Several years ago I was looking for an idea of how to make Christmas ornaments with my Sunday school class. Somewhere, and I have no idea where I got it from, I found a recipe for Cinnamon Dough Ornaments. It looked really easy so I decided to try it out with my class. They turned out wonderfully & since then I have made them every year…with Sunday school classes, with my 4th graders, with my own boys…
The Saturday after Thanksgiving I co-hosted a housewarming party for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. They recently bought their first home and the timing was perfect for us to have a Christmas themed housewarming. Not only did they have a new home that needed to be warmed, but last May when our warehouse burned down, they lost all of their Christmas decorations. I thought that it would be fun for all the kiddos at the housewarming to make a cinnamon dough ornament that they could give to the family. My in-laws would have new ornaments to decorate their new tree and they would have special keepsakes from their housewarming. The kids had a blast making the ornaments & my kitchen (where the ornaments are drying) is filled with the scents of the holidays. This dough may not be tasty, but it sure does smell good!
I also made the ornaments with my fourth graders. For the first time ever, we painted the ornaments. And they turned out so good that I think we will paint them from now on. I know my boys are begging to make some that they can paint.
What you’ll need to make your own:
1 1/2 cups ground cinnamon
1 cup applesauce
1/4 cup white school glue
Bowl
Plastic food wrap
Rolling Pin
Wax paper
Cookie cutters
Ribbon
Straw
Mod-Podge
Acrylic or fabric paints (optional)
What you do:
Mix cinnamon, applesauce, and glue together in a bowl. The dough should be as thick as cookie dough. Add a bit of water if the dough is too stiff.
Remove from bowl and knead. Put it back in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for at least a half hour.
Remove the dough and knead a second time to make sure it’s smooth.
Place dough into an airtight container until you are ready to use.
Place the dough between two sheets of wax paper and roll the dough until it’s between 1/4” and 1/8” inch thick. (I prefer for it to be closer to 1/4”.)
Use cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes, and use a straw to punch a hole for the ribbon to hang.
Gently place the shapes on a piece of clean wax paper or foam plates to dry. They will take 3-5 days to dry, and you will need to turn them over a couple of times a day for them to dry evenly and flat.
When dry, you may use acrylic or fabric paints to paint details. You may also use a sharpie marker to write names, dates, etc on the back of the ornament.
Once dry, you may use Mod-Podge (or a mixture of glue and water) to paint over the entire ornament, front and back. This will make the ornament harder and less likely to flake, chip, or break.
Thread a piece of ribbon through the hole to hang.
Don’t be surprised to see that the ornaments get smaller during the drying process. Keep this in mind when you pick out the cookie cutters for your designs. You will also notice that if you do not turn the ornaments over often enough while they are drying, the edges of the ornaments will curl.
Enjoy!
