Make Your Own Cinnamon Applesauce Tree Ornaments

Shannon Paulus, photos by Shannon Paulus |

If you’re looking for a fun holiday activity that produces a super cute homemade gift and/or present topper, hold on to your tinsel. Cinnamon applesauce ornaments are totally the way to go.

This has always been a great project for me and the little ones to do together. My daughter loved it the first time we tried it, and she came running when I asked if she wanted to make them again. That’s a good sign right there.

The ingredient list is insanely simple: 1/2 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup cinnamon, 1 Tbsp. Elmer’s Glue (or any amount of applesauce and cinnamon, actually, so long as you use equal amounts.)

The ingredient list is insanely simple: 1/2 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup cinnamon, 1 Tbsp. Elmer’s Glue (or any amount of applesauce and cinnamon, actually, so long as you use equal amounts.)

Dump all that stuff in a bowl and mix it together until it’s a dough. The first time we made these, I measured and set out the ingredients and my daughter dumped them in the bowl and mixed it all together with her hands. The second time, I mixed the dough with a spoon before I called her to the table (trying to simplify things), and she was just as happy with the project  – tailor this step to your own tastes/mess tolerance.

The dough makes a fun play dough and doesn’t suffer from lots of kneading, so let your kid (or yourself) play for a bit if they’re so inclined. This is my kid’s favorite part.

It kept her busy for a good 20 minutes before we moved on.

Next, roll or pat the dough out until it’s 1/3–1/2 inch thick – we do this right on our table. Use cookie cutters to cut out some shapes, re-rolling the scraps as many times as you like. Set the cut shapes on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Punch a hole to string a ribbon through for hanging (we used a straw for this).

At this point, you can either let them sit out for a long time (24+ hours), flipping them over often so that both sides get dry, or you can bake them at 200 degrees until they’re hard. I baked yesterday’s batch, and I highly recommend it because it makes your house smell wonderful.

When they’re dry, string them on ribbon or something, and you’re done!
Another cute idea, if you want them to look like gingerbread, is to pipe white puffy paint (which will look like frosting) around the edges before you string them.

All that’s left is to hang your yummy-smelling ornaments on your tree or some other place that needs a little cheer.

Enjoy!