Natural Christmas Ornaments
Would you like to have a more natural Christmas? One of the easiest ways to get started is to make your own ornaments. These fragrant decorations can be hung on a tree, placed in a bowl, or put in dozens of places throughout the house. The main ingredients are cinnamon and applesauce, and that makes a wonderfully festive smell!
One word of caution, though: these ornaments are NOT edible. The strong concentration of cinnamon can actually burn your mouth, so be sure to keep these out of reach of children and pets.
Cinnamon Ornaments
Ingredients:
3/4 cup applesauce
1 (4.12 oz) bottle ground cinnamon (1 cup plus 2 Tbs)
cookie cutters
drinking straw
colorful ribbon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 200°.
Mix applesauce and cinnamon with your hands in a small bowl, until a smooth ball of dough forms. Using about 1/4 of the dough at a time, roll it between two sheets of plastic wrap into a 1/4 to 1/3 inch thickness. Make a hole in the top, if desired, with a drinking straw. Place ornaments on a baking sheet.
Bake for 2 1/2 hours. Cool ornaments on a wire rack. Alternately, you can dry at room temperature for 1 to 2 days, turning occasionally.
Insert ribbon through the holes and tie to hang. May be decorated with paint markers, glitter or other items.
Recipe courtesy of McCormick & Co., Inc
Published 12/16/09
