In this post: No Bake Cinnamon Applesauce Christmas Ornaments Recipe: Easy, DIY recipe for making homemade tree ornaments. Just 4 ingredients!
Christmas is coming quickly…but there’s still time for one more little craft project! For the past couple of years, I have given a handmade, very small gift to the girls in my husband’s office. Last year I made chocolate Christmas tree pretzels, which were very cute. I’ve always wanted to make no bake cinnamon applesauce Christmas ornaments, so I decided that would be my gift this year.
Sometimes I get myself into these craft projects and wonder what I was thinking…but not this time! These little ornaments were very fun to make and more important than that, they were easy. I made three batches of dough and from start to finish, it took about an hour.
No Bake Cinnamon Applesauce Christmas Ornaments Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup applesauce
- 2 tablespoons basic white glue
- 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg or cloves
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Use a spatula and make sure all the cinnamon is absorbed into the applesauce.
- Gather the dough with your hands. Knead it several times, pressing the dough firmly into a ball. It will be about the size of a softball.
- Sprinkle some cinnamon on a cutting board or other smooth surface. Flatten the ball into a disc with your hands. Using a rolling pin, begin to roll out the dough. Turn the dough several times while rolling, adding more cinnamon to prevent sticking.
- Roll until the dough is about 1/4 inch thick and cut out the shapes using cookie cutters.
- Gather the leftover dough after the first cutting and again knead it several times, pressing it firmly into a ball. Repeat the rolling process.
- Repeat until all the dough is used.
- Lay the ornaments on a cookie sheet covered with wax or parchment paper. Using a skewer or small straw, make a hole in the top of each ornament.
- Ornaments should dry in 24 to 48 hours. It helps to turn them occasionally so they dry evenly.
- String with a piece of twine or ribbon to hang.
Notes
We’re not going for perfection here, but I do have a few tips that will make your ornaments pretty enough for gift giving.
- The dough, when rolled out, should be at least 1/4 inch thick. Any thinner and the ornaments may curl when they are drying. They can definitely be a little thicker than 1/4 inch, but keep in mind they will take a little longer to dry.
- After you have cut out a batch of shapes, wet your finger and clean up the edges a bit. Depending on how sharp your cookie cutters are, the edges are sometimes a little ragged.
- If you are in a hurry, you can bake the ornaments in a 200 degree F oven for about two hours. Turn them over halfway through the baking time. (I did not bake mine…they took two full days to dry.)
- If you choose to let them air dry, turn them over whenever you think about it. I turned mine several times over the two day period and they dried nicely.
- Because there is glue in the recipe, which I really think is necessary, these are not edible. I’m going to package mine in little cellophane bags with THESE TAGS. I would hate for someone to bite into one of these and be totally shocked!
Of course, in addition to looking adorable, these little ornaments smell wonderful. I dried them on my dining room table, and every time I walked through the room, it just smelled like Christmas.
Coming up on Sunday is a cranberry skillet crumble recipe and at that point, I can close the book on Christmas 2017. Hopefully I will be back next week with a wrap-up email for my subscribers, so if you are not on my list but would like to be, just click the image at the end of this post.
Update: Get the Cranberry Skillet Crumble recipe {HERE.}
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- Chunky red twine
- Scissors (similar)
- Cinnamon
- Cookie cutters
- Glue
Thank you for the recipe, the pictures and the tips! 💖
I absolutely LOVE getting your lovely emails Anne ! There is something about them , it just brightens my mood as I keep reading and I thank you for that ! I’ve been making theses cinnamon ornaments for many years but I’ve never added white glue , what is it the glue does ? I’m guessing it may keep them firm so they don’t curl up ? I’m going to add the glue this year and see the results , oh and add nutmeg too since it’s my favorite holiday scent. Happy Holidays to you .
Hello! I believe the glue holds the ingredients together and hardens everything. Nutmeg is a great idea!
Hi! Love this tutorial and the smell of these ornaments! I work at a small public library in NH and wondered if I could get permission to use one of your pictures to encourage kids to sign up and make ornaments with us. I could make sure photo credit was given onsuttonplace. Please let me know if this is possible. Thank you! Wendy, Barrington Public Library, NH.
Yes that would be fine…thank you for asking!
Hi there, will these keep for a few years or do you have to make new ones each year?
Thanks
Thank you I tried w/o glue and were too crumbly Will try this! ❤️❤️❤️
This is one of my FAVORITE recipes! I can make up several batches and keep it in the fridge for a day or two, just make sure it is wrapped up tight. They do take a few days to dry but well worth it. I have some ornaments that are 10 years old and still smell great. I keep them in a tin to store them. We make new ones every year and yes you need the glue!
