Helado De Canela

Ingredients

• 6 sticks cinnamon – broken in half
• 4 cups water
• 1.5 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice – freshly squeezed
• ground cinnamon – for serving

Instructions

1. Combine the broken cinnamon sticks and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook until the liquid is very aromatic and pale amber, 12–15 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat, cover, and let the cinnamon steep to extract full flavor and color, 30 minutes. The liquid should deepen in hue and smell strongly of cinnamon.
3. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing the cinnamon to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the solids.
4. While the infusion is still hot, add the sugar and stir until fully dissolved, 1–2 minutes. Stir in the freshly squeezed lemon juice. Let cool to room temperature, 20–30 minutes, then cover and chill until very cold, at least 2 hours.
5. Freeze the base. Granita method (no machine): Pour the cold mixture into a shallow metal pan and freeze until the edges begin to set, 30–40 minutes. Scrape and stir with a fork to break up the ice. Repeat every 20–30 minutes until the mixture is fluffy with fine crystals and scoopable, 2.5–3 hours total.
6. Alternative machine method: Churn the cold mixture in an ice cream maker until softly set, 20–25 minutes, then transfer to a container and freeze until firm enough to scoop, 1–2 hours.
7. Scoop into cups and serve. Sprinkle a pinch of ground cinnamon (for serving) over each portion. Store covered in the freezer for up to 1 week, letting it sit at room temperature 5 minutes before scooping if very firm.