The Cinnamon Chip Handbook

Lou Ann’s Super Luscious Cinnamon Chip French Toast

This stuff is incredible. It's not like ordinary French toast, nor is it like other stuffed French toast. Stuffed French toast is way better than ordinary French toast, and this is way better than other stuffed French toast. It's the best French toast ever.

I shared Lou Ann’s recipe with Sharyn, my good friend in the neighborhood. She made it for her family. They gobbled it up—mostly before she got her share. Now she’s making more.

Usually, when we think of cinnamon chips, we think of banana bread, zucchini bread, or cookies. But French toast? But this French toast is fried in a skillet with enough butter that it turns crispy like French fries. And it’s got a filling of whipped cream cheese and cinnamon chips that melt in the cooking for a burst of sweet cinnamon in every bite.

The batter for dipping is more like tempura instead of just an egg wash. It's luscious! And it’s easy to make. 

Sharyn dusted hers with a little powdered sugar.

If you can make a grilled cheese sandwich, you can make this. It's just better than a grilled cheese sandwich.

This is a breakfast masterpiece you really ought to make for your family. Your breakfast will be legendary. Your family will gobble this up too.

We recommend caramelly Buttermilk Syrup for this. Buttermilk syrup is caramelly with notes of butterscotch. It makes everything better. 

Consider Italian Country Bread for this French toast.  It's a rustic artesian loaf with just a touch of sour.

 For a similar experience, check out Crème Brûlée French Toast.

About the Creator

Lou Ann is a master in the kitchen. She is the only person we’ve ever known that would purchase a cookbook, start with the first recipe, and then bake her way through the book. Her husband told me that if he could find a way to put her bed in the kitchen, she would be forever happy.

But she was more than a cook or a baker. She was an experimenter. We would give her a recipe to try, and she would immediately try to improve it. Often her creations were amazing.

We cherish her recipes.

The Recipe

This stuffed French toast is lightly battered and fried in butter. The outside is light and crispy. It’s made with whipped cream cheese with cinnamon chips.

Choose your bread here.

 

Ingredients

• 6 ounces cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup cinnamon chips
• 10 slices of good-quality bread
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup cold milk
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• butter for frying

 

Directions

1. Whip the cream cheese with the sugar until it is soft and fluffy. Fold in the cinnamon chips.
2. Spread the cream cheese mixture on half the slices of bread and top with the other half to form sandwiches.
3. Whisk the egg, milk, and vanilla together. Gradually stir in the flour until you have a smooth thin batter, like gravy.
4. Heat a skillet with a couple of tablespoons of butter in it. When the skillet is hot, dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture, turning to cover both sides, and then place them in the hot skillet.
5. Cook one side of the sandwiches and then the other until the French toast is lightly browned. Serve immediately.

 

Cinnamon Chip Zucchini Bread Recipe

We got this cinnamon chip recipe from a customer, maybe 15 years ago. We've been using and sharing it since then. It's fabulous. And it's famous in our little community.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups grated zucchini squash
• 1 1/2 cups cinnamon chips

 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
2. Stir the flour to break up any clumps, making it light and fluffy. Spoon the lightened flour into a measuring cup to get 3 cups. (Scooping the flour out of the bag or bin compresses the flour, making it denser and heavier.)
3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside.
4. In a smaller bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla together. Fold in the sour cream, oil, and zucchini.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the cinnamon chips. Do not continue stirring.
6. Pour the batter into two well-greased 8 1/2 x 4 ½-inch loaf pans. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean. Cool for ten minutes on a rack before removing the loaves from the pans.

 

 

Banana Cinnamon Chip Muffin Recipe

This is another old-time cinnamon chip recipe from the annals of The Prepared Pantry. Back in those days, we were kind of obsessed with tall domes on our muffins, trying to push the last quarter inch out of them.

A hot oven makes a taller muffin as water in the batter turns to steam and lifts the muffin higher. So, we would set the oven temperature to 400 or even 425 degrees, let it heat, and then put the pan in the oven.  After about eight minutes, we would reduce the heat to 350 degrees to finish baking.

We don't do that anymore. It's too much trouble for too little reward. If you want high domes, use a stiff batter and overfill the muffin cavities.

You should be able to get high domes with this recipe.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 cups ripe mashed banana
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream (not low-fat)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon banana flavor
• 1 cup pecan or walnut pieces
• 3/4 cup cinnamon chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

1. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
2. In another bowl, mix the mashed banana, sugar, sour cream, vegetable oil, egg yolks, and vanilla together.
3. Add wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until the ingredients are mixed well. Fold in the nuts and cinnamon chips.
4. Fill the well-greased tins nearly full. Use all the batter for twelve standard muffins.
5. Bake for 8 minutes at 400 degrees. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes or until done. Let the muffins sit for five minutes and remove them from the pan to a rack to cool.

 

Streusel Topping (Optional)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup pecan or walnut pieces
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

 

Directions:

To make the streusel topping, combine all the ingredients and stir until well combined and crumbly. Sprinkle over the muffins before baking.

Raggedy Ann Cinnamon Chip Muffins Recipe

This recipe makes ten large, well-domed muffins or 12 smaller ones.