I would love to have the cranberry crumb recipe
I just want to say Thank You for all the inspiration through the holiday season. I love your recipes, the printable and now the cinnamon ornaments. I look forward to your posts and sit back with deep appreciation to you. Merry Christmas and thanks for the joy!
Any tips and getting them to dry faster? They have been sitting for almost 3 days and they are still really wet! My son needs them for school next week. I’m worried they wont set in time
You can bake the ornaments in a 200 degree F oven for an hour or so. Turn them over halfway through the baking time and keep your eye on them. I am not sure of the bake time since they have been sitting out for a while.
When u say white glue do u mean the PVA sort? Like liquid or stick glue like pritt stick?
Thanks
I used regular white Elmer’s glue. Here is an affiliate link so you can see: https://amzn.to/38H89Sr
Do you use applesauce with no sugar?
No…I used regular sweetened applesauce.
Is one whole cup of cinnamon really necessary? Seems like so much! (But I’ve never attempted this recipe…just wanted to check before our first try!)
Yes…the recipe is correct!
🌲 Greetings:
Thank you so much for this lovely recipe for the cinnamon applesauce doubgh, the children in my daycare and I had a lot of fun making all sorts of Christmas ornaments with it today and I wanted to pass on two tips that I thought would help you and your viewers.
1). if you wear gloves during the mixing of it it’ll save your fingernails from getting messy and then you could remove the gloves once the dough is aIll kneaded up.
2). if you place the moist cut out ornaments on a cookie drying rack, so that there’s ventilation “underneath” the items, you Won’t have to turn them over at all won’t have to turn them over at all .
We used some pretty green or red gingham ribbon and we used some vintage cookie cutters and they came out looking so sweet ~ so thank you so much !!
🌲 Love and Happiness,
~ Emily
Can you make them without glue ?
No…the glue is what holds the cinnamon and applesauce together!
One word…….AWESOME 😊
Can this dough be made in advance and refrigerated overnight? This will be a craft in school and I would like to make the dough ahead of time. Thanks so much for your help.
Hi Jaime! I have not done it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. You may have to let the dough sit out for a bit and soften before you roll it out. If you try it, let us know!
I had no idea cinnamon could cause a terrible skin reaction. My young boys made this recipe with me. They touched their faces and instantly had red splotches. Just a warning to parents.
How long do these ornaments last? How do you store them? Thank you ,I can’t wait to make them.
I made these 25 years ago and they’ve not only lasted, they still smell amazing (a little less so every year, store them in an airtight container). I’m very excited to find the recipe again!
Christmas gifts anyone?
Can you dry them in a dehydrator?
These sound so easy to make but a few questions. Can I make the dough ahead and keep it in a air tight baggie until I’m ready to roll out the dough? I want to make these with my Kindergarten students but figure I could save time by having the dough ready beforehand. Also, I tried making this dough but it was very runny and sticky with the exact measurements. I ended up throwing it out. :( Should I have added flour?
Hi Mimi…I think you could make the dough ahead of time as long as you mold it tightly into a ball before you put it in a baggie. I’m not sure what happened to your dough that it was runny and sticky. I wouldn’t recommend adding flour but your could add more cinnamon. I didn’t have a problem at all and I made three batches. Let me know how it comes out if you try again.
I could not get these rolled or cut out they were so sticky. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Meagan…I’m sorry you are having trouble! I’m not exactly sure what’s going on…but if the dough is sticky, add more cinnamon. Make sure to dust your rolling area with cinnamon before you roll out. Use as much cinnamon as you need to get the dough to work. I hope this helps!
I made these many years ago with my children. So happy I found the recipe again so now I can make them with my grandchildren. They smell wonderful and lasted quite awhile.
Live these ornaments! I am going to make for my students as their holiday gift!
Thanks for tip about using sprinkling some cinnamon when rolling out the dough!
This is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you so much!
Love this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing :)
Hi Ann I must say your ornaments look wonderful and delicious even though you can’t eat them. I need to ask you one question though .What I would like to know is can I substitute the applesauce with something else since I can’t find it here in Greece? thank you so much for another wonderful post Have a wonderful day.
I love the gift tags. I thought I could just print them off your site. Now I have to find the Adobe site.
