Cinnamon: Tinctures and Oatcakes. Natural DIY perfume good enough to eat.

Cinnamon sticks in tincture (L); filtered tincture (R).

I’ve been in the mood for oatcakes recently, after reading an engrossing adventure story about Anglo Saxons.  They feasted on old world dishes like flummery (pudding), roasted sheep head, and oatcakes drenched in honey.  While I'll pass on the sheep head, I found a Scottish recipe for oatcakes that seemed remarkably simple and easy, using only five ingredients (flour, oats, butter or shortening, baking powder and salt).  Of course, back in the day, things weren’t so quick when you had to do everything by hand (grind the oats, knead the fat in).  Note, there’s no sugar in this recipe, as they are meant to be drizzled with honey, or eaten as a savory side dish.

I decided to added cinnamon and raisins to my second batch.  Cinnamon, in addition to adding a delicate spiciness, is a proven anti-inflammatory and helps to regulate blood sugar, as well as discourage yeast infections.

As I waited for my oatcakes to finish baking, the buttery cinnamony smell filling my kitchen, I realized cinnamon would be a great spice to tincture.  I pulled out my glass jam bottles and filled them a quarter way with broken cinnamon sticks and pre-ground cinnamon, which was what I had on hand. I think the ideal cinnamon would be fresh ground using a spice grinder, but I hadn’t replaced my broken one yet.  Last, I poured in organic alcohol, then sealed tightly.

After a week of shaking my cinnamon tincture, I strained it through a coffee filter.  The color was a deep red amber, the smell was all cinnamon.  Aromatherapists use cinnamon to address sexual disorders.  I can see this tincture blending well with many of the oils used to address sacral chakra imbalances, such as ylang ylang, jasmine, patchouli and myrrh.

For those who’d rather eat their cinnamon than tincture it, here is the Scottish Oat Cake recipe (I added the cinnamon and raisins, for a total of 7 ingredients):

Preheat oven to 375.

Pulse in food processor:

1 c. flour

1 c. oats

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 stick butter (1/2 c), cubed, or shortening

Slowly add cold water, 1 T at a time until dough comes together.  It usually takes me 1-2 T max.  

Mix in by hand ½ c. raisins, or just add to food processor at the end to mix in and pulse in.  Do not overprocess dough or you will have tough dough.  Less is more.

Pat dough into a flat round shape about 8 inches in diameter, cut into 8 wedges and bake for about 15 minutes.  Let cool, then drizzle with honey.