You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
Cinnamon is a scent I associate with winter, and with family holiday celebrations. Whether you sprinkle it on oatmeal or Christmas cookies, or whether you enjoy its aroma in potpourri and scented candles, there’s a spicy warmth to cinnamon that makes you feel comforted down to your toes. I’ve also learned that cinnamon and applesauce can be combined to make wonderful scented ornaments…
Many of us grew up sprinkling cinnamon sugar on toast or oatmeal. As a child, I was fascinated to learn ground cinnamon was actually the bark of a tree. I think I nibbled on several other kinds of bark, just as an experiment, before deciding most trees didn't taste good, no matter what the beavers might think. The cinnamon most of us know in the U.S. is actually Cinnamomum cassia, rather than "true" Ceylon cinnamon, Cinnamomum zeylanicum.
I associate the scent with comfort foods and holiday baking, so the slightest whiff of cinnamon brings a blissful smile to my face. I'd love my house to smell of cinnamon all winter long! In addition to using it in all sorts of recipes, I've burned cinnamon candles, put cinnamon sticks in humidity water pots on the radiator, added a few chips of cinnamon to my coffee pot filter, and even put a few drops of pure cinnamon oil on a pinecone or in a bowl of potpourri.
A while ago, I came across a recipe for cinnamon-applesauce craft dough. I loved the idea of hanging cinnamon scented ornaments all over the house, so I couldn't wait to try it! My first ornaments were dried in a low oven, which worked well enough. This year I thought of using my new dehydrator, on the same setting I use for making fruit roll-ups. That worked perfectly, and my home smelled absolutely spectacular after a day of warm, apple-pie-scented air wafting out from the dehydrator.
For this project, you do not need high quality gourmet cinnamon; save the good stuff for your snickerdoodles and cinnamon rolls. The large and economical containers of ground cinnamon available at big box stores will work just fine. In fact, I once incorporated some high grade cinnamon and discovered the additional cinnamon oil made the craft dough difficult to work with. I had to wear gloves to protect my skin from the burn of the essential oil.
Your cinnamon dough will be easier to work with and require less cinnamon to make if you drain some of the liquid from the applesauce. I pour the applesauce into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl and let it sit until a cup or more of juice per quart has drained out. If your strainer isn't fine enough for that, just line it with paper towel or cheesecloth. Note: Despite the tasty ingredients, these ornaments are not edible because of the very large amount of cinnamon involved.
For me, a workable dough seems to require about equal parts by volume of thickened applesauce and ground cinnamon. For every cup of applesauce, I add two or three tablespoons of white school glue - the nontoxic kind, just in case somebody licks their fingers while making the ornaments. It's an optional ingredient, but the glue seems to add a little elasticity to the dough, making the finished ornaments just a bit sturdier. Save out a little of both the cinnamon and the applesauce, so you can adjust the texture and stiffness of the dough if needed. Hands work well for the final mixing and kneading of the dough. If your skin is sensitive, plastic or latex gloves will protect your hands from the oils in the cinnamon.
Dust your work surface and your rolling pin with cinnamon. The cinnamon dough should be thick enough to roll out easily, with a consistency that reminds me of damp Play-Doh®. If the surface of the rolled dough cracks, the dough is too dry and needs a dab of applesauce or a few drops of water kneaded in. Roll to a thickness of about 1/4 inch, just as if you were making cut-out cookies.
Use cookie cutters or a knife to cut shapes from your rolled dough. With a spatula, carefully transfer the ornaments to a cookie sheet or a flat drying rack. Unused dough scraps can be gathered into a ball and re-rolled to make more ornaments. Use a straw to cut a hole in each ornament for hanging. For a less obvious hanger, insert a u-shaped piece of wire (I carefully cut paper clips in half with wire snips) into the top edge of the dough shape. If necessary, the wire can be secured with a little glue after the ornaments are dry.
Ornaments can be dried several hours in a low oven (175° F or the lowest heat setting) or at room temperature for several days. The air flow and warmth of a dehydrator is ideal for this project. Dry the ornaments until they are completely hard. Just as when you dry fruit, the finished ornaments will be somewhat smaller than the dough pieces you started with. If you're not sure, dry them a little longer, as remaining moisture can lead to little spots of mold or mildew.
Hang your ornaments right away, or store them in an airtight container so they retain their scent longer. A drop or two of cinnamon oil will restore the scent to older ornaments.
This is fun afternoon project, with or without the kids. These cut-outs will last much longer in the average household than their edible cookie counterparts. I can't resist leaning in for a whiff each time I pass the ornaments that I've hung all over the house! If you love cinnamon too, I hope you'll give this project a try.
Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments
You will need:
1 large jar (64 ounces) unsweetened applesauce, drained several hours or overnight. 1 large container (18 ounces) cinnamon (more or less depending on thickness of applesauce) ½ bottle white school glue straw for making holes, or paperclips for wire hangers skinny decorative ribbon for hanging
Photos by Jill Nicolaus.
