Cinnamon Chips

I've had these from the Bright Eyed Baker bookmarked forever, but never got around to them.  Part of the problem was that my Vons apparently only buys one case of Karo syrup a year.  As early as March, they didn't have any.  Finally thought to check on a visit to Target, and here we are.

I didn't know that cinnamon chips existed until we started using them at work.  The grocery store didn't have them.  Same store that didn't have corn syrup, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised.  I could have bought them online, but it wasn't worth the shipping.  I went looking online for a recipe, and of course found one.  It's very rare not to find something online, but it does happen occasionally.

This is a very simple recipe, up to the point of cutting out thousands of chips.  It isn't difficult to cut through the slab, just time-consuming.  I was also in a rush to get to Kol Nidre, so there wasn't a lot of patience to be had.  A lazy day off, when you're looking for projects to keep you from watching yet another Hallmark movie, is a good time to do these.  They keep.

2/3 C sugar
3 Tb cinnamon
2 Tb shortening
2 Tb light corn syrup

1.  Preheat oven to 200º.  If you have a Silpat to place on your baking sheet, it works great.  If not, pan spray a piece of parchment.

2.  In a bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.  Cinnamon tends to repel wet ingredients, but sugar absorbs them, so it's like tricking the cinnamon into softening.  Stir in shortening and corn syrup until everything becomes crumbly.

3.  Spread mix on prepared sheet.  I used an offset spatula to press it into a flat-ish, sort-of rectangle about 1/4" thick.  At some point, I realized I could use the rolling pin with thickness guides, but the mix stuck to the pin quite a bit and I almost had to start over.

4.  Bake for 35 minutes.  It isn't going to look hard, but it will firm up as it cools.  You're not making bark, where you crack it.  This has to be soft enough to cut.

5.  When cooled, transfer to a cutting board.  I tore mine into several pieces to make it easier to do straight lines.  Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut into 1/4" cubes.  Thousands of them.  It's going to take about ten minutes.  If not using immediately, store in a sealed container.  They should keep for at least a month.  I used mine the next day, so I can't vouch for it.

Makes about 1 cup of chips

Difficulty rating. π