It's Beginning To Smell A Lot Like Christmas!

Hiya All! Well we are now two days into December and I think some one told the weather to act like it's December! It's cold and rainy today. For the first day of December we had our first big, heavy frost up here on the hill. We have had a couple of light ones but this one put the quietus on some summer plants still trying to survive. I'm glad I remembered to bring my orchid in.

Today I have a continuation of homemade decorations for a kitchen Christmas tree. I should have said on Monday when I started this that one year I didn't have an actual tree in my kitchen so I made these ornaments and hung them on a wreath for my kitchen door. So the smells and cheer were still there although I didn't need many for the wreath.

This is a recipe for cinnamon ornaments. It's cheap, simple and smells deliciously of Christmas time. Although I am not a huge fan of cinnamon scented things like candles and brooms these ornaments aren't too strong once they are made but do put a hint of spice in the air. Here's what you need and what to do:

Cinnamon Ornaments

2 bottles cinnamon (fifty cents each at the dollar store)
1/2 cup applesauce (I worked up to about this amount, start small and get to what you can work with)
cookie cutters
a tad of flour

Mix cinnamon and applesauce together in a bowl. Spoon out onto a lightly floured surface. This can be a little messy on your hands so flour yourself. Roll dough out with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters. At this point you have two options. You can put your shapes onto wax paper and let them dry 24 hours or place them on a parchment paper* lined cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 200 for 20 minutes. Allow them to cool. However you choose to let them dry you need to make a hole for the hanger using a toothpick and going around in a circle before baking or drying. Make it far enough down into the shape so the ornament won't break. I made stars and had a couple of tips break off.

I hope you like them!

*Note: I wouldn't grease the pan. You can try baking them without parchment paper if you don't have it but only try a couple at first. I don't know if they will stick to the pan or not.