Cinnamon Ornaments smell great!  They’re very easy to make and are a nice early Christmas gift to give.  I made ours in somewhat neutral shapes so people could keep them hanging around the house for the yummy smell after Christmas.  We made stars, crescent moons, hearts and trees.  Below you can find the recipe for this easy craft to create.  It’s perfect to make with kids!  (Though they’re not edible.)

The hearts can also be given for Valentine’s Day (or kept hanging on a hook in anticipation of the holiday).  You can also make stars for Hanukkah.
 
Recipe for Cinnamon Ornaments

2 1/2 cups Cinnamon
2 cups Applesauce
1/4 cup White School Glue

Glitter Glue (if desired for decoration)

Preheat oven to 225 Fahrenheit.

1. Mix the first three ingredients together with a spoon.  Then knead it with your hands until you get a smooth "dough".  Add a little more cinnamon or applesauce if needed to get the right consistency.

2. Cover countertop with a thin dusting of cinnamon in an area big enough to roll out the dough.

3.  Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness.

4.  Cut shapes out of the "dough" with cookie cutters.

5.  If you want to make "outline" hearts use two heart cookie cutters that are two different sized hearts.

Then take out the middle heart and you get a heart "outline".

6.  Use a straw to make a hole in the ornament (to later put ribbon through).

7.  Cook in oven for 1 – 3 hours until hard.  Check every 1/2 hour for doneness after the 1st hour.

8.  After the ornaments are cooked, let them cool off.  Then, if desired, you can decorate them with glitter glue.  Once that dries, string a thin ribbon through the hole and tie the ends together for hanging.  Otherwise you can use a pipe cleaner for hanging.

I am also using my ornaments to decorate gifts, like bottles of homemade vanilla extract (see photo below).  You can also put them on wine bottles you’re giving as gifts to lend the bottles a bit of flair!

If you want to save the ornaments for next year, you can seal them in a Ziploc bag and put that inside an air-tight container.  Or you can totally seal them with Mod Podge glue.  Otherwise, simply enjoy them for the season and a little beyond! 

Happy Holidays!

Mama Lisa