About Jill M. Nicolaus
Better known as "Critter" on DG, Jill gardens in Frederick, MD. My irises are bloomed out, but the daylilies are just getting started! Our front porch robins are busy fetching worms for their second crop of babies. I love summer!
(Images in my articles are from my photos, unless otherwise credited.)
Posted by BennysPlace (from Tucson, AZ) on December 20, 2008 at 05:15 PM:
Thank you Jill!
I love days like this. I am leisurely replying to e-mails, reading, listening to Christmas music, writing cards and then you remind me of your cinnamon articles. This is the best time to get caught up on my DG writing.
Great article. Thank you kindly. I am going to read your other article now.
Blessings,
Ben
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on December 20, 2008 at 05:19 PM:
:-)
Your vanilla article was a fun read for me, today, too!
...
Posted by BennysPlace (from Tucson, AZ) on December 20, 2008 at 05:23 PM:
Thanks Jill and oops.. I meant to say DG READING! I just read your other article on cinnamon too.
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on December 20, 2008 at 05:32 PM:
Nuts, I was hoping your were writing away on another article! :-)
...
Posted by BennysPlace (from Tucson, AZ) on December 20, 2008 at 05:34 PM:
Awww.. Thanks Jill. I have a couple floating in my head. I am waiting for the words to come together so I can get them on paper... or ummm.. screen.
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on December 20, 2008 at 05:36 PM:
I'm looking forward to your next one already! :-)
...
Subject: Fun project
Posted by Terry (from Murfreesboro, TN) on December 18, 2008 at 07:16 PM:
My "kitchen tree" (a 30" tall tree) has many cinnamon "gingerbread men" (and ladies) along with other kitchen-related ornaments. We used this recipe, and placed whole cloves for eyes and buttons before baking. Once dried, we decorated them with white fabric paint to outline them, give them pants, fancy skirts, etc. They get stored in between layers of tissue paper in a cookie tin, and they've held up for several years, and still have a good amount of scent left in them.
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on December 18, 2008 at 07:43 PM:
That's a great idea with using the fabric paint and the cloves! The paint that comes in the little squirt bottles would look just like icing... :-)
...
Posted by Terry (from Murfreesboro, TN) on December 18, 2008 at 08:03 PM:
It does. It makes them less non-toxic, but it worked like a charm ;o)
...
Subject: Tea
Posted by phicks (from Lakeland, FL) on December 04, 2008 at 12:48 PM:
I like it in my Apple Tea Paul
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on December 04, 2008 at 01:11 PM:
Does apple tea have dried apples in it? I'm intrigued...
...
Posted by phicks (from Lakeland, FL) on December 04, 2008 at 01:13 PM:
yes
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on December 04, 2008 at 01:15 PM:
OK! Sounds good. :-)
...
Posted by docgipe (from NORTH CENTRAL PENNSY, PA) on December 08, 2008 at 11:38 AM:
Snitz and Nep..............take one snitz grind it, add a slight pinch of cinnamon, stuff it in the radar oven and drink the makings with pleasure.
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on December 08, 2008 at 11:41 AM:
OK, Doc, what the heck is a "snitz?!"
...
Posted by docgipe (from NORTH CENTRAL PENNSY, PA) on December 08, 2008 at 01:59 PM:
Snitz = dried or dehydrated apple slices. Harr Har..........thought you were a little Dutch. LOL You are going to have to dig into an old Pennsylvania Dutch cookbook or one from an old plain church group. Finding out what the Nep is shall require some research.
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on December 08, 2008 at 02:02 PM:
That's what I thought a "snitz" was... until you mentioned grinding it! You must dry your apple slices extra crispy. :-)
Nep is beyond me. It might be a word my mom knows... she grew up speaking "low german," which is not unlike Dutch (or at least not unlike the Pennsylvania-Dutch dialect).
...
Subject: Oh, What a Fabulous Idea!
Posted by scutler (from Charleston, SC) on December 04, 2008 at 02:40 AM:
What a great idea. I love it. Thanks for the great article and great craft idea.
...
Posted by youngershirl (from Orange Park, FL) on December 04, 2008 at 07:06 AM:
I agree. Thanks for the idea. I love the smell of Cinnamon as well, it makes the house smell so inviting.
...
Posted by Sundownr (from (Bev) Wytheville, VA) on December 04, 2008 at 09:43 AM:
Thanks Critter!
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on December 04, 2008 at 10:14 AM:
They're as much fun to make as baking cut-out cookies... and you won't believe how good your house will smell while they're drying.
I hung these in my bathroom last year and just left them up, because they were so cute! The warmth from the lights enhanced their scent for several months, but I think I probably need to refresh them with a few drops of cinnamon oil now. The ones that I stowed away in a Christmas tin still smell yummy!