I can attest to how easy these cinnamon, applesauce ornaments are to do. For years, I made them with 25 third graders. I used it as a lesson on reading and following directions. (I was always trying to figure out fun projects that could meet a curriculum objective! For a few years we made sock snowman, filled with rice. That was more involved, but fun, too.) I love the smell of these ornaments. I’m thinking of putting them on my “to do” list for next year and hanging them on the garland across my kitchen sliding glass door. Thanks for the reminder and have a wonderful holiday with friends and family!
These gingerbread cookie ornaments sound and look yummy,( but not eatable) What a unique idea, and project. Thank you for sharing.
Pinning this for next year,traveling so no time but love these,thanks for sharing.Merry Christmas 🎄🎄
How fun!!! Easy and a cute gift or adding to the outside of packages. Will have to try these. Thanks for all you do throughout the year. I love your emails and all the wonderful info you share. May you and your family have a very Merry Christmas. God Bless.
🎄🎄⛄️❄️⛄️🎄🎄🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠
I have also used that recipe and made ornaments for the tree. They are fun to make and smell wonderful.
I have always loved these ornaments. My daughter is now thirty-six and I made these when she was two, so I can tell you the scent will last for many years!
Once they are dried, can you paint on them? I would like to make and embellish them with paint. Thank you.
Hi Tonya…I am not sure. The ornaments are a little porous after they dry, and I’m not sure how smoothly the paint would go on. My only advice would be to make one batch and give it a try. Another idea would be to spray them with a matte sealer before you paint. I’m not sure if that would work, but it might be worth a try. Let us know if you have good luck!
I made these one year, with amusing results. Back story: I try out a lot of new recipes, some of them good and some not so much. My husband will eat even the worst experiments, the ones I turn up my nose at myself, telling me “Oh, you’re just too fussy.” I had these cinnamon ornaments drying on the kitchen island when he came in and started to nibble on one. When I told him to stop, those were inedible, his response: “Oh, you’re just too fussy. What’s wrong with them?” So I told him.
I have made these with my special education class and they turned out great. After several days we tied a blue ribbon to them.
What is the shelf life of these ornaments? Should they be tossed out after Christmas?
No don’t toss them! I don’t know how long they will last but they should be good for at least a few years if they are stored properly. Enjoy!
I made these with my step-daughters nearly 25 years ago & I STILL have the ornaments. We actually painted ours with craft paints, but I love these unpainted with a cute ribbon.
I have been wanting to do this but didn’t have the recipe! Very sweet!
What a great craft to do with the grandchildren; just printed your recipe Ann. Thanks so much.
These are adorable and I love no bake !
Ann, these are adorable. Can you save them from one year to the next? Thank you for all of your Christmas inspirations.
Yes they can be carefully stored in tissue paper. I don’t know exactly how long they will last but they should be around for a while!
I may just be able to handle these. I have an idea who would like them but they would be nice to keep close for an unexpected gift!
And I can’t wait for the cranberry crumble. I dearly love cranberries!
Absolutely Precious – Must try !!
Merry Christmas, Ann !!
Thanks, Ann! Making these for grandbabies today.
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
This is one of the best Christmas crafts I have done. Makes a great addition to a gift bag.
Smells delightful… and I have hung these on my knobs on my kitchen cabinets….
Easy easy..
I love the smell of cinnamon, but unfortunately the smell of cinnamon can cause headaches in people that suffer from migraines. Several stores sell the cinnamon pine cones this time of year, the minute I walk in the store I get an instant horrible headache. I think these ornaments are so cute, smell so good but please be careful who you give them too.
Thank you, Ann, for the recipe with additional tips. FYI, one year I received one of these as a gift, and LOVED the smell of cinnamon, so after the tree came down, I kept the ornament hanging out all year.
Oops! Sorry Anne! Just saw that you gave a source for a large bottle of cinnamon!
These look wonderful Ann! Seems like the cinnamon could get expensive if you buy it in the standard sized containers. Do you have a source for buying large quantities at a less expensive price?
Merry Christmas Ann, Another simply beautiful and beautifully simple post ! Thank you for all you do for us….Merry Christmas to all on Sutton Place !….Smiles……Anne
I can confirm that a these are easy and smell wonderful! I have made them to decorate a small tree by my kitchen sink, to cheer my view while doing kitchen chores. I used ribbon hangers, but the baker’s twine is just darling.
I love this idea! I’m going to try this recipe with a snowflake cookie cutter and that way be able to enjoy them for a longer time.
Oh how adorable these ornaments are and thank you for sharing them and the diy