Frugal Homemade Christmas Tree: DIY Cinnamon Dough Ornaments

Next up in our Frugal Homemade Christmas Tree Series is one that takes me back to my childhood a bit. My mom was a crafter before crafting was cool, and so it seemed every year--- or many years anyway, we would be in the kitchen baking our own ornaments as gifts, etc. Mostly, that would involve salt dough ornaments, but sometimes we would mix it up with cinnamon dough.

Once I decided that it was going to be a homemade tree this year, I knew that this was going to be the perfect addition. It has such a classic look to it, AND it smells amazing too.

DIY Cinnamon Dough Ornaments

• 1 cup applesauce
• 1 1/2 cups ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons glue
• twine/ribbon
• drinking straw
• cookie cutters
• plastic wrap
• rolling pin
• baking sheets

1. First up, you'll need to buy your supplies of course. But the topic of this series is a FRUGAL homemade Christmas tree, so to make the most use of your budget, I would suggest heading to your local Dollar Tree or other dollar store. Cinnamon and even applesauce can get rather pricey elsewhere, but you can use off brand, cheapest you can find. I was able to find everything I needed at the Dollar Tree for around $3-4. Chances are you have all the baking needs already, but you can also find baking sheets at Dollar Tree as well. I personally purchased my cookie cutters for about $1.50 for a big bag of assorted styles. They can usually be found individually for around $1 too. 
2. Now, that you have everything, it's time to make your dough. Mix the applesauce and cinnamon into a bowls until well blended. Add glue. (The glue is optional, but is supposed to help them stay together.) You may have to use your hands to thoroughly blend.  Form into a ball.
3. Now roll the dough out between two pieces of plastic wrap. You'll want them between 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. The thinner they are the less time they take to dry and the more you can get, but they more fragile they will be too. Use cookie cutters to cut out your desired shapes. 
4. Place on cookie sheet. Use a straw to add the hole for hanging, careful to leave plenty of room at the edge. 
5. Bake for about 2 1/2 hours at 200 degrees. Time will vary based on thickness and your oven. Mine did not take nearly that long, so just keep a watchful eye on them. If you'd prefer, you can also just sit out at room temperature for a few days to allow to dry thoroughly, no baking required... or use a food dehydrator. Baking however is the fastest method! 
6. After they are dried and cooled, it's time to hand. Use some thin ribbon or twine. (I purchased this simple twine again at the Dollar Tree, it was in the tool section.) They are ready to hang!

These simple ornaments not only look great, but they make the house smell great too. It's not an overwhelming cinnamon smell, but just a little hint as you walk by. And while they are actually baking? Amazing! 

While we chose to keep them very simple, you can add paint, glitter or whatever you'd like to make them your own.

Looking for more fun ways to decorate your tree on a tight budget? Check out this post on how to create a DIY popcorn garland, and stay tuned for more in this Frugal Homemade Christmas Tree series.