12.12.2008

Homemade Cinnamon Christmas Ornaments

Nina and I have been house-bound a lot lately, with the weather being treacherous and the fact that I, you know, waddle.  Last week it dumped a bunch of snow, so I decided to make these little cinnamon ornaments for our mini Christmas tree.

The ingredients are pretty simple: 1 1/2 cups of powdered cinnamon, 1 cup of applesauce and 1/4 cup of Elmer's school glue.  Just combine these in a bowl and knead together until it forms a dough (you can add a little water if the dough is too stiff).  Let it sit for 30 minutes in the bowl, then just roll it out like regular cookies and use cookie cutters to make Christmas shapes.  I used more powdered cinnamon to spread on the counter to keep the dough from sticking.  Use a drinking straw or toothpick to create a little hole at the top of each cookie so you can thread a ribbon through it later.

Cook in a 170 degree oven for one hour, turning over halfway through.  Allow to cool.  I actually left mine out overnight to harden before we strung them.  Ta-da!

Here's a few photos of the whole process.  Nina loved cutting out the cookies!

Here are some of the shapes when they were all ready to hang on the tree!

I ran out of red ribbon but this twine looked cute too!

We hung the cookies on the little pine branch centerpiece on my kitchen table.  Nina loves to talk about it when we are all sitting there.  She is so proud of herself!

And of course I love how cute the ornaments look!

(I apologize to the person whose blog I found this on.  I have been hunting but can't seem to remember who posted the recipe.  If it was you, or if you know who it was, please tell me so I can stop hogging the credit!)

Have a great weekend!


61 comments:

CMB said...

I haven't made those in years...what fun and they smell great too! Love the way you displayed them in the kitchen.

Screaming Meme said...

Those are the best memories! :) She's cute as a button! Do we have names for baby #2?

The Writer Chic said...

Carrie, you rock! I love the simplicity of your centerpiece -- it's great!

Darlene said...

Those are so cute! We might have to try those around here! Nina is so CUTE being such a big helper!!

Stacey said...

As always......
LOVE IT!!
And what a CUTIE PATTOOTIE is Nina!! AND a BIG helper!
Christmas is sneekin' up on me. I NEED to get busy doing 'Christmasy' things with MY kids. Thanks for the inspiration!!

AndreaLeigh said...

She looks like she is having so much fun. What a great family project. Just think... next Christmas you will have TWO! :)

Unknown said...

How cute!

Anonymous said...

I just love seeing your little Nina on here!! She is so adorable. Your ornaments turned out grrreat! Merry Christmas xoxo

Windy said...

Adorable - the cookies and Nina! And I bet you painted the pot, too. I will be back to get the recipe:)

Jboo said...

So cute!! Thanks for the recipe --I was hoping someone would post one. That may be a Christmas craft project that won't be a failure . . . like some of my others!

Have a great weekend!

Janet

Sarah said...

Those look so cute hanging on your tree! It looks like the two of you had a wonderful time!

Stacey said...

You are raising Nina to be a craft loving little girl! What a fun thing to do together. :)

Wendy said...

Thanks for sharing the recipe. I have a couple of these and I love their scent. Now I can make more!

Sweet Simplicity said...

What a fun thing for you guys to do together!

Ruby Red Slippers said...

I love those!!! We made them with my mom as kids-I am so doing that with mine!!
Thanks for the recipe...

Beth@The Stories of A to Z said...

I just recently stumbled upon your blog and I LOVE it. Thanks for sharing all the great ideas. I actually just made these ornaments a few days ago with my kiddos as well. They are the perfect preschool/toddler craft. I placed ours in the centerpiece, mantel, and chandelier. http://bethcrabtree.blogspot.com

AJ said...

Thanks for the reminder! I still have all the cinammon from last year:) Nina looks so cute!

Shell in your Pocket said...

Okay..can I yell a big thank you!!!! I am decorating for a teacher's brunch and I may try to find some pots and paint polka dots with evergreen...great idea! Thank you thank you!!!
Love the ornaments too! How fun and I bet your house smelled delightful!
-sandy toes

jennykate77 said...

I remember making those little ornaments in school...I remember how they smell. They look so cute on your centerpiece!

Shannon said...

How fun! I bet they smell good too! They look great on your table.

Angie said...

So cute!! I made cinnamon ornaments this week too, I love them as your centerpiece

TidyMom said...

Those are awesome! I've always said I want to make some, but I've never done it! Your daughter is as cute as can be and looks like she's having fun!!

~Tidymom

duchess said...

Very cute.

the undomesticated wife said...

Those turned out so well! On my kitchen tree, I use cinnamon ornaments as well. Though I didn't make them. ;)

Looks like a fun project for you two!

Jess said...

Thanks for stopping by and commenting at my blog. These are really cute and an upgrade to the "plaster" ornaments we made as kids.

Carry Grace said...

How fun! I'm sure your daughter had a blast.

Sit A Spell said...

I think I'll make these with my little man for his tree that's in the play room! He will enjoying cutting them out as well.
We've snowy weather here too; I think it's a balmy 21 right now!

Half Gaelic, Half Garlic! said...

The look so cute....and so does your little helper!! She is getting so big...it has been awhile since she has made an appearance on your blog!!

Love how you displayed these ornaments in the kitchen on the little tree!!

Have a great weekend!

Lisa

Ally's Corner said...

How cute. Love you have your tree in a pot, need to find one for my tree in my office/scraproom.

