Easy Cinnamon Ornaments require just 2 ingredients to make and are SO much fun to decorate! A fun holiday activity for kids or grandkids.
Crank up Amy Grant’s Christmas album (love you to bits, Mariah, but Amy’s the true queen of Christmas!) grab yourself a hot cocoa, and let’s get to work on these GORGEOUS, inexpensive, fun, and easy cinnamon ornaments that are made with just two ingredients:
- Applesauce
- Cinnamon
These sweet and spiced homemade ornaments are the perfect holiday activity for little ones and/or a fun way to get into the holiday spirit. I could not love this handmade project more!
Great Kids Activity
As I mentioned, making cinnamon ornaments is a fabulous activity for kids this holiday season (perfect snow day / Christmas break idea, parents!)
Make, cut out, then bake the dough on day 1. On day 2, decorate them! I’d say kids three and older could definitely help make, roll, and cut the dough, though kids of any age can help with decorating.
My oldest took a look at the ones we hung on the tree and said, “Mom, they look SO good!“
The sky is the limit for decorating – it’s the most fun part. I had serious flashbacks to my sugar cookie baking days while decorating these. It felt so strange using puff paint and not icing, and remembering they were ornaments and not cookies! That said, these ornaments are not meant to be eaten so be sure to remind little ones of that while you’re working on them. See below for the materials I used on each ornament.
Easy cinnamon ornaments would be great to give to Grandparents, teachers, or even to decorate a kids-only tree. Seriously they are just SO adorable!
How to Make Cinnamon Ornaments
Start by adding applesauce and cinnamon to a large bowl then mix with a fork until crumbly. Next, use your hands to knead the mixture into a dough ball. If it’s still crumbly, add more applesauce 1 Tablespoon at a time until the dough is soft but not sticky. It should resemble sugar cookie dough. Again, soft but not sticky!
Recipe Tip
Since these ornaments are not edible, purchase the cheapest cinnamon you can find. I use a store brand version which is $.99 per 2.5oz container (you’ll need two for this recipe.) I hear the dollar store has cheap cinnamon too.
Next, slightly flatten the dough ball (you can split it in half it it’s easier for you to work with one half at a time,) onto a sheet of saran wrap then cover with another sheet of saran wrap and roll 1/4″ thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes then transfer to a silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. I prefer parchment paper but both work.
You can re-roll the scraps until all the dough is used up – you’ll get 14, 3-4″ ornaments out of each batch of Easy Cinnamon Ornaments.
Once the ornaments are on the baking sheet, use a straw to poke a hole for a ribbon then bake for two hours at 200 degrees, or until the ornaments are completely dried out, flipping the ornaments once. You’ll need to use a metal spatula to flip the ornaments if using a silpat, whereas you’ll be able to use your fingers if using parchment paper.
Lastly, I like to shut the oven OFF then let the ornaments sit inside and continue to dry out for another 30 minutes or so.
How to Decorate Cinnamon Ornaments
After the cinnamon ornaments are completely cool, it’s time to decorate! You can use regular Elmer’s glue and glitter, regular or glitter puff paint, regular paint, or even Sharpies to decorate the cinnamon ornaments.
Add embellishments like sequins, buttons, or even crushed candy canes with glue. The sky is the limit and this is the MOST fun part so let imaginations run wild. I have to say, glue + glitter looks the prettiest but you know…GLITTER. #eek Glitter puff paint is a great way to get a similar look.
Here’s how I decorated my cinnamon ornaments:
- Christmas Tree: Glue + green glitter, red and white puff paint for “ornaments”.
- Gingerbread Man: Puff paint.
- Snowman: Puff paint + sprinkling of iridescent glitter.
- Snowflake: Glue + silver glitter.
- Candy Cane: Red and white puff paint.
- Red and Blue Circles: Glue + red and blue glitter.
How Long Do Cinnamon Ornaments Last?
Cinnamon ornaments should last indefinitely if wrapped in tissue paper between seasons. They’re not indestructible but they’re also not crumbly nor fragile.
I hope you have a BLAST making this fun holiday project this year – Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
Easy Cinnamon Ornaments
Equipment
- Ribbon
- Cookie cutters
- Elmers glue
- Glitter
- Paint
- Other embellishments: sequins, buttons, rhinestones, etc.
