Have a favorite cinnamon dessert? Take it to the next level with these homemade cinnamon chips. 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. I’m not a nutritional expert, but I would think that when I want these chips, there is going to be actual cinnamon in them.
So what’s a girl to do? Make your own homemade cinnamon chips!
What is in cinnamon chips?
There are only 5 necessary ingredients:
- sugar
- cinnamon
- shortening
- corn syrup
- vanilla
We prefer Saigon cinnamon for baking. We introduced it to you when we shared our apple pie recipe. It has an amazing, rich flavor that will pop in all of your cinnamon recipes. We purchase large containers of Saigon cinnamon from Costco, but you can most likely find it in your local grocery store, too.
How to Make Cinnamon Chips
- Prepare. Preheat oven to 200º Fahrenheit. If your oven runs cool, you may want to up the temperature to 225º Fahrenheit. Then line a cookie sheet with either 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 and slightly bubbly. This will take about 40-45 minutes, but watch it closely.
- Cool. Cool completely, and then cut into small pieces.
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.
Cinnamon Chips
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 200º Fahrenheit.
- Line a cookie sheet with either a piece of parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray.
- Combine the sugar, cinnamon, shortening, corn syrup and vanilla in a medium size bowl.
- Use a wooden spoon 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 and slightly bubbly. This will take about 40-45 minutes, but watch it closely.
- Cool completely, and then cut into small pieces.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe from Mind Over Batter
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Yes. If you prefer butter flavor shortening you can use it, but we use plain shortening.
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 45 minutes is good.
They may only bubble on the edges. That’s just fine! As long as the sugar looks melted in the middle, they should work.
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.
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.
Recipes with Cinnamon
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- Snickerdoodle Muffins
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- Cinnamon Crunch Bread
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- Pumpkin Pecan Cookie Pie
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- Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
I don’t keep shortening on hand so it’s either coconut oil or butter, which would be best?
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.
Cinnamon Chips
Can this recipe be made with a sugar substitute e.g.: Splenda?