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• one teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup whole rolled oats
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup cinnamon chips

 

For the topping:

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a muffin pan.

1. Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl. Add the buttermilk and vanilla. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the liquid ingredients. Stir only until combined. Add the cinnamon chips.
4. Drop the batter into the greased muffin cups. Mix the two tablespoons of sugar with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Spoon the cinnamon sugar over the muffins.
5. Place the muffin pan in the oven. Immediately turn the temperature down to 375 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes or until done. Baking times will vary depending on how well your oven holds heat. Cool the muffins on a wire rack.

 Cinnamon Chip Zucchini Cookies

These are large cookies, which is some of their appeal. If you make smaller cookies, reduce baking times.

See below for directions for preparing zucchini for baking.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon premium brown sugar flavor or Madagascar vanilla extract, 
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon high-quality cinnamon, Vietnamese preferred
• 1 cup cinnamon chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup grated zucchini, fresh

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Either line a baking sheet with parchment paper or thoroughly grease it to prevent sticking.

1. Cream together the butter, both sugars, and salt until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, ensuring each is fully integrated before adding the next.
2. Mix the baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon into the flour.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, beating until just combined. The dough should be thick and malleable, resembling clay. 
3. Add the zucchini, the cinnamon chips and walnuts, just until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough but without overmixing.
4. Scoop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheet using a large ice cream scoop for uniformity. Leave room for the cookies to expand.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. The bottoms of the cookies should be a golden color, not browned.

Promptly transfer the baked cookies to cooling racks. 

Baker’s notes:

These are large cookies, which is some of their appeal. If you make smaller cookies, reduce baking times.

Zucchini is mostly water. If you use frozen zucchini or if the zucchini has residual water, drain it. We always used freshly grated zucchini, and the cookies were consistent. If your cookies spread too much, add a little flour or turn the temperature up.

This recipe is more than just a guide; it's an invitation to explore the depths of your culinary creativity. Each batch tells a story, and with each spice you add, you weave your own narrative into these delectable treats. Enjoy the process, share your creations, and most importantly, savor the journey of baking.

 

How to Make a German Pancake with Cinnamon Chips

A German pancake is cooked in a rectangular pan and puffs, swells, and rolls as it cooks.  It’s rich and eggy and swells with steam much like its cousin, a popover.

They’re easy to put together, just mix and stick it in the oven.  This is a four-egg German pancake that fits in a 9 x 9-inch pan.

1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup sliced, tart cooking apples (about 2 small apples)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup pannekoeken mix
1 cup milk
4 large eggs
3/4 cup cinnamon chips
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

1. Cut butter into smaller pieces, place them in the pan, and put them in the oven.  As soon as the butter melts, sprinkle the brown sugar over the bottom of the pan.
2. Mix the batter by whisking the mix, milk, and eggs together.  A few lumps may remain, but it should be smoother than pancake batter.  The batter will be thin.
3. Take the hot pan from the oven and pour the batter over the brown sugar.
4. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the pancake starts to set up a bit. Sprinkle the cinnamon chips over the batter.
5. Continue to bake for 8 to 10 minutes.  It’s done when the pancake is puffed and the edges are brown.

Serve your German pancake right out of the oven with maple syrup, cinnamon cream syrup, or cinnamon apple passion syrup.  

 

Classy Cinnamon Chocolate Chippers

These are classy chocolate chip cookies. They are made with one-third cinnamon chips and two-thirds chocolate chips. They are busy cookies--with walnuts--and classy cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter 
• ³/4 cup granulated sugar
• ³/4 cup light brown sugar (packed)
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¹/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• ¹/2 cup quick rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teapoon cinnamon
• 2 2/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 3/4 cups chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

1. In a stand mixer on medium speed, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar for about 2 minutes.
2. Reduce the speed to low, add eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon juice, and blend for thirty seconds. Increase the speed to medium and mix until light and fluffy, about two minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
3. Reduce the speed to low, add flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and blend for about 45 seconds.
4. Gently stir in cinnamon chips, chocolate chips, and walnuts.
5. Use a cookie scoop (about three tablespoons) to measure out the dough and drop two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
6. Bake for about 20-23 minutes, or until the bottoms are light brown, and the centers are still soft. Remove from the oven and cool on racks.

How to Prepare Your Zucchini for Baking  

Zucchini is 93% water. If you don’t get some of that water out, your batter will turn to soup. Some sites say to blanch your squash before freezing. We’ve never bothered, though we do press and drain the squash to remove much of the water. 

We also add the grated squash to the batter last, gently stirring it in only until combined. Continuing to stir will force more water out of the squash, making the batter wetter.

We have included the instructions for blanching if you choose to do so.

1. Wash and trim the zucchini. If you are using large squash, remove the seedy pulp and save only the firmer flesh. Do not skin.
2. Grate the zucchini.
3. Stir in a little salt—a teaspoon per large bowl will do. The salt will draw moisture from the squash. Let it sit in a bowl for an hour.
4. Drain the grated squash in a colander. Gently press the grated squash with your hand to force off more water. Most of the salt will drain off with the water.

If you're going to freeze your prepared zucchini, measure the squash in two-cup increments and freeze in freezer bags. Place your frozen zucchini in a freezer. The freezer part of your refrigerator is not as cold.