This message was edited Dec 4, 2008 9:15 AM
...
Posted by kniphofia (from Ashington, United Kingdom) on December 04, 2008 at 01:35 PM:
I made these one year in Maine as Christmas tree ornaments and would love to do it again.
Lovely article!
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on December 04, 2008 at 02:38 PM:
Thanks!
In checking around the web for various "recipes," to see how they varied from what I used, I was trying to figure out how long these ornaments had been around. I have no idea! I'm sure it's been at least 5 years, but for all I know it could be 30 or 40... it sure seems like a craft from the '70s to me. :-)
...
Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on December 04, 2008 at 03:55 PM:
Nifty idea! I made ornaments from clay, sparkly decorations, cookie cutter shapes and acrylic paint many years ago but these seem much homier!
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on December 04, 2008 at 06:30 PM:
Thanks, Carrie. To me, they seem a whole lot lighter than clay or salt dough ornaments, also. It's much easier to find places to hang them on the tree!
I think their color especially lends itself to gingerbread shapes or reindeer...
...
Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on December 05, 2008 at 04:57 AM:
Yeah, it would! It's so hard to fing a good rich brown...
...
Posted by SoCal (from Huntington Beach, CA) on December 09, 2008 at 04:19 PM:
Jill,
This sounds so intriguing and I am going to try to make some this week. I am off to the store to buy the ingredients now.
I thought these would be great to add to my cookie plates that I give out as gifts to friends too. I'll just attach it on the outside with a little note.
Thanks for the great article,
Donna
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on December 09, 2008 at 04:27 PM:
Have fun with them! And be sure to point out that they're not edible, especially if you put one on top of a cookie plate... my BIL said he got one within an inch of his mouth, all set to take a big yummy bite when my SIL yelped at him to stop because she thought it might be an ornament. (You would think the ribbon hanger would be a clue, but he says it just smelled sooo good, LOL.)
...
Posted by SoCal (from Huntington Beach, CA) on December 09, 2008 at 07:22 PM:
Oh, I will Jill. lol
...
Posted by Angel_D (from Quincy, IL) on December 12, 2008 at 08:51 AM:
QUESTION - how much glue? the recipe just says "1/2 bottle of school glue" which comes in all shapes and sizes. Can you recommend a size? Thanks!!!
...
Posted by SoCal (from Huntington Beach, CA) on December 12, 2008 at 11:44 AM:
I was just going to ask the same question...lol
I've got everything else right now, just waiting for the contractors to finish up laying the new granite and putting the kitchen sink back in, so I can make these. Any day now, I hope!!
Donna
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on December 12, 2008 at 12:01 PM:
The directions above the recipe say to add two to three tablespoons of white glue for every cup of drained applesauce. The size bottle I generally have on hand is the one that's 3-4 inches tall, probably 4 or 6 oz. The glue is an optional component, so use whatever you have on hand... amount is flexible.
...
Posted by SoCal (from Huntington Beach, CA) on December 12, 2008 at 08:07 PM:
Thanks Jill. :-))
...
Posted by Angel_D (from Quincy, IL) on December 13, 2008 at 08:39 AM:
Ooops - just saw where you recommended 2-3 tbsp in the article. I did read the article, that bit just didn't quite register. :)
I'd love my house to smell of cinnamon all winter long! In addition to using it in all sorts of recipes, I've burned cinnamon candles, put cinnamon sticks in humidity water pots on the radiator, added a few chips of cinnamon to my coffee pot filter, and even put a few drops of pure cinnamon oil on a pinecone or in a bowl of potpourri.
save the good stuff for your snickerdoodles and cinnamon rolls. The large and economical containers of ground cinnamon available at big box stores will work just fine. In fact, I once incorporated some high grade cinnamon and discovered the additional cinnamon oil made the craft dough difficult to work with. I had to wear gloves to protect my skin from the burn of the essential oil.
For me, a workable dough seems to require about equal parts by volume of thickened applesauce and ground cinnamon. For every cup of applesauce, I add two or three tablespoons of white school glue - the nontoxic kind, just in case somebody licks their fingers while making the ornaments. It's an optional ingredient, but the glue seems to add a little elasticity to the dough, making the finished ornaments just a bit sturdier. Save out a little of both the cinnamon and the applesauce, so you can adjust the texture and stiffness of the dough if needed. Hands work well for the final mixing and kneading of the dough. If your skin is sensitive, plastic or latex gloves will protect your hands from the oils in the cinnamon.
Use a straw to cut a hole in each ornament for hanging. For a less obvious hanger, insert a u-shaped piece of wire (I carefully cut paper clips in half with wire snips) into the top edge of the dough shape. If necessary, the wire can be secured with a little glue after the ornaments are dry.
