Cinnamon Applesauce Heart Ornaments
Posted on | December 19, 2011 | 115 Comments
I’ve been brainstorming handmade crafts I could make with my nieces. When I was a kid we made these simple heart ornaments. Made of cinnamon and applesauce this craft is kid-friendly and fun for all ages.
I streamlined the recipe—omitted the glue—and stuck them in the oven to shorten the drying time.
Makes about 30 heart ornaments using two different size heart cookie cutters
What you’ll need:
1 cup of applesauce
1 1/2 cups cinnamon (look for a big containers at $1 stores, bulk stores or amazon.)
2 Tablespoons cloves optional (grind with a spice grinder)
heart cookie cutters in different sizes
string for hanging (mine is from Studio Carta)
Mix 1 cup of applesauce with 1 cup of cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix, mix, mix. This is the kinda recipe you’ll need to use your hands to really incorporate the spices. Make sure you don’t miss any wet spots. Add the additional 1/2 cup of cinnamon, cloves and continue to incorporate. If it’s too wet add more cinnamon, too dry add more applesauce. But be patient. It takes time to mix so don’t add cinnamon or applesauce till you’re absolutely sure it’s well mixed.
Scatter some cinnamon (like if you were rolling out cookies with flour) and roll out applesauce/cinnamon dough to 1/4″ thick. If the dough is too wet it will make a huge mess and stick to your rolling pin.
Use your cookie cutters to cut out the hearts. I noticed the first time around my dough was too wet and the edges were straggly. Once I add more cinnamon the edges were clean.
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the hearts on a cookie sheet with a silpat. The hearts can be really close together but not touching; they won’t rise in the oven. Using a skewer carefully make a hole through each heart. Stick the ornaments in the oven for an hour or more. The juice from the applesauce needs to evaporate. The range in cooking time depends on your house, humidity and climate. My house is cold so I had them in for 1.5 hours and then I turned the oven off and left them to set overnight. They should be rock hard. If they’re not, give them some more time in the oven.
The next day loop a string through each of the holes to hang on the tree, string together to make a garland or attach to a package. Enjoy!
p.s. the hearts are not edible.
Related Posts:
Diy: Salt Dough Ornaments
How To Make Macaroni Snowflakes
Cinnamon Heart-Tied Presents
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Press & Mentions
December 19th, 2011 @ 10:48 am
I love these! So sweet!
December 19th, 2011 @ 11:13 am
How long do they hold their scent?
December 19th, 2011 @ 11:18 am
The scent will last through the season. If you packed them away for next year I’m sure they’ll have a trace of scent but nearly as strong.
December 19th, 2011 @ 11:55 am
Mmmm! I can almost smell them through the screen. And they’re so cute!
December 19th, 2011 @ 12:53 pm
No flour? Just cinnamon and applesauce? What a curious concoction :)
December 19th, 2011 @ 1:00 pm
Yup, no flour. The applesauce juice evaporates in the oven and makes them rock hard.
It’s totally an old-fashioned craft you might have made in grade-school.
December 19th, 2011 @ 2:26 pm
I love this, Katy!
December 20th, 2011 @ 7:01 am
Love these! I may have to try this with my daughter.
Sandy Muraca
December 22nd, 2011 @ 4:42 am
These won’t go moldy or anything if I pack them away properly and store them in a dry, dark area?
December 22nd, 2011 @ 7:39 am
thank you for posting this recipe. one of my daughters made a reindeer like this in preschool – she is now in high school and every year it hangs on our tree (a photo is on my last post). we store it in it’s own small box in tissue paper and it has remained in perfect shape. i love the red and white string you used with these, they are very sweet.
December 22nd, 2011 @ 10:06 am
Laney,
I hope they don’t get moldy but you’re always taking a risk with natural chemical free ingredients– a risk I’m willing to take. I’m sure you’ll be fine if you store them properly. If not, make some more!
January 4th, 2012 @ 4:29 pm
My son came home with these wonderful ornaments in nursery school back in 1993 and I have wanted to duplicate them!I am thrilled to find the recipe!!!!!Yeah!
January 4th, 2012 @ 4:30 pm
The Best!
September 19th, 2012 @ 5:39 pm
Do these need to go immediately into the oven? I teach preschool but we don’t have an oven in our classroom and the school where we’re at wouldn’t want us using the oven for such a long time. I wondered if it would be ok to take them home with me and do the “baking” there (which would mean several hours before getting them into the oven).
