Cinnamon, oh cinnamon, how I love thee

Cinnamon, oh cinnamon, how I love thee!

Cinnamon - that most popular of spices - comes from the bark of an evergreen tree. Cinnamon's sweet, spicy and warm fragrance adds pungent sweetness to your favorite baked goodies. You can also use it to add a depth of flavor to savory dishes as well.
Though often used interchangeably, cassia and cinnamon are not the same. Cinnamomum cassia (grown primarily in China and Indonesia) is reddish-brown and pungently sweet, while Cinnamomum zeylanicum (from Sri Lanka and India) is buff-colored and mild. Cassia is usually preferred for its more intense color and flavor.
True cinnamon, also known as Ceylon cinnamon, is obtained from C. verum, grown in Sri Lanka.

It's tan and very mild.
Vietnamese (Cinnamomum loureirri)
Formally known as Saigon cinnamon, this special variety is rebounding in popularity in the U.S., following a more than 20-year absence. Compared to Indonesian types, Vietnamese cinnamon has a distinctly sweet flavor and an exceptionally high volatile oil content. Gourmet cooks rate it as the highest quality cinnamon in the world.
Chinese (Cinnamomum aromaticum)
Chinese cinnamon possesses characteristics similar to those of Vietnamese cinnamon, but with a less intense flavor. In China, the bark is typically peeled from the trees starting at 10 years of age and continuing as long as 30 years.
Ceylon (Cinnamomum verum)
This cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka (though grown in India, the East and West Indies, and Central America). The cultivated variety grows 8 to 10 feet and resembles a shrub rather than a tree. Most of the product in the U.S. is sold in the stick form.
Korintje (Cinnamomum burmanii)
The most commonly found cinnamon in American kitchens is Indonesian cassia. It is sourced from higher elevations and is harvested a bit earlier than Chinese and Vietnamese cinnamon. Korintjetranslates as “thick quill” and is judged for quality based on the part of the tree that is harvested (trunk vs. branch) and on the length of the bark peeled from the tree. We bring you the highest quality Korintje cinnamon available.
To harvest cinnamon, the inside pulp of the evergreen is scraped out, then ground, and the quill pieces (cinnamon sticks) are selected for drying and grading according to size, color and quality. Trimmings and waste pieces are sold as cinnamon chips or used to distill the essential oil. The cinnamon is then graded according to quality. Grade A cinnamon has the highest oil content and the most intense flavor and aroma. In addition, quills harvested for Grade A cinnamon must be one meter long and taken from the main trunk of the tree.

Cinnamon is valued today for its carminative, antiseptic and astringent quality, and its medicinal significance is still being explored. Dr. Richard Anderson, Ph.D., lead scientist at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland, for example, found that compounds in cinnamon improve the body's ability to use insulin to improve blood glucose levels. These findings are promising, especially for diabetics.

The history of cinnamon is laced with legend, exotic trade routes and struggles for monopoly. The ancient Chinese believed that the cassia tree--which flourished in the Garden of Paradise on the Yellow River--was the "Tree of Life." Eating its fruit, they said, led to immortality. Ancient Egyptians used cinnamon for medicinal purposes and embalming, and the ancient Romans enjoyed it in wines and as a fragrance, beauty-salve and aphrodisiac. When Nero killed his wife,
Poppaea Sabina, he had all the cinnamon in Rome (a year's supply of imports) burned in homage at
her funeral.

Cinnamon Pecan Blondie Recipe
7 T unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
2 cups light brown sugar (soft, please, not rock hard)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup plus 2 T all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (about 4 ounces) pecan halves or pieces
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176° C). Butter a 9-inch square baking dish and line it with parchment paper, allowing the paper to extend beyond the edge of the pan.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the sugar and cinnamon and stir until the mixture is really quite smooth, 6 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes or so, until the mixture is cool to the touch.
3. Using a wooden spoon, beat the eggs into the cooled butter mixture until thoroughly combined. Dump the flour on top of the buttery goo mixture, sprinkle with the baking powder, and stir just the dry ingredients on to of the buttery goo together. (This evenly disperses the baking powder throughout the flour without messing up another bowl.) Then gently stir the dry ingredients into the buttery goo. Stir in the pecans, mixing just until combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
4. Bake the blondies until golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. (You may wish to start checking them at 25 minutes, especially if using one of those brownie pan contraptions mentioned in the LC Note above.) Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Using the excess parchment as handles, carefully remove the blondies from the pan and transfer to a wire rack. Now’s the hard part—you have to wait until the blondies are completely cooled. Then dust liberally with confectioners’ sugar and cut into 30 (or so) squares.

Cinnamon Baked French Toast
1 loaf French Bread or brioche
8 large eggs
2 cups milk
½ cup heavy whipping cream
¾ cups granulated sugar
2 T vanilla extract
Streusel Topping:
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
1. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Tear French bread into chunks, or cut into cubes,  and evenly place in the pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Pour evenly over bread. Cover pan with saran wrap and store in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add butter pieces and cut into the dry mixture using a fork or your hands. Combine until the mixture resembles sand with a few pea sized chunks. Cover and store mixture in the refrigerator.
4. When you’re ready to bake the French toast, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casserole from refrigerator  and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top.  Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the French toast is set and golden brown.
5. Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.