Cinnamon Cookie Ornaments

These are a signature for Christmas in my classrooms, so I tried it out with Adriana this year! I will be sharing two recipes with you one is the Classic Cinnamon Ornament and the second is the Quick Dry Cinnamon Ornament. 

Classic Recipe: 

1 Cup cinnamon 

1 Cup applesauce 

Decorative cutters 

Baking tray lined with wax or parchment paper

Wire rack

Rolling pin

Straw 

Ribbon 

Mod Podge (waterbase sealer, glue and finish)

Paint brush 

Sharpie

Loose parts (optional)

Directions: 

1. Mix a 1:1 ratio of Cinnamon and applesauce. Keep mixing it until the consistency thickens and forms a soft dough like mixture. You can add a little more cinnamon to the mixture if you need to thicken it up. 
2. Once you are happy with the thickness of the dough, sprinkle a little cinnamon on the counter and flatten it into a 1/4 inch sheet using your hands or rolling pin. Use the decorative cutters to cut out shapes for your ornaments. 
3. Slowly transfer the soft cut outs onto a backing tray lined with wax/parchment paper. 
4. Use the straw to punch a hole into the top or side of the cookie (this is where you will loop the ribbon after it dries and hang it). This will take 3-4 days to air dry. DO NOT place in the oven. Let it dry for a day or two and transfer to a wire rack to air dry the bottom of cookie.
5. Once the cookies are all dry; brush Mod Podge onto the cookies to coat them front and back. This will seal the ornament cookies. 
6. Once dry (this will take about 15-30 minutes), you can loop the ribbon into the hole and make it hangable for a tree or as a gift tag. You can decorate using sharpies, or loose parts.  

Quick Dry Recipe: (THIS IS THE ONE I TRIED AND IT TURNED OUT GREAT!)

1/2 Cup cinnamon

1 Tablespoon ground cloves

3/8 Cup applesauce

3 Tablespoons white school glue

1 Cup corn starch 

2 Cups baking soda

1/2 Cup cold water (use gradually not all)

Small Pot 

Decorative cookie cutters

Wax paper

Wire rack

Rolling pin

Straw

Ribbon

Mod Podge (waterbase sealer, glue and finish)

Paint brush

Sharpie 

Loose parts (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix the cinnamon, ground cloves, applesauce, school glue together in a small pot. Then add the corn starch and the baking soda to the mixture. Knead it until it is thick; then place it onto the stove on medium heat. 
2. Add a little water at a time as you keep mixing, until the consistency thickens and forms a soft dough like mixture. You can add a little more corn starch if you want to thicken it up a little. 
3. Transfer the hot dough formed onto wax paper on a counter and knead it slowly with your hands to form a dough ball. Use your hands or a rolling pin to flatten the cookie dough into 1/4 thick sheet. 
4. Use the decorative cookie cutters to cut out shapes for the ornaments. Punch a hole into the shapes using a straw. 
5. Transfer the cookie shapes onto a wire rack to air dry. DO NOT place in the oven! WAIT 2 DAYS for the cookies to harden. 
6. Once the cookies are all dry; brush Mod Podge onto the cookies to coat them front and back. This will seal the ornament cookies. 
7. Once dry (takes about 15-30 minutes), you can loop the ribbon into the hole and make it hangable for a tree or as a gift tag. You can decorate using sharpies, or loose parts.  

Hope these are a few ideas you can do with your little ones and enjoy the beautiful season! You can also place these into sock drawers for an extra seasonal freshness.