How To Make Cinnamon Spice Ornaments

This is a fun and fragrant project for kids of all ages.

Put 1 cup of smooth, unsweetened applesauce in a medium sized bowl. Gradually stir in 1- 1 1/2 cups of ground spices. I used a mix of ginger, cloves and cinnamon for this batch. The spices don't have to be top quality for flavor, but you want them nice and fragrant. You can usually find good deals at the Dollar Store for this project.

Keep adding spice and stirring until your dough is non sticky, but not too crumbly. A good test is to roll a little ball of the dough. It should hold together but not stick to your hands.

Form your dough into a large ball, flatten slightly and place on a sheet of waxed paper.

Place another piece of waxed paper on top and roll with a rolling pin until it is about 1/4 inch thick.

These are the cookie cutters I used to cut out the dough. Choose simple shapes without too much detail for the best results.
Make a hole in the top of each ornament with a small diameter straw so you can add a ribbon for hanging after they are dry. A swizzle stick works great. Form little balls 1/2- 3/4 inches with any leftover dough, adding a hole to them also.
Place your ornaments on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet and place the tray in a warm, dry place. Air dry for several days. add a pretty ribbon and you'll have fragrant ornaments for your Christmas tree!