word cinnamon in the title, you may as well let the cinnamon show up to work. Saigon Cinnamon is the right choice here because its bold sweetness stays front and center against butter, brown sugar, yeast dough, and cream cheese icing.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Saigon Cinnamon
- 3/4 cup warm milk
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, for filling
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, for icing
- 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, as needed
Directions
Start the dough. Mix warm milk, yeast, and sugar. Let stand 5 minutes, then whisk in the egg, yolk, and melted butter.
Knead. Add flour and salt. Knead 7 to 9 minutes until smooth and slightly tacky. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Make the filling. Mix brown sugar, Saigon Cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.
Roll and fill. Roll dough into roughly a 14-by-9-inch rectangle. Spread with softened butter, then sprinkle evenly with cinnamon sugar.
Shape the rolls. Roll up tightly from the long side and cut into 12 pieces. Arrange in a greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Rise again. Cover and let puff 30 to 45 minutes while the oven heats to 350°F.
Bake. Bake 22 to 26 minutes until golden around the edges and cooked through in the center.
Ice while warm. Beat cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and enough milk to make a spreadable icing. Spoon over warm rolls.
Korintje Cinnamon Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodles don't need cinnamon fireworks. They need that warm, familiar cinnamon-sugar flavor that makes one cookie turn into three while everybody politely pretends not to count. Korintje is built for exactly that job.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Korintje Cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar, for coating
Directions
Heat the oven. Preheat to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment.
Cream the base. Beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients. Mix flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt, then stir into the butter mixture just until combined.
Make the coating. Stir the remaining 1/4 cup sugar with Korintje Cinnamon.
Roll and coat. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and roll generously in cinnamon sugar.
Bake soft. Bake 9 to 11 minutes until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft.
Cool on the pan. Let cookies sit 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.
Three-Cinnamon Coffee Cake
This is the recipe that earns the whole kit. Ceylon goes into the tender cake where its softer floral character won't get buried. Korintje builds the familiar cinnamon ribbon through the middle. Saigon takes the streusel, because the top of a coffee cake is no place for modesty.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Ceylon Cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Korintje Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Saigon Cinnamon
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, for ribbon
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, for ribbon
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, for streusel
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, for streusel
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, for streusel
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Directions
Heat the oven. Preheat to 350°F and grease a 9-inch square baking pan.
Make the streusel. Mix 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, Saigon Cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir in melted butter until large crumbs form.
Make the ribbon. Stir 1/3 cup brown sugar, Korintje Cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon flour together.
Mix the cake batter. Whisk 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and Ceylon Cinnamon. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla, then alternate the dry ingredients with sour cream until just combined.
Layer it. Spread half the batter in the pan. Sprinkle on the Korintje ribbon, cover with remaining batter, then scatter the Saigon streusel over the top.
Bake. Bake 38 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Cool before cutting. Let the cake rest at least 20 minutes so the layers hold together.
Same Word on the Label. Three Very Different Personalities.
The point of the Three Shades of Cinnamon Kit is not to decide that one cinnamon is “best.” That's like arguing whether a cast-iron skillet is better than a Dutch oven. Depends what you're cooking. Korintje is the everyday workhorse, Saigon is what you reach for when cinnamon needs to announce itself, and Ceylon is the subtle one you notice more when everything else in the recipe gives it a little room.
That makes this kit useful for more than baking six recipes and calling it a day. Taste the cinnamons side by side in oatmeal, coffee, toast, fruit, pancakes, and whatever else wanders through your kitchen. It also makes one heck of a gift for fall bakers, holiday hosts, Mother's Day, birthdays, housewarmings, or anybody who considers the smell of cinnamon rolls a valid reason to get out of bed. Give them three bottles and sooner or later they're going to start arguing with themselves about which cinnamon belongs in what. That's when you know the kit worked.
Three Shades of Cinnamon Kit - Perfection in a box - Korintje, Saigon and Ceylon
$29.75
A flavor adventure awaits with the Three Shades of Cinnamon Kit. This one-of-a-kind kit lets breakfast champions, holiday bakers, and curious cooks compare Korintje, Saigon, and Ceylon cinnamon side by side. Order it now for Mother’s Day, a hostess gift, a… read more
FAQs
Which cinnamon is best for everyday baking?
Korintje cinnamon is the best choice. It makes up most generic grocery store cinnamon in North America and offers a smooth, sweet, and classic flavor.
What makes Saigon cinnamon stand out?
Saigon cinnamon has the highest essential oil content. This creates a highly aromatic, intensely sweet, and aggressively bold, spicy flavor profile.
Why is Ceylon cinnamon called "true" cinnamon?
Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) is the only botanical "true cinnamon". It features a delicate, multi-layered bark with a mild, complex, and floral flavor.
