# Anyone ever made cinnamon toothpicks?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-made-cinnamon-toothpicks/609876
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [January 18, 2012, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-made-cinnamon-toothpicks/609876 "2012-01-18T04:23:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [January 18, 2012, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-made-cinnamon-toothpicks/609876/1 "2012-01-18T04:23:32Z")
So this past week I saw [Lil’ Devil’s Cinnamon Toothpicks](http://www.amazon.com/Accoutrements-LIL-DEVILS-CINNAMON-TOOTHPICKS/dp/B0018NQR9Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326859871&sr=8-1) at Zia, and bought a pack. When I was a kid, people used to make them and sell them at school, a highly punishable act of contraband trafficking. I used to participate in this black market; I loved the fiery goodness too much not to.
Sadly, these failed to come even close to my memory of what a cinnamon toothpick should be. They tasted more like a piece of wood that had sat in a bowl with some cinnamon candy than like an actual cinnamon toothpick. So, being a DIY kind of guy anyway, I went searching on the intarwebz and found [some instructions](http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/how-to-make-cinnamon-toothpicks-using-cinnamon-oil.html). Subsequent looks at other sites showed pretty much the same directions, if not the same thing verbatim.
I got some cinnamon oil, some toothpicks, and followed the directions. I soaked them (completely submerged) for about 25 hours, then spread them out on a cookie sheet covered in tin foil to dry. I kept wondering how in hell they were gonna dry, since it was oil, but that’s what the directions said to do, so I done it. Sure enough, after 2 days, they still were oily. I figured what the heck and tried one anyway, and… it pretty much just tasted like wood that had been sitting in a bowl with some cinnamon candy.
So, I figured maybe it was partly that I had the wrong oil. I now have [this cinnamon oil](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002PHEU2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&m=ASBG6UVTMWDAY) in my cart at Amazon. I already have the toothpicks and the glass jar ready to go. But I thought it might be a good idea to ask my fellow Dopers if they had any experience making these, and any advice to offer. I promise I won’t be selling them on the middle school black market, tho.
I’m after something that fairly reeks of cinnamon taste, that’s got that cinnamon “hot” going on for a while.
Is that the right type of oil?
How do I “dry them out”?
Thanks in advance for any help.
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### Author:  [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)
#### Post date: [January 18, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-made-cinnamon-toothpicks/609876/2 "2012-01-18T14:58:36Z")
As a kid (late 70’s) in high school we carried around tiny vials with toothpicks soaking in the cinnamon 24x7. A vial would hold maybe 5-10 toothpicks.
So give my 2 cents worth on your question… We didn’t dry them out.
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### Author:  [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)
#### Post date: [January 18, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-made-cinnamon-toothpicks/609876/3 "2012-01-18T15:57:39Z")
You could try baking them at a low temp.
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### Author:  [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)
#### Post date: [January 18, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-made-cinnamon-toothpicks/609876/4 "2012-01-18T18:36:53Z")
Not that I would do anything illegal, but I remember making them not with the straight oil, but an alcohol extract of cinnamon. I remember at least once using McCormicks alcohol based cinnamon extract. I suppose you could make your own with everclear and cinnamon bark rolls.