Kristen said...

Great idea -might do this with the kids this weekend!

angie {the arthur clan} said...

My aunt bought me some of these one year and I've always wanted to make more. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this idea!

Best wishes with your "waddle." ;)

Mandi @ Sweetly Home said...

I think my heart just melted into a little pool when I saw your daughter doing her part to help out with the cinnamon ornaments. What a great project to do together. And what an awesome memory.

I made cinnamon ornaments a few years ago and I still have a few left. They are still fragrant!

Laurel @ Ducks in a Row said...

I used to make these when I taught school. Love the smell. Your daughter is too cute!

Shell in your Pocket said...

Guess what I bought today? The ingredients for your ornaments..I love them and I am going to include them in the decorating for the teacher's brunch..ahh..you don't know how much you have helped! Thank you!
-sandy toes

Becki said...

We made these this year too! It was a great craft for the kids to do when my nieces were visiting for the weekend. We got the recipe from the Martha Stewart Holiday magazine but I'm sure that many others must have it posted. It's a classic. Very cute!

Our Complete Family said...

Aw Carrie~ Little Miss Nina is so cute being such a big helper! I love her comfy sweater! What a FUN age!
I bet they smell yummy! I love, love, love making these!
I've never thought to bake them for a bit to speed up the drying process though...good thinking!
Happy TGIF day to you~ Les

Lisa & Gerald said...

Awww Nina is a little sweet heart!
I hope you guys enjoyed mommy and Nina time!

Inspired Kara said...

These are the most precious things EVER. I love them. And, they would match my tree so perfectly. I'm loving how hand-made everyone is doing Christmas this year!

kristin maynes said...

I love cinnamon ornaments...I've made them before but I forgot about it. They smell so yummy!

Lovely Post..

Stephanie said...

Very cute craft to do with your kiddo! My sister in law used to make those for her tree. They smell so good. Your blog is as cute as ever! Have a good weekend. Should be very snowy here.

Keeper of the Skies Wife said...

I use to make these with my girls every year!

blueladybug said...

My son made these with our old day-care provider about 8 years ago. I'm so excited that I now have the recipe. The ornaments still smell like cinnamon even after 8 years!Thanks!

Angela said...

I'll bet those smell heavenly! I'll have to try those!

Mimi Sue said...

My kids and I made these years ago. They smelled so good and I saved them and used them for a couple of years. Mimi

Anonymous said...

how funny, i made this with my kindergarten class this week. i love the way they give a room that 'christmas' smell! looks like nina was having fun. have a wonderful weekend.
~nicole

Ms. Tee said...

Hi Carrie! First, I have to say that bucket is the cutest thing with the red and the polka dots! Second, I've never seen these cinnamon ornaments before- so cute. Now I know what I'm doing over the weekend! Your sweet little Nina is so precious - how neat that you do those things with her. ;) Hope you're feeling ok!

~Mommy+Me~ said...

Those came out cute. I made those with my 2nd grade class last year. The smell lasts a long time too!

ZONE F DG TEAM said...

I remember Dakota had made one of these in the after school program years ago and it smelled good enough to eat.

Sondra Behne' said...

I some how stumble upon your blog...so glad to meet you Queen Bee. That is too funny for I also have been called that. One of my friends sent me a metal sign for my office that says "The office of the Queen Bee"

Sondra

Belle (from Life of a...) said...

You're making such sweet memories. We used to make those when our kids were little. I wonder if I can talk them into doing it again this year?

Free Art Printables said...

I am going to make these with my girls! they sound so yummy!

Sarah said...

Thank you for sharing a bit of your story in your comment. That is a sweet way to remember during Christmas!

Unknown said...

HI there, I got the recipe from Les at Our Family and she doesn't include glue. I may have to go back and try this one because the dough was really wet and I couldn't get the cutouts off of the wax paper. Any suggestions or was yours like that too?

Davene said...

Nina is adorable! Won't it be fun to see her as a big sister? :)

I've been thinking about you more often recently because this time last year I was approaching the end of a pregnancy and had definitely hit the waddle stage. I was also seriously running low on energy and could barely get the house decorated, but you seem to continue to shine in this department. You're so inspiring!

Amber said...

Your adorable little helper looks like she had a lot of fun! I think it's super cute that she is so proud that helped make the ornaments decorating your table tree. :) I love how those ornaments smell, mmm.

Buzzings of a Queen Bee! said...

JuJu--
I have not tried Les's recipe but I saw it too. I will say that I did not have any trouble with the cookies sticking to the sheet or anything. I left them out over night to harden before we strung the ribbon, and they were the perfect consistency. So maybe the glue just gives it a little more stability?
Carrie

Unknown said...

Okay, I'll have to try it next time. Thanks Carrie

The Golf Widow said...

My girls always made those in preschool. I guess this year I'm the teacher. Sounds fun! Adorable tree!

Journey on! by Kelleye said...

wow- what a good mommy you are! I have a 13,7,6,4 yrs. old and only did I let them in the kitchen for the first time a month ago!!!!!

Connie said...

I love White Christmas too and how precious your little one is making her Cinnamon ornaments. I still have some of those precious ornaments my children have made over the years. They look cute with glitter on them too! Take it easy and Merry Christmas! Connie

Harbor Hon said...

I can't believe I missed this post! Nina looks so cute cutting out the cookie ornaments. She's so cute and very crafty already. Thanks for sharing the lovely pictures of your kitchen. xxoo