Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

The air is cold, the skies are grey. I find myself admitting that fall is here and here to stay. After several rainy days in a row, I want to wrap myself up in a blanket and drink hot tea whenever I catch a glance out of the window. The trees are just barely taking on color, the leaves not yet gathering on the ground. The air is damp with fog and humidity, not with the crispness I love and remember. With a miserable weather forecast for the next few days, including a prediction of snow, I'm happy spending my time indoors.

I wonder if fall will feel the same in this new town, as it did back home.

When I finally let my hold on summer pass, the warm scent of vanilla and cinnamon begin to fill my kitchen. Cinnamon is the feeling of autumn for me, the essence of the season all bottled up in a single smell and taste. While pumpkin or caramel or apples may define the season for others, it is this single spice that warms my soul.

Each fall, as soon as the weather grows cold, I like to buy myself a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread. Toasted, with a spread of butter, is my version of autumn happiness. This year, instead of finding my loaf of bread on the shelf, I decided to make it myself.

The dough is made with milk to give the bread tenderness and melted butter to add a richness. While I mixed in 3/4 cup raisins, I would recommend a few more if you are a raisin lover and a few less if you are not—it can be tweaked to your personal tastes. The swirl of cinnamon is what makes the bread for me. Though the cinnamon is only rolled throughout the dough, the scent and taste seems to pervade the rest of the loaf, giving a pleasant flavor to each and every bite.

Enjoy when the season beckons and cinnamon is on the menu.

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread evokes feelings and flavors of autumn. Bread dough is scattered with raisins, rolled out, spread with cinnamon and sugar, and rolled together to create a cinnamon swirl. Even though the outside of the loaf may not be beautiful, it really is the inside that counts with this bread. Spread with butter, honey, or peanut butter, this bread is taken to another level and makes a perfect chilly morning breakfast.

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Mint Sugar

As a food photographer, I find myself buying mint periodically, popping it into the occasional photograph for a bit of color. While I like to add a sprig to lemonade from time to time, mint rarely gets much use in my kitchen. The leaves are often left in the refrigerator until they are forgotten (a fate of which I am not proud). Though mint leaves are ubiquitous in Indian cuisine, my Midwestern roots have offered me fewer uses for them. I am pointed in the direction of mojitos and like minded drinks, but rarely elsewhere.

After filling my refrigerator with mint recently, I decided I wasn't going to allow this batch to go unused or uneaten.

After scouring the internet for dessert ideas, I came up empty handed. While peppermint complements sweets well, its minty cousin has a little less love on its side. Despite this, I challenged myself to find a way to use up the leaves. Crushing mint leaves allows the oils inside to release, creating an aromatic scent and a bright flavor. With this in mind, I grabbed a mortar and pestle, grinding the leaves together with a little granulated sugar.

Mint infused sugar seemed like a great place to begin.

Truthfully, after licking off the sugar that found its way onto the tips of my fingers, mint sugar was not only the beginning, but the end. I grabbed a few strawberries and blueberries from the kitchen, sprinkled the mint sugar on top, and called it a fruit salad. The mint sugar, while subtle, elevated the salad into something special. Later, I macerated strawberries in the sugar before spooning them over shortcakes.

The mint sugar has a range of uses, from sweetening fruits and salad dressings to adding a bright pop on the tops of sugar cookies, making it a versatile tool in the kitchen.

Mint Sugar is an infusion of mint into granulated sugar. The ratio of mint to sugar is 1:2, which means that the recipe can be made as large or as small as you choose. While the mint sugar will keep in the refrigerator for a day or two, it is best when it is freshly made. Whether you rim it around your next cocktails or sprinkle it onto your next fruit salad, mint sugar is a quick fix that can help your next dish sparkle.

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Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

The rich spice of cinnamon and the sweet tone of sugar compose one of my nearest and dearest comfort flavors. As far back as I can remember, cinnamon and sugar have been a sweet force in my life. The flavors complement each other so well, becoming the Sonny and Cher or Simon and Garfunkel of the culinary world.

Growing up, my babysitter would feed me cinnamon sugar toast on cold winter afternoons, after I had trudged home from school in the snow. The hot toast with a layer of melted butter and the spicy crunch of cinnamon sugar warmed my insides and brought the life back into my cheeks.

My mother makes a spectacular side dish out of white rice and cinnamon. A cross between sweet rice pudding and savory white rice, it is my favorite pairing to a grilled chicken breast. Nevertheless, the rice is creamy and just ever so sweet, with a thick sprinkling of cinnamon on top. Someday, I will be certain to share this treat with you, too.

Yet, cinnamon and sugar have found more subtle ways to pervade my life. My grandmother would coat her leftover pie crust pieces with cinnamon and sugar to make sweet, flaky cookies while we waited for the pie to bake. My mother grew up sprinkling cinnamon and sugar atop her pancakes, using a swirl of cream instead of maple syrup. I adore a light dusting of cinnamon and sugar on top of my morning oatmeal, making me feel as if I'm being decadent while enjoying a healthy meal.

That may be what I love most about cinnamon sugar—it's a sweet, simple way to bring decadence into everyday life.

These Cinnamon Sugar Muffins have a very unique taste and texture. It's almost as if a muffin and a doughnut got a little too cozy in the oven and popped out a batch of these muffins. Made with a little whole wheat flour, it's fun to pretend these are healthy (as long as you ignore the fact that the muffins are dipped in melted butter). These are lovely for both breakfast and a snack (and sometimes for both of these moments in the same day).

With my love for cinnamon sugar, these muffins were bound to happen sooner or later. The same, I think, can be said for this cake.

These Cinnamon Sugar Muffins are sweet and addictive. The muffins, straight from the oven, are not terribly sweet but they have a fantastic spiced flavor due to a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon. After cooling slightly, the muffin tops are dipped into melted butter and coated with cinnamon sugar. I love these plain, with no spreads or additives. Warm from the oven, these may very well be a small piece of heaven.

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