4 cinnamon rock recipes

Chinese steamed pears in a cinnamon sugar syrup, gently cooked until tender then drizzled with reduced syrup. Four ingredients, elegant, and served warm or chilled.

Gingerbread house dough that bakes rock-solid for sturdy construction. Built with shortening, dark molasses, and a generous hit of cinnamon and ginger. Cuts cleanly, holds shapes, makes 5 walls.

Red braised pork shoulder slow-cooked in dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, star anise, cinnamon, and rock sugar. A classic Chinese hong shao technique for meltingly tender pork.

Old-fashioned rock cookies packed with raisins, chopped dates, and nuts in a spiced brown sugar dough with cinnamon and cloves. Dense, chewy, and fruit-studded, these hold up for days in a cookie tin.