Ingredients
- 5 oz cinnamon
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons applesauce
Directions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees then line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat (I prefer parchment paper but both will work) and set aside.
- Add cinnamon and 1 cup applesauce to a large bowl then mix with a fork until clumpy. Next, use your hands to knead the dough together and form it into a ball. If the mixture is crumbly, add more applesauce 1 Tablespoon at a time until the dough is smooth but not sticky. The texture should be similar to sugar cookie dough – not crumbly but not sticky- and don’t worry about overworking the dough as it’s not edible and you really can’t hurt it!
- Flatten the ball slightly onto a piece of plastic wrap then cover with another piece of plastic wrap and roll 1/4″ thick. Cut dough into shapes using cookie cutters then transfer to prepared baking sheet. If the edges of the ornaments are a little rough just pat and smooth them down with your fingertips. Dough may be re-rolled and cut until completely used up.
- Use a straw to poke a hole through the top of each ornament then bake for 2 hours or until dried through, flipping the ornaments halfway through. Lastly, I turn the oven OFF then let the ornaments sit in there for an additional 30 minutes or so just to make sure they’re completely dried out. Cool completely.
- Once cool, decorate ornaments with glue and glitter, paint, puff paint, etc then, once dry, add a ribbon and hang!
Notes
- These ornaments are technically edible but are not intended to be eaten. They should keep for years if wrapped in tissue paper between seasons.
- You may use the cheapest brand of cinnamon you can find – I use a store-brand version which is $.99 per 2.5oz bottle. I hear the $1 store has cheap cinnamon too.
These are my favorite Christmas ornaments–I made them with my kids and our home school co-op over 20 years ago, and now with a granddaughter, I had to re-look up the recipe so we can make them later today! Amazingly, the ornaments I made with my kids (now in their 30’s) STILL have a slight cinnamon scent after all these years, and I still put them on our tree. I store them in an air tight container during the year, which has helped preserve them. Also, I air dried them in the past, so I’m not sure if the scent would be as long-lasting if I had baked them.
I love that this recipe is so nostalgic for you, Jill!! Ours still smell like cinnamon years and years later, too!!
I wanted so much to love this! I measured everything precisely and it was a wet, sticky mess. We definitely couldn’t roll it out and cut shapes. I ended up adding a ton of flour and salvaged it! Thankful, because my kids have been so looking forward to this. I appreciate you sharing this idea, and also wanted to share the flour idea in case anybody else ends up in the same boat as me.
I’m so glad this project was able to be salvaged, Julie! We made these according to the recipe this year again and didn’t have any issues!
We made them tonight currently baking it had no issues with the dough! Hopefully this year will be better for you
Thanks so much for your feedback, Shana!
I made these many years ago but once dried, they were a muted brown. I loved the color when wet, but dried, not so much. Yours look dark like I prefer. Do you think this is because you don’t use glue or do you add something else to make them darker?
Hey M! It could be the combination of ingredients in the prior ornaments — it’s hard to say! The only ingredients in these ornaments are applesauce and cinnamon. I hope that helps!
These did not work. Wet, unusable and a waste:/
I’m so sorry to hear that, Lola! Is it possible the ingredients were mis-measured? I haven’t received this feedback before is all. Eager to help!
I had the same problem. Either sticky mess or dry cracking when rolling. Tried adding cinnamon with one batch and adding applesauce with another. Funny I made these at a friend’s house a week ago and no problem. UGH!!! Not sure what I am doing wrong. Maybe we used sweetened applesauce. Help me, please
Hi Debra! If it’s sticky, add more cinnamon a little at a time until it’s a workable dough. If it’s dry, add more applesauce.
Cute idea, but my dog would eat those off the tree!
They technically are edible, but yes, you would need to decide if they are appropriate for your family.
I made these yesterday with dollar store cinnamon and some expired cups of applesauce. Turned out great. Today I used Walmart cinnamon and Walmart applesauce. Too sticky and crumbly. Cannot cut them out. I’ve finally decided it is the humidity today. That’s what I’m hoping for. This is a great project for young and old.
Can you please share the brand of paint you use and where you get it? Thanks so much!
Hi Kerri! You bet – I updated the copy with how I decorated each ornament and the materials used!