Cinnamon ornaments are a cheap and easy holiday craft to do with kids. Plus, they make your house smell AWESOME. They make great gifts during the holidays, too!

In this instructable I'll share my basic recipe for cinnamon ornaments and how to make them. I've left mine plain, but you can paint them, add glitter, or spray them with a polyurethane spray paint to make them glossy.

Just make sure no one tries to take a bite of one. They won't be too excited afterward. :D

Step 1: Ingredients + Tools

1 cup ground cinnamon (around a 4-5 oz container)
3/4 - 1 cup applesauce
2 tablespoons white glue
wax paper
parchment paper
baking sheet
cookie cutter and/or x-acto knife
red food coloring (optional, but darkens them a little bit!)
string or wire for hanging
skewer, straw or another item to punch holes in the ornaments

This amount of ingredients will make around 15 inch ornaments - mine were all about 3x3 inches in size.

You can omit the glue if you don't have any on hand - it just adds a little stability and allows the dough to be a bit easier to work.

Step 2: Mix Together the Cinnamon Dough

Combine everything in a bowl (start with 3/4 cup applesauce) and mix with a spoon until the cinnamon begins to get wet and darken.

Use your hands to press the dough together - if it stays together with minimal crumbling, you're good to roll it out.

If it's still pretty crumbly, add a little more applesauce bit by bit until the dough comes together well. Picture two shows the dough when it needs a little more applesauce - picture three is a well incorporated dough. :D

(If it's being grumpy even after adding a cup of applesauce, let it rest for a few minutes and try again. Sometimes the cinnamon needs a little time to absorb all the liquid.)

Step 3: Roll Out the Dough

Place the dough on a piece of wax paper and cover with another piece of wax paper. This will let you roll it out without it sticking. :)

Try to get it right around 1/4 inch thick. If the ornaments get much thinner, they'll be a bit brittle.

Step 4: Cut Out Your Ornaments

You can use cookie cutters, freehand them with a knife, or use templates and a knife. Make sure to punch holes in them as you go - trying to make holes after they've baked is near impossible.

Put a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and lay the ornaments on there as you cut them out so you don't have to move them too much!

If you want, you can also use your fingers to smooth the sides of them - they can look a little fuzzy after cutting sometimes due to the apple flesh. :)

Step 5: Bake and String!

You'll want to bake these in a 200 F oven for 2-3 hours, turning after every hour. Your house is about to smell amazing!

Because it's been so rainy here lately it took me about three hours to get these to dry out all the way - humidity will play a big role in getting them to dry. :)

Your ornaments will be done once they're rock hard - if they're squishy at all in middle, leave them in.

Once they're dry, loop a piece of string or wire through the hole to hang them with. Enjoy!

P.S. You can also dry these at room temperature, but it can take forever. Days, sometimes. If you'd like to dry the ornaments at room temp, lay them on paper towels on top of a baking rack until they firm up, then remove the paper towels and keep drying on the rack.