Cinnamon ornaments are easy to make in any shape you desire and smell fantastic. You can string many ornaments together on ribbon or string to make a festive garland. Kids can help with this project but make sure you tell them the dough is not edible!
Recipe 1
You Will Need
1 spice bottle of cinnamon (4.25 ounces) or 1/2 C.
1/3 C. applesauce
1 Tbs. glue (Elmer’s works fine.)
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F or 100 degrees C. Place the cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the applesauce with a spatula. Stir in the glue until you have the right consistency. Gather into a ball of dough and flatten with your hands. To make rolling easier, place the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap. Roll out with a rolling pin to 1/4 inch thick. If the dough is too dry, you can add a little water. If it’s too sticky, sprinkle with more cinnamon. Use cookie cutters or a template (with a craft knife) to cut out shapes from the dough. Possible shapes include Christmas trees, stars, or birds. Use a drinking straw to punch a hole for hanging the ornament or several holes at the top for stringing on a garland. To dry the ornaments, place ornaments on a baking sheet and bake for two hours, flipping halfway through. Once the ornaments are dry, you can decorate with acrylic paint, glitter, or beads. Hang from ribbon for a single ornament or thread onto string or ribbon for a garland.
Recipe 2
This version is even more aromatic, but since it has no glue, will take longer to dry and will be more fragile.
You Will Need
1 C. cinnamon
1 C. applesauce
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. ground cloves
Combine all dry ingredients and add applesauce a little at a time, until you have the right consistency. Follow instructions as above, but keep in mind drying time will take longer. Dry in the oven on low heat for around 3 hours and then let sit on wire racks overnight. Decorate when dry or leave plain. Hang with ribbon or string.
