Gingerbread Cookie Ornaments

In today’s post: Learn how to make adorable gingerbread cookie Christmas ornaments out of cinnamon and applesauce. They’ll look adorable on your tree and they smell amazing!

Easy Christmas Craft

Alright people, I hereby decree that it’s time for Christmas crafts! Today I’m sharing an easy craft that feels cozy AND makes your house smell like cinnamon and you can work on it as you watch your favorite Christmas movies. We’re making Christmas ornaments that look like gingerbread cookies and smell like Christmas.

Supplies

You only need three things to make these cute DIY ornaments!

• Cinnamon
• Applesauce
• White Puffy Paint

You’ll also want to pull out your favorite Christmas cookie cutters and some sort of twine or ribbon to hang the finished ornaments with. I recommend using three inch or smaller cookie cutters.

How to Make Gingerbread Ornaments

Mix the dough

You’ll start by placing cinnamon and applesauce in a bowl and mixing them together. I used one 2.5 oz container of ground cinnamon and about 6 oz of applesauce (one and a half cups) and it make ten ornaments. By volume you’ll need a little more cinnamon than applesauce to make the dough. Stir until it comes together, then knead it a couple times with your hands. If it’s stiff and crumbly, add a little more applesauce. If it’s soft and sticky, add a little more cinnamon. You are looking for a cookie dough consistency.

Roll and Cut

Now it’s time to roll out the dough. I like to do this between two layers of plastic wrap so the dough doesn’t stick. Roll to a 3/8th inch thickness. Then use cookie cutters to cut out your shapes. I used a rolling pin with thickness guides, and these 3 inch Christmas cookie cutters.

Poke holes for hanging

Carefully transfer the ornaments to a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner (if you do not line your cookie sheet the ornaments may stick). It can be helpful to use an offset spatula to transfer to ornaments. Reroll and extra dough and cut out additional ornaments. Once the ornaments are on the cookie sheet, use a straw or toothpick to poke a hole in the top for hanging.

Bake

Now you’ll bake the ornaments in a 200 degree Fahrenheit oven for 2 and a half hours, or until they feel hard. If you don’t want to bake them, you can also leave them out at room temperature until dry – this will take two to three days.

Decorate

Once the ornaments have cooled, you can decorate them just like you would a gingerbread cookie! I used white puffy paint to draw on designs. Practice first on a napkin to get a feel for how quickly the paint comes out. Allow the puffy paint to dry overnight, then add twine or ribbon and hang your new ornaments on the Christmas tree!