Julie Clark
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Cinnamon Chips Recipe
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Have a favorite cinnamon dessert? Take it to the next level with this homemade cinnamon chips recipe. Only 5 ingredients and easy to make!
Have you ever tried Hershey cinnamon chips in any of your cookie recipes or cake recipes? They are certainly convenient if you can find them. But here’s a little secret….cinnamon isn’t even listed as an ingredient.
Seriously….go take a look. All the ingredients say is “natural flavor”. So yes, some of that flavor could be cinnamon. But I would love to see cinnamon as an actual ingredient.
So what’s a girl to do when you need cinnamon chips for baking? Make your own homemade cinnamon chips with this recipe!
What are cinnamon chips made of?
There are only 5 necessary ingredients:
- sugar
- ground cinnamon
- vegetable shortening
- corn syrup
- vanilla extract
For this recipe I prefer Korintji Cinnamon. It has an amazing, sweet flavor that will pop in all of your cinnamon recipes. We purchase large containers of this cinnamon from Amazon, but you can most likely find it in your local grocery store, too.
How to Make Cinnamon Chips
- Prepare. Preheat oven to 225º Fahrenheit. Then line a rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure you don’t skip that step. Melted sugar is a beast to get off pans.
- Mix. Combine the sugar, cinnamon, shortening, corn syrup and vanilla in a medium size bowl. Use a wooden spoon or two forks to combine the mixture until it is well mixed.
- Press. Pour the cinnamon mixture on the prepared sheet. Use the palms of your hands to press and flatten the mixture to be about 1/4″ thick.
- Bake. Bake until cinnamon sugar mixture is melted slightly. This will take about 30-35 minutes, but watch it closely.
- Cool. Cool completely, and then cut into small pieces with a knife or a pizza cutter.
What do cinnamon chips go in?
So many different ideas! Consider adding them to:
- Homemade pancake batter
- Cinnamon chips scones
- Sprinkle them over vanilla ice cream.
- Crush them over vanilla yogurt, fruit dip or a hearty oatmeal.
- Snickerdoodle muffins
- The Best Snickerdoodles
- Cinnamon crunch bread. Better than Panera Bread!
- Cinnamon crunch pumpkin knots
- Add to pumpkin spice cake batter.
- Add to filling of pumpkin cinnamon rolls or traditional cinnamon rolls.
Can you use butter instead of shortening?
You can use butter instead of shortening, but butter has a higher melting point so the chips will get a little crispier than they will with shortening. We prefer shortening because it keeps the chips soft and tender.
You could also use butter flavored shortening.
My cinnamon mixture isn’t melting in the oven. Why?
This can happen for many reasons such as oven temperature, type of pan used, and how thick you’ve pressed out the mixture. If you feel like you need to give it more time, you can. We find that about 30 minutes is good.
My cinnamon chips aren’t bubbling in the middle. Is that ok?
As long as the sugar looks melted in the middle, they should work.
Can you use pumpkin spice or nutmeg along with the cinnamon?
Yes! We think that is a great idea. I would still use cinnamon, but add in other spices of your choice to equal the 3 tablespoons.
Can I melt these cinnamon chips to make a smooth glaze or drizzle?
No. These cinnamon chips will not melt like other packaged chocolate chips after they are made. They are best used baked, cooled and as an addition to batters and doughs.
How do you store cinnamon chips?
You can store your cinnamon chips in an airtight container at room temperature if you plan to use them relatively soon.
Can you freeze cinnamon chips?
Yes! We’ve frozen cinnamon chips in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Allow them to defrost, then add them to your desserts.
You may also love our cinnamon roll pie crust and taco corn casserole!
Cinnamon Chips Recipe
Have a favorite cinnamon dessert? Take it to the next level with this homemade cinnamon chips recipe. Only 5 ingredients and easy to make!
Servings 8
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar 136 grams
- 3 tablespoons ground Saigon cinnamon 16 grams
- 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening 25 grams
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 46 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 grams
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225º Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray.
- Combine the sugar, cinnamon, shortening, corn syrup and vanilla in a medium size bowl. Use two forks to combine the mixture until it is well mixed.
- Pour the cinnamon mixture on the prepared sheet. Use the palms of your hands to press and flatten the mixture to be about 1/4" thick.
- Bake until cinnamon sugar mixture is melted slightly. This will take about 30-35 minutes, but watch it closely.
- Cool completely, and then cut into small pieces.
Video
Notes
This recipe makes about 2 cups. We often double the recipe. If you double the recipe, press it onto the pan in two smaller sections instead of one large section. This will help it cook evenly.
The calories shown are based on the recipe making 2 cups, with 1 serving being ¼ cup of chips. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**
Nutrition
Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 13mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 9IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg
I don’t use shortening any more now that it is made with soybean oil
Okay, so it is nice to be able to make my own of something. And thank you for putting this out so we can do that- except you forgot one thing (or 5 things if you will) the amounts! How much of these ingredients do you use. I know it can’t be equal amounts of each, that would be insane. I would love to be able to try this recipe but will have to put this on hold until I find out how much of each I will be using. Thank you.
Is there any substitute for the granulated sugar?
Can you use a silicone mat instead of parchment paper?
Not sure I did it correctly, the disc seeped the oil out but I was able to cut them up and use in the scone. The scones were tender and moist and the chips did give that extra burst of cinnamon but the leaked out of the scone while baking. I’m going to try again . I did weigh my ingredients for exact measurement so not sure if that what was supposed to happen .
An absolute essential for my Pecan Streusel Coffee Cake and Cinnamon Scones. This is the easiest recipe ever. If you can find the British Lyle’s Golden Syrup it could sub for Corn Syrup. I don’t bother although I might try it sometime
How dry are the chips after cooling? Could I put them in a dry muffin mix to store for later, or are they moist enough to make the mix clump?
Sounds delicious. Can there be a substitute for corn syrup?
Can this recipe be made with a sugar substitute e.g.: Splenda?
Cinnamon Chips
I don’t have shortening on hand. I have many oils, butter, even ghee. I was thinking peanut oil since the smoke point is quite high.
I don’t keep shortening on hand so it’s either coconut oil or butter, which would be best?