Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments fill your tree with a festive scent. They make a lasting personal gift and look lovely on wrapped presents. Crafting ornaments with this easy recipe is also a great family project. When working with children, be sure to remind them that the dough and ornaments are NOT for eating.
Cinnamon Scented Ornaments (For Crafting only. NOT EDIBLE)
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce (inexpensive store brands are fine)
- 1 ¼ cup Ground Cinnamon, plus additional for dusting. NOTE: Do NOT use "Saigon Cinnamon" in this recipe. Saigon cinnamon has a higher oil content and will not produce the right consistency for this dough.
- 2 T Elmer’s Glue-All
Instructions
1. Mix applesauce and glue until thoroughly combined.
2. Add cinnamon. Mix into a dough. Work it with your hands into a ball.
3. Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel and let the dough rest for ½ hour.
4. Liberally dust your work surface with cinnamon.
5. Knead the rested dough a few times before rolling out. If needed, add a few drops of water.
6. Dust the top of the dough ball with cinnamon so it won’t stick to the rolling pin. Roll the dough out to 8 mm (3/8”) using Dough Thickness Guides.
7. Dust the springerle mold with cinnamon. Press mold into the dough. Lift mold straight up to remove.
8. Use a cookie cutter or knife to cut out as desired. Lift with a bench knife and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
9. As you re-roll the dough scraps, the dough will become drier as it absorbs more cinnamon. Knead a few drops of water as needed to keep the dough workable.
10. Each time you press another ornament, remember to dust your work surface and the mold. As you finish working with each mold, clean it before moving onto the next design. That way at the end of pressing you don't end up with dried dough stuck in the first mold you worked with. (Remember, there is glue in the recipe!)
11. Use a straw to make a hole for ribbon to hang the ornament.
12. Carefully and very gently brush any extra cinnamon off your ornament with a pastry brush; it will not come off once the ornaments are dried.
13. To dry the ornaments, bake for 3 hours at 200 degrees F. This is purely to hasten the drying process--the ornaments do not actually "bake". Check them periodically to make sure the corners aren't curling up. If they do, gently turn the ornament over and continue drying. Larger ornaments or humid conditions may require a bit more time to dry once they come out of the oven; they will air dry on the counter up to a few days.
14. Paint or finish as desired; add ribbon to hang.
Yield: Varies depending on your ornament size. One batch makes fifteen 2” ornaments.
Storage: When not in use, preserve the scent for years to come by storing in a Ziplock bag or airtight container. Keep away from humidity (i.e. don't store them in a damp basement).