D-I-Y Apple Cinnamon Orange Clove ornaments! With glitter!


I'll bet you've seen those cinnamon dough ornaments all over Pinterest. Me, too! Cute, right?


I knew this was one of the things I would be making this holiday season, and I finally found the time to actually do it. And you know me, I'm never content to do things completely according to the instructions. (Gus would disagree, but we're talking crafty things here, not setting up the Blu-Ray player. Electronics=instructions, crafts=play-it-by-ear.)

So I read several different sets of instructions for making these ornaments, and came up with my own little version. I started out with just cinnamon and applesauce. Then I thought "Hey, why not add cloves since I like the scent so much?"...and that evolved into, "Well, if I'm adding cloves, why not add a little orange essential oil, since I like the scent of orange, clove, & cinnamon?"...and that evolved into "Why not add a little glitter? Everything looks better with glitter!"...

Yeah. I know. I have a problem. But hey - my ornaments are cute and they smell delicious!! (for those who need it, and you know who you are - here's your sign: DO NOT EAT THE ORNAMENTS!)

{enjoy the view} Apple Cinnamon Orange Clove Ornaments 
(with glitter!)
(makes about 30 tiny ornaments)

Ingredients:
1/2 c. ground cinnamon
1 TBSP. ground cloves
1/2 TBSP. glitter
1/2 c. applesauce
30 drops sweet orange essential oil

Other things you'll need: bowl, spatula, cookie sheet, parchment paper (or silicone baking mat), coffee stirrer/straw/skewer (something to make the hanging hole), twine or ribbon.


Tip: Buy your cinnamon at Dollar Tree - you can get 3 oz. for $1 compared to 2 oz. for $4-5 at the grocery store! I didn't look for ground cloves since that was an afterthought, but I bet they sell that, too - and maybe check for applesauce!

First, I mixed  1/2 c. ground cinnamon, 1 TBSP. ground cloves, and 1/2 TBSP. glitter together, making sure they were evenly distributed throughout.

Then I added 1/2 c. applesauce and 30 drops of sweet orange essential oil.


I used a small spatula to mix. I found it easy to get it mixed together. Some blogs mentioned that they had to mix it with their hands to get it well-mixed, but I didn't find this to be true. Note: the mixture will be crumbly in the bowl. I did use my hands to knead it just a little to form a ball so it could be rolled out for cutting.


I sprinkled a little cinnamon and glitter onto the mat before rolling out the dough. I rolled it out a little, then carefully flipped it over, then rolled it out some more. Most blogs recommended rolling to 1/4" - I think the first batch I made were a little thinner than that, but my second batch was thicker. The thinner batch was fine, but I made tiny ornaments. It might be more of an issue if you made larger ones.


A coffee stirrer is about the perfect size for making a hole for the twine (for hanging) in the tiny ornaments. If you're making a larger ornament, you could probably get away with using a regular-sized straw - but I like the tiny hole. I pressed the cookie cutter into the dough, and while it was there, I made the hole for hanging. I think it helps the ornament hold it's shape better.


I placed the ornaments on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and popped them into a preheated 200 degree oven for 50 minutes. Most blogs said at least an hour, but my oven is weird, and the ornaments were smaller and thinner, so I adjusted the baking time.


After 50 minutes, I took them out and flipped them over. I didn't have any problems flipping them over - they were already pretty firm. I did notice that the bottoms were a little darker than the tops, so I decreased the heat to 170 degrees, and popped them back in for 40 minutes.


Oh. My. Gosh. The fragrance!! Sooooo yummy!!! (Gus walked in from work and said, "The house smells really good when you walk in!" - even he likes it!)


My thoughts:
  1. Adjust your oven temperature and baking times to suit your particular oven and the size/thickness of your ornaments.
  2. Don't be afraid to add spices or essential oils that you like! And glitter!
  3. I found the 1/2 c. ratio to be perfect for handling/rolling out. I can see how using 1 c. might make it more difficult to mix/roll out. 

Let me know if you give these a try!
Kim
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