Great ways to sprinkle sweetness with cinnamon and cocoa powder

1. To perk up chocolate chip cookies, add two millilitres (1/2 teaspoon) cinnamon along with the flour. Try adding two millilitres (1/2 teaspoon) almond extract, too.
2. To flavour up a pot roast, add a cinnamon stick to the braising liquid.
3. For hot chocolate with a spicy aroma, stir in a pinch of ground cinnamon.
4. To make rice pilaf with more flavour, add a cinnamon stick to the simmering liquid. This trick is perfect for rice that will accompany Indian or Mexican dishes.
5. For grain salads with a Moroccan flair, add cinnamon and almonds. This tip works well for rice, couscous, barley and other grain salads, especially if the dressing includes lemon juice and olive oil.
6. To make spiced coffee, brew one litre (four cups) of strong coffee, adding 15 millilitres (one tablespoon) ground cinnamon to the coffee grounds. This trick works well in a drip-style coffee maker.
7. For a new twist on baked rigatoni, make the tomato sauce with sausage, onion, garlic and cinnamon.
8. To enhance the flavour of brownies, stir two millilitres (1/2 teaspoon) ground cinnamon into the flour for a 20 centimetre (eight inch) square pan of brownies.
9. To boost the taste of your favourite pie crust, add two millilitres (1/2 teaspoon) ground cinnamon to the dough for a two-crust pie.

Tidbit: True cinnamon is often labeled as "Ceylon cinnamon" or "Seychelles Islands cinnamon." However, most of the cinnamon sold in Western countries is actually cassia, a similar spice with a less complex yet more pronounced flavour.

1. To give Southwestern soups and stews a new depth of flavour, stir in 15 millilitres (one tablespoon) unsweetened cocoa powder. Chocolate goes especially well with chili peppers and forms the basis of flavour in traditional Mexican mole sauce.
2. To make three-minute hot-fudge sauce, combine 125 millilitres (1/2 cup) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, 150 grams (3/4 cup) sugar and 1/2 millilitre (1/8 teaspoon) salt in a small pot. Add 125 millilitres (1/2 cup) water — or brewed coffee for more flavour — and stir to mix. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in 15 millilitres (one tablespoon) unsalted butter and one millilitre (1/4 teaspoon) vanilla extract, until the butter is melted. Use while still warm.

Tidbit: Natural or "non-alkalized" cocoa powder includes the natural acidity of the cocoa beans from which it is made. Dutch-process cocoa has an alkali added to neutralize the acidity, mellowing the flavour.

Use natural cocoa for a stronger chocolate flavour, especially in baked goods or when the cocoa needs to stand up to other strong-flavoured ingredients. Choose Dutch-process cocoa when there are only a few ingredients in the recipe or when the acidity of natural cocoa may taste too harsh, as when cocoa powder is dusted over the surface of chocolate truffles.

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