I absolutely love making Christmas ornaments with my kids! These easy handmade cinnamon ornaments are simple to make and look lovely on the tree or decorating a gift!
My mom was the one who introduced cinnamon ornaments to us. Several years ago, my mom came to babysit the kids and brought all the supplies to make cinnamon ornaments. The kids had a blast, and the ornaments lasted for a long time.
They even retained their cinnamon smell through the years!
Since it had been so long and some of the ornaments had gotten cracked after years of use (and maybe some rough handling!), I decided it was time to make them again.
Easy Handmade Cinnamon Ornaments
When my mom first told me about these, I felt like it was a little bit wasteful to use a whole cup of cinnamon just for ornaments! Trust me, they’re worth it. Just make sure to get cheap cinnamon at the dollar store or somewhere.
This year we just made plain ones, for a more farmhouse country look, but in previous years the kids decorated the dried ornaments with glitter glue, which they thought was very fun.
How to Make Them
This is another easy recipe your kids will want to help with!
Affiliate links included below.
Supplies Needed:
- 3/4 cup applesauce
- 1 cup cinnamon
- plastic wrap
- parchment paper
- cookie cutters
- drinking straw
- ribbon or baker’s twine, for hanging (I used this baker’s twine)
Instructions:
- Add the applesauce and cinnamon to a mixing bowl, and mix together until you can form it into a ball. Ours was a bit dry and not sticking together well, so we added a bit more applesauce to get it the right consistency. You don’t want it gooey, just add enough applesauce so that it holds together.
- Divide the dough into thirds. Get out some plastic wrap and put 1/3 of the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap. This is optional, but it’s a lot easier to roll out with the plastic wrap. Otherwise, it tends to stick to the rolling pin.
- Roll out the dough to about 1/3″ or 1/4″ thick. I wanted smaller ornaments, so we used smaller cookie cutters and made them about 1/4″ thick. The thinner ornaments dry faster, but they are a bit more fragile, so keep that in mind when you’re deciding how thin to roll them out.
- While still on the plastic wrap, use the drinking straw to make a hole near the top of the ornament. This will allow you to add ribbon or twine for hanging (after they are baked).
- Transfer cutout shapes to a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Bake at 200° F for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. The amount of time required for them to dry depends on how thick they are. They smell so good when they’re baking!
- After they’ve thoroughly dried in the oven, add ribbon or twine. Enjoy your handmade cinnamon ornaments!
We used these to decorate our small tree in the school room. They look so cute!
Easy Handmade Cinnamon Ornaments Recipe
Easy Handmade Cinnamon Ornaments
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup applesauce
- 1 cup cinnamon
- plastic wrap
- parchment paper
- cookie cutters
- drinking staw
- ribbon or twine
Instructions
- Add the applesauce and cinnamon to a mixing bowl, and mix together until you can form it into a ball. Ours was a bit dry and not sticking together well, so we added a bit more applesauce to get it the right consistency. You don't want it gooey, just add enough applesauce so that it holds together.
- Divide the dough into thirds. Get out some plastic wrap and put 1/3 of the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap. This is optional, but it's a lot easier to roll out with the plastic wrap. Otherwise, it tends to stick to the rolling pin.
- Roll out the dough to about 1/3" or 1/4" thick. I wanted smaller ornaments, so we used smaller cookie cutters and made them about 1/4" thick. The thinner ornaments dry faster, but they are a bit more fragile, so keep that in mind when you're deciding how thin to roll them out.
- While still on the plastic wrap, use the drinking straw to make a hole near the top of the ornament. This will allow you to add ribbon or twine for hanging (after they are baked).
- Transfer cutout shapes to a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Bake at 200° F for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. The amount of time required for them to dry depends on how thick they are. They smell so good when they're baking!
- After they've thoroughly dried in the oven, add ribbon or twine. Enjoy your handmade cinnamon ornaments!
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Our No-Stress Advent Calendar Plan
Peppermint Hot Cocoa Gift in a Jar
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here. Sharing here.
Lesa says
December 24, 2018 at 4:43 pmThese look great, thanks for posting on the Homestead Blog Hop!
Amy @ The Quiet Homemaker says
December 23, 2018 at 7:23 amI love this!!! And the house must smell so yummy when you are baking them! Can not wait to give it a try!
Thanks for linking up @LiveLifeWell!
Blessings,
Amy
Mother of 3 says
December 21, 2018 at 3:57 pmI used to make these when I was a kid! I haven’t thought to make any with my boys but I really loved them. They do make the house smell wonderful! Pinned,
Alice v says
December 18, 2018 at 9:45 amThis is a neat idea. I’ve never seen these ornaments made with the main ingredient been cinnamon. I’ll have to try it.
Maisy says
December 16, 2017 at 12:49 amThese ornaments are so cute! I can’t believe they’re made from applesauce and cinnamon!! So cool 🙂 Thanks for sharing this at the Friday Favorites linky party. Happy weekend!
Joy Kincaid says
December 16, 2017 at 5:40 pmThanks, Maisy! They’re so fun to make. Have a great weekend!
angie says
December 15, 2017 at 9:46 pmapplesauce / cinnamon ornaments do not always work for me. This year we went with a different recipe that was like mixing salt ornament with cinnamon ornament and stayed together I like how yours turned out great job
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Joy Kincaid says
December 16, 2017 at 5:39 pmThank you, Angie!
liz says
December 14, 2017 at 3:09 pmI love the homespun, rustic look of these ornaments! Thanks for sharing on Homestead Blog Hop
Joy Kincaid says
December 15, 2017 at 6:00 pmI love that rustic look, too. Thanks for stopping by, Liz!
Crystal Twaddell says
December 13, 2017 at 11:42 amMy family has been making these for years, and I love them! We’ve added little bells to them also. Merry Christmas!
Joy Kincaid says
December 14, 2017 at 12:06 amWhat a great idea to add bells—I bet that looks adorable! Merry Christmas to you, Crystal!
April J Harris says
December 11, 2017 at 2:57 pmWhat a lovely decorating project! Your cinnamon ornaments are beautiful and what fun project to make with kids! Featuring at this week’s Hearth and Soul Link Party. Thank you so much for sharing!
Joy Kincaid says
December 11, 2017 at 10:29 pmThank you so much, April! And thank you for the feature!
Lynda Hardy says
December 10, 2017 at 1:29 pmI haven’t done these in years – I love the way they smell! I have to do this again – thanks for the inspiration and for sharing with Party in Your PJs!
Joy Kincaid says
December 11, 2017 at 2:15 pmThey’re so fun to make!
Ashley LaMar says
December 8, 2017 at 1:39 pmI haven’t made cinnamon ornaments in forever! Honestly, I’d forgotten about them but reading this made me remember making them as kid. My mom never let us hang them on tree so we ended up hanging them in random little places all throughout the house. Our whole house smelled like cinnamon all December.
Joy Kincaid says
December 8, 2017 at 4:41 pmWhat a sweet memory, Ashley! Thanks so much for sharing!
Marcelle/A Little Fish in the Kitchen says
December 5, 2017 at 2:31 pmThese are some of the cutest handmade ornaments I’ve seen! I bet they smell terrific too. My kids will love to make some of these as gifts for their teachers!!
Joy Kincaid says
December 8, 2017 at 4:40 pmThank you, Marcelle! These are so fun to make with kids!