The Sweet Smell of Christmas
Why is it that certain smells evoke such pleasant memories?
And at the top of the list…warm cinnamon….mmm…
The ornaments on our Christmas tree are, for the most part, homemade. Felt stars, orange slices, rag bows. But where are the cinnamon hearts? In opening the decorations we found casualties, succumbing to being stored in the ‘perpetually-damp-and-the-excessively-wet-summer-didn’t-help’ shed. Icky shades of green. No need to go on.
Time to make more.
Warning: Unintentional Copyright Infringement Ahead
I really wish I could remember where I got this recipe. In a book somewhere. Never noted and now long forgotten. So, apologies to the person who first created these little beauties.
Also: A Wee Bit of Addendum To Follow:
I at first posted this recipe as it originally appeared in the long forgotten book, but the cinnamon measurement seems to cause confusion, so I’ve altered it for clarity. And I would also suggest rolling out the dough a little thinner than you see in the pictures. The ornaments need to dry completely through in the baking-and-sitting-in-the-oven-process. A little less than 1/4 inch should do…
Cinnamon Scent Ornaments
6 tablespoons applesauce
9 tablespoons PLUS 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
Mix ingredients together in a small bowl. Work with hands until dough is the consistency of clay dough. Roll out between sheets of plastic food wrap.
Cut in various shapes. Use a toothpick to make a hole for threading ribbon later. Bake on a cookie sheet at 150ºF/65ºC for 1-1/2 hours.
Turn off oven and leave in oven for 5-6 hours or overnight. Depending upon the thickness of the dough, baking time may take longer.
Thank you for sharing. I like cinnamon very much. I better run down to the story and buy the ingredients for these.
15 Dec 2007 at 9:05 am
What a wonderful idea! Thanks for sharing the recipe–I think I’ll make some of these with my kids this week. Happy Christmas season!!
15 Dec 2007 at 2:03 pm
I made these once with my kids. It was part of a kit so I didn’t have a recipe. Now I do and our tree can have cinnamon hearts and stars again!
15 Dec 2007 at 3:43 pm
Really? That’s all there is to it? Those are all the ingredients? Way, way cool. I’m going to try these! I live for cinnamon!
15 Dec 2007 at 4:05 pm
Wow - and they’re edible, too!
Why not add some allspice & nutmeg as well?
I must say, I’d be hard pressed not to nibble one. How do they taste?
15 Dec 2007 at 11:15 pm
I have to sound in with the others who have left comments here, Thank you for sharing! I will try to make some up myself this year!
I love the smell of cinnamon. Would they stay better if they were sealed a bit? Would that make the scent fade though……. hmmmm
16 Dec 2007 at 9:29 am
Do you have any idea what a God send you are??? I have been searching for ideas for making decorations with my grandchildren next year. This will be perfect. Thank you.
16 Dec 2007 at 1:20 pm
Thanks for sharing this - I’m definitely making some of these! I’ll probably have a couple of young helpers…
16 Dec 2007 at 6:06 pm
Sounds exciting, but I don’t understand the 9 Tablespoons of ground cinnamon followed by the 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon - should the 2 tsp be something else?
16 Dec 2007 at 6:11 pm
I navigated to your blog from your recent pattern on Knitty, and just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy it! I’m having folks over for an impromptu xmas cookie party tomorrow- and these ornaments will be a great gift to share with them- thanks! keep up the good work!
16 Dec 2007 at 9:16 pm
Thanks for a terrific recipe! [Gallops to store]
17 Dec 2007 at 5:15 pm
I read this post a year ago and made a mental note of it for the coming year. My ornaments are in the oven as I’m writing this. I plan to give out some as part of a hostess gift for Thanksgiving, some more might make it onto wreaths or just hang in front of windows (since it’s still several weeks before the Christmas tree goes up).
I used a tree shaped cuter, so I added some whole cloves to look like tree decorations (shorten the stem a bit first) and added some extra little holes to try to sew through some string or possibly make bows.
Thanks for all the fun.
14 Nov 2008 at 5:48 pm
[...] the early days of marriage, when money was scarce, Christmas decorations were a homemade affair. Cinnamon hearts, felt stars, fabric bows…all contribute to a very ‘prairie’ tree. In the modern economy, [...]
10 Dec 2008 at 12:06 am