Holiday Craft Idea: Cinnamon Ornaments with Glue & Applesauce Craft

In 2008, the girls and I made a huge batch of Cinnamon, Applesauce & Glue Ornaments to add to our annual Christmas gift baskets for family and friends.   The ornament making process was so easy--and it was a great introduction to cutting out cookies for upcoming baking for little helpers.  This is still one of my favorite holiday activities and we use it often for school fundraisers and craft fairs all holiday season.  How do you make Cinnamon Ornamenwith Glue and Applesauce?
 

Ingredients Needed for Cinnamon Ornaments with Glue and Applesauce
2 c. Cinnamon (Don't buy the expensive stuff--you aren't going to eat it!)
1 1/2 c.  Applesauce (Again, don't buy the expensive stuff--you aren't going to eat it!)
1/4 c. Glue (Elmer's School Glue works fine)

Wax Paper (I use Reynold's Cut-Rite Wax Paper)
Rolling Pin (My rolling pin is an antique..circa 1950..a wedding present.)
Holiday Cookie Cutters (I have the Wilton Mini Holiday Cookie Cutters)
A Skewer or A Drinking Straw
Curling Ribbon or Yarn
Optional Items for Decorating the Ornaments:  Glitter Glue Pens, Gems, Rhinestones, Craft Paint

Instructions for Creating Cinnamon Ornaments with Glue and Applesauce
 

Make the Ornament Dough.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the Cinnamon, the Applesauce, and the Glue.  Mix until combined.  We tend to use our hands--though, I learned that the cinnamon may be a little irritating to some with sensitive skin (my middle daughter had to wear gloves for mixing, rolling and cutting!) and it will discolor the hands a bit and should be washed off with soap and water as soon as the mixing is finished.  We like to let the dough sit for about an hour before rolling and cutting--maybe chilling for the last 15 minutes or so if the house is 70-75 degrees warm.

Note:  When mixing this dough, you may need to add a little extra cinnamon to make the dough stiff enough to roll and cut.  You do want the dough to be kind of dry so that the ornaments "bake" faster--but, not so dry that they won't roll out to a smooth layer of dough.

Roll out the Cinnamon Ornament Dough.  Just like sugar cookies, you do not want this dough to dry out too much before cutting it--so, we divide the dough into thirds.  We pull a third out to roll and cut--and leave the other two thirds in the mixing bowl covered with a damp kitchen towel.   To roll out the ornaments,  place a layer of wax paper onto a hard surface.  Place one of the dough thirds onto the wax paper and cover with a second sheet of was paper.  Roll out the dough to about 1/2" thickness.

Note:  We don't use flour on our rolling surface or the rolling pin when rolling these ornaments because we want the cinnamon ornament dough to be brown--so wax paper is our go-to tool to prevent the dough from sticking to our work surface and our rolling pin.

Cut out the Dough Ornaments and Place Cut-Out Shapes on a Cookie Sheet.  I line a cookie sheet or baking sheet with parchment paper.  The girls cut holiday shapes from the dough and we continue to roll out the dough to about 1/2 " thickness until all of the dough has been used. Insert the round end of a skewer or a drinking straw a bit in from the edge into the top of each ornament to make room for an ornament hanger.  Place the dough cut-outs on cookie sheets and either plan to air dry or preheat an oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit to oven dry.

Dry the Dough.  You may certainly air dry the dough if you do not have access to an oven (like in a classroom setting) or if you have the time and space at home.  It may take up to 5 days for the ornaments to dry in only open air--and that time can be a challenge if you have pets in the home or impatient kids!  We dry our cinnamon ornaments in the oven.  Simply bake them in the preheated oven for about 2 1/2 hours.  Flip the cinnamon ornaments carefully after about the first hour of baking time.

Cool & Decorate.  We transfer the baked ornaments to a cookie cooling rack lined and allow to cool (and continue to dry) for at least an hour.  Usually, we let the ornaments sit overnight.  Remember, they do smell wonderful and pets tend to become interested in them--so be sure to cool them in a pet-safe area!  In the early years, we left the ornaments without decoration.  Some years, we have painted them with acrylic paints.  When we make them later this holiday season, we plan to decorate them with glitter glue pens to make them look more like holiday cookies. 

Add Ornament Hangers.  We tied our ornaments with simple loops of curling ribbon.  When we made these for a school fundraiser, we used red, white and green strips of yarn or string braided together.  Tie on an ornament hanger and either hang on the Christmas tree or package safely for holiday gift giving!

Things to Remember

Head to the Dollar Store or the generic food sections of your local grocer for the Cinnamon and Applesauce.  You won't be eating the cinnamon and the generic ones smell just the same.  Most generic applesauce is similar in texture to brand name.  If you find the applesauce is too watery--simple strain a bit of the water off before using.  
 
It is important to remember to remind the kids (especially the younger ones) that the dough used for these ornaments smells good enough to eat--and the ornaments look a lot like sugar cookies--but, the ornaments do contain glue which should not be eaten!

These ornament are a bit fragile so handle with care until the fully harden

The cinnamon ornaments hold their scent for years-but, may discolor over time.  While the cinnamon ornaments we made in 2008 have little scent--some have begun to show some white discoloration while others are fine.  We have a number of ornaments from a 2012 fundraiser that still smell and look perfect.