I know I promised you a stocking stuffer gift guide this week but after seeing 10+ similar ones in my social media feeds last weekend I thought I’d switch gears and focus on holiday fun that’s simple, homemade, and inexpensive too – Easy Cinnamon Ornaments. (Though if you’re still looking for stocking stuffers, I’m obsessed with this, these, and oh my word these.)
Anyway, 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, fun, and easy cinnamon ornaments that are made with just two ingredients: applesauce and cinnamon. Did I mention how inexpensive they are?! This is a perfect holiday activity for little ones and/or a fun way to get into the holiday spirit. I love this handmade project!!
We finally put up our Christmas decorations this past weekend and the house is bright and festive. The kids are INTO it this year – you should have seen Gwen’s face when I plugged in the Christmas tree lights – and these are the times when having three little kids feels really, really fun. I know you know what I mean. Our holiday spirits were sent into overdrive when the scent of these cinnamon applesauce ornaments baking in the oven started wafting throughout the house. Absolutely incredible, and I still smell cinnamon every time I walk in the door, days after baking them.
As I mentioned, making cinnamon ornaments is a fabulous activity for kids this holiday season (perfect snow day / Christmas break idea, parents!) I made, cut out, and baked the dough one day, then the kids and I decorated them the next. 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. Lincoln took a look at the ones we hung on the tree and said, “Mom, they look SO good!”
(Cam was just there for the hot chocolate.)
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 edible 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 1 cup applesauce and 5oz 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!
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 – I get about 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 (I bought at the craft store,) 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!
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Easy Cinnamon Ornaments
Description
Easy Cinnamon Ornaments require just 2 ingredients to make and are SO much fun to decorate! A fun activity for kids, and sweet gift for loved ones.
Ingredients
- 5oz cinnamon
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons applesauce
- Supplies:
- Ribbon
- Cookie cutters
- Puff paint (regular or glitter)
- Elmers glue
- Glitter
- Paint
- Other embellishments: sequins, buttons, rhinestones, etc.
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 NOT edible! 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.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
I made these with my kiddos when they were your kids age (they are now 16 and 19) and they still hang on our tree.
My parents still have salt dough ornaments we made as kids – absolute treasures!
You read my mind! I was just looking for fun Christmas crafts to do with my toddler! Can’t wait to try these.
Perfect timing! Here’s another project we love to do every year: https://iowagirleats.com/2015/12/21/fruit-christmas-tree/
Thank you! Just ordered a huge container of cinnamon for $5 on Amazon and the puff paint is arriving next week!
I made these last night! In short, they’re wonderful and perfect for kiddos. A few notes for those that are making it:
1. I didn’t think the mixture would come together, but keep stirring!
2. The dough is a dream for little kids. It’s not sticky and doesn’t get everywhere.
3. Smaller cookie cutters didn’t work as well because once you punch the hole in, it takes up like half the ornament. Yep, it may be obvious, but I didn’t think about it until I tried to do tiny gingerbread men.
4. The house will smell like Christmas and it’s delightful.
Looking forward to decorating these tomorrow!
I remember making these in elementary school at art class! I need to do this with my kids, thanks for bringing back the memories! :)
You bet, Julie! Have fun! :)
These ornaments are so cute! I’ve been wanting to make these with the kids for years, making a plan to actually execute this year!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Hope you and your kids have a great time with these, Paige! :)
My Aunt made me one of these, probably back in the 80’s, and I still have it and it STILL smells just as good! I’m so excited to now have a recipe to make them with my kids! Thank you<3 (ps- your kids are adorable and that Cam in hilarious!)
YES!! Hope you guys have fun!! :D
Cute idea, but my dog would eat those off the tree!
Ack! Yep, need to get those suckers high up there!
This is such a fun idea! When my daughter is just a little older I’l have to do this with her. Thanks for sharing!
You bet, Sarah! :)
A few years from now when the scent fades some, a light sanding on the back will revive that cinnamony goodness!
What a great idea to show fun things to do at home! We will definitely be trying these out. Thanks so much for sharing!
Can you say specifically what type of paint you used? Was it acrylic paint? You got great results!
Hi Danielle! The snowman, gingerbread man, and candy cane were decorated with regular puff paint. The red and blue circles, snowflake, and Christmas tree are all glue plus loose glitter. (The dots on the Christmas tree are puff paint.)
YES!! I grew up listening to Amy Grant’s home for christmas album every year while we decorated our tree. Her version of have yourself a merry little Christmas is so nostalgic to me and my favorite version of that song! Also love michael w Smith’s Christmas music. You’ll see her make appearances on his albums too!
A Very great post with a great presentation:)
Super excited to give these a roll! My kids will love it! Thanks
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!
Please see the attached document. 12/12/19
I have been making cinnamon ornaments for 30 years. The first 15 years were with my husband and then after he died, a family friend helped since the dough is hard to roll out.
My friend and I have been making the ornaments for 12-14 years. We make them in the same place using the same equipment each year. Plus we make them in September/October and make sure the weather is warm and sunny. I purchase my cinnamon on-line from Nuts.com and I use Musselman’s applesauce. We let them air dry and then I paint them and usually make 4 dozen. We have our Ingredients and Instructions written down so we have been making beautiful ornaments over the years.
About 3 weeks ago we got together to make this years’ ornaments. We followed our instructions as we always do but we could not get the dough to roll out – it kept on cracking – we tried adding a little more cinnamon and then a little more applesauce, a bit more cinnamon, a bit more applesauce but we could not get the dough to stay together. We put that dough aside and made another batch but the same thing happened. We are really puzzled and do not know how to fix this. Now the cinnamon was purchased in the summer of 2018 but the 5 lb bag was not opened and I stored it in a tin and we used Musselman’s applesauce. So we decided to stop since we were not getting anywhere.
I decided to order new cinnamon and purchased off-brand applesauce. Last week we tried again and the same thing happened. We followed our instructions to a Tee, but could not get the dough to the right consistency. We do not know what else to do – so I’m reaching out to you in hopes you might be able to give us some information since you have made cinnamon ornaments.
Thank you in advance.
Nancy Olson
1307 Luehm Avenue
North Versailles, PA 15137
412-215-1312
blueheartnan@gmail.com
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.