Without cinnamon, baking would lose much of its savor

While flour, eggs, butter and sugar provide essential support to desserts, bakers look to spices to impart that irresistible edge to their signature recipes. Without flavor infusions from zesty ingredients, our sweet treats would be palatable, but oh so boring.

Bakers reach for cinnamon more often than other ingredients on the pantry shelf to perk up their desserts. Unlike other spices, ground cinnamon offers perfect seasoning power in an easy-to-use package. Cinnamon teases the senses with its enticing aroma and out-of-this-world taste.

Let's learn more about this culinary powerhouse.

Surprisingly, cinnamon comes from the bark of trees. Not just any tree mind you, but those found in the temperate climes of Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

The majority of cinnamon imported to the U.S. is harvested from the cassia tree family. Native to Southeast Asia and Indonesia, cassia cinnamon boasts a reddish brown hue with pungent aroma and taste. Seldom marketed here, Ceylon cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka and offers milder flavors.

When harvesting cinnamon trees the bark is stripped into curls or quills, what we know as cinnamon sticks. To preserve the spicy flavors and unique essence of cinnamon, sticks are ground just before packaging and distribution.

Our baking ancestors treasured cinnamon for flavor and its culinary secrets. Known as a preservative, ground cinnamon offers phenols that slow bacteria and mold growth. Baked into breads and cakes, ground cinnamon extends shelf life.

Today's recipe offers my favorite way to enjoy the exquisite flavors of ground cinnamon: paired with fresh apples. While pie showcases the fruit and cake recipes center on structure, bars provide a dessert base where cinnamon flavors rule.

Starting with a standard bar recipe, I substituted light brown sugar for granulated. Apples bring natural sugar to the mix and the molasses in the brown sugar tones down the sweet tastes while imparting mild caramel notes.

I creamed the butter and brown sugar for my initial recipe test with disappointing results. My taste buds envisioned a dense bar boasting a sweet and spicy bite, and this didn't cut it.

To enhance the caramel flavors and ignite the cinnamon, I melted the brown sugar and butter with the ground cinnamon. One whiff of that intoxicating spicy aroma and I knew success to be close at hand. For flavor layering, vanilla extract whisks into the cooled mixture.

My original spice bar recipe called for applesauce as the fruit of choice. While tasty, this ingredient in its liquid state adds too much sugar to the batter. Grated tart apples offers a fresh fruit taste without over sweetening the dessert.

Last but not least, I doubled the amount of ground cinnamon. That might sound risky, but trust me on this one. Let your taste buds experience the robust and sensational flavor of cinnamon.

Cinnamon Apple Bars

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

½ cup unsalted butter

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 large eggs

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup peeled and grated tart apples, such as Granny Smith, packed

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease bottom of a 7-by-11-inch baking pan.

In medium saucepan over low heat melt brown sugar, butter and cinnamon, stirring until combined and smooth. Remove from heat and spoon into large heatproof bowl. Set aside 5 minutes to cool.

Whisk eggs and vanilla into cooled mixture. Scrape bowl well. Add flour and baking powder. Stir until almost all the flour is incorporated. Add grated apples and stir until combined. Scrape bowl well.

Pour into pan and bake 18 to 20 minutes just until center springs back when touched. Do not over bake. Bars will firm upon cooling.

Serves 15.

Baker's hint: To add a savory bite, sprinkle ½ cup chopped walnuts on top of batter before baking.

Nutrition values per serving: 137 calories, 7g fat (4 g saturated fat), 2 g protein, 17 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 45 mg cholesterol, 30 mg sodium.