How to Use Cinnamon Sticks: 6 Uses for Cinnamon Sticks

Cinnamon is a spice that comes from the inner bark of the tropical Cinnamomum tree (colloquially known as the cinnamon tree), sold as rolled quills (cinnamon sticks) or ground into a fine powder.

Cinnamon contains several aromatic compounds, the most recognizable of which is cinnamaldehyde, which gives cinnamon its spicy bite.

There are various types of cinnamon including the most common form, cassia cinnamo, also known as Chinese cinnamon. Popular in East Asia and the US, cassia cinnamon has dark, thick, and coarse quills in a double-spiral shape, and a bittersweet, burning-spicy flavor due to high levels of cinnamaldehyde. A source of antioxidants and other anti-inflammatory health benefits, cinnamon is a common ingredient in desserts, savory dishes, and alcoholic beverages.

You can use whole cinnamon sticks, or cinnamon quills, in a variety of dishes, from hot drinks and stews to pies, curries, and casseroles:

1. 1. Stir into hot cocoa. Come wintertime, prepare some hot cocoa with marshmallows and milk. Use your cinnamon stick as a stirrer. After sitting in the hot chocolate for a bit, the stick will start to disintegrate, adding a pleasant cinnamon taste to your drink.
2. 2. Grind for an apple pie. Fresh cinnamon sticks can help bring spice to a classic apple pie. Place three whole cinnamon sticks into your coffee grinder and pulse until ground finely. Measure out the cinnamon to your recipe’s instructions and mix in with your other ingredients. Top with vanilla ice cream when the pie is done and sprinkle with the remaining ground cinnamon.
3. 3. Make homemade cinnamon tea. You can make tea simply with hot water and cinnamon sticks. In a small saucepan, combine one cup of water with one cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, then let the mixture simmer for fifteen minutes. Remove the remains of the stick, then pour the tea through a strainer to catch any large chunks of cinnamon. Drink hot and add lemon, milk, or cream as desired.
4. 4. Add to your phở broth. Cinnamon is key to many savory Asian dishes, including phở. When creating your broth, add in a cinnamon stick to flavor your phở. After the broth is done, remove the stick and any other added herbs (such as bay leaves or thyme) before serving.
5. 5. Mix in with basmati rice. If you are creating a curry or a sweeter Persian rice dish with raisins or dried cherries, you can add a cinnamon stick into your pot of rice for a warm, woody flavor.
6. 6. Garnish a hot toddy. Make this alcoholic beverage in the fall or winter, and add a cinnamon stick as a seasonal garnish. The cinnamon stick will slightly flavor this whiskey-infused drink.

Even after processing in a grinder, the spice from cinnamon sticks will not dissolve fully into liquids or mixtures. Since these rolls come from the bark of cinnamon trees, they are too fibrous to fully dissolve. This is even true of finer cinnamon powder from grocery stores; particles from cinnamon sticks and ground cinnamon alike will instead absorb water and, when added to beverages, will float to the top of your drink.

When cooking with cinnamon, follow a recipe to see whether to use ground cinnamon or cinnamon sticks. Baking recipes often require ground cinnamon. For dishes that cook over a long period (such as curries or stews), cinnamon sticks and ground cinnamon can both work well, as the former will have time to disintegrate and flavor the pot. (Just remember to remove the stick before serving.)

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