September 22nd, 2012 @ 12:29 am
I do not bake mine…been making them for years. You can let them set out for a few days to harden, works the same, just takes longer.
September 22nd, 2012 @ 3:58 pm
Hi Barbara!
You can let them air-dry. Drying them in the oven just speeds up the process!
Katy
September 23rd, 2012 @ 8:09 am
I make and sell crafts. When we moved into the apt we are in now, all the neighborhood kids started coming by…. I seem to collect kids where ever I am…
I have a craft show coming up the end of October, the kids have been wanting to make things and have me sell them with mine…. this would be another perfect craft for them. I can mix and help roll out, they can do the cut outs….
Can’t wait to make them!!! may end up doing several batches though…. there are 6 girls ages 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, and 13. Guess they can take some for teacher gifts too!!!
September 24th, 2012 @ 3:18 pm
I cant wait to try this.
September 27th, 2012 @ 5:42 pm
Do you have to use a silpat mat or can you put them directly on the cookie sheet?
September 27th, 2012 @ 11:25 pm
Hi MC,
I used a Silpat because the mixture is very sticky with applesauce till it dries. I would test before trying a whole batch.
Hope that helps! Katy
September 29th, 2012 @ 4:38 am
Hi there, these look lovely. What sort if apple sauce do I need? I’m in the uk and I don’t know if ours is different to yours!
Thank you
September 29th, 2012 @ 1:34 pm
I made these years ago with my daughter ( 25 yrs)
& we did different shaped Christmas ornaments.
Up till about 2 yrs ago they still had an aroma.
Thanks for the recipe, now have G.C. & would
love to make some with the.
Thanks for the recipe.
ellen
September 29th, 2012 @ 7:30 pm
I don’t own a mat so what else could I use?
September 29th, 2012 @ 10:08 pm
i just use waxed paper on a cookie sheet to set mine up. it worked well.
September 30th, 2012 @ 6:23 am
I have made these for years. They hold their scent forever! I use a straw to poke a hole for the ribbon/string. Works great! The kids love using acrylic paint to make them more colorful and have given them as teacher gifts in the past. Use any cutter!
September 30th, 2012 @ 6:54 pm
I made these in the first grade. I loved smelling them every year. Time to make more. Can you decorate them directly after the over or do we need to let them sit for the night? I don’t remember, it was a long time ago:) been looking for the recipe. Thank you!
September 30th, 2012 @ 8:04 pm
How much cloves is needed, I’m not familiar with ‘T’.
October 2nd, 2012 @ 2:36 am
I didn’t read all the comments in full, but I make these aften. I add a cup of Elmers glue to the mix. It helps hold them together better. Just add extra cinnamon to make it firm enough to roll out and use the cutters.
October 3rd, 2012 @ 10:28 am
I lives y Costa Rica and I don’t know if I’m misunderstanding something, but applesauce is sweet, doesn’t it??
October 3rd, 2012 @ 2:57 pm
A few readers have asked about applesauce. Here in the states applesauce is a mixture of pureed apples mixed with spices. The mixture can be made from scratch by searching “applesauce recipes” or purchasing in the grocery store.
Hope that helps! Katy
October 9th, 2012 @ 1:17 am
I made these with my preschooler age 2yrs and up fun they make great gifts for families
October 11th, 2012 @ 8:33 pm
I LOVE to play with my food, so . . .
I wonder if anyone can offer up suggestions to make this craft with other scents, say . . . pumpkin pie spice. Looking forward to responses.
October 13th, 2012 @ 5:14 pm
I just made a batch of these today with my eleven
year old Grandaughter!!! Love these!!! The house smells sooooo good!!!! Thanks so much!!!
October 21st, 2012 @ 1:04 pm
So easy! Just made a batch – and will be hanging one or two in my car all winter!
October 21st, 2012 @ 4:58 pm
Does anyone know if they would maintaint their scent if I painted them??
October 23rd, 2012 @ 12:28 pm
I would imagine they would loose their scent if they were painted but still have an essence of cinnamon.
October 25th, 2012 @ 7:56 am
Does anyone know if there is something you could use other than applesauce? I’m living out of country for a few months and I would love to make these to decorate for the holidays and make it feel a little more like home but applesauce is pretty pricey…
October 28th, 2012 @ 12:04 am
I made these in grade 7 or so, which was about 10 years ago. They still smell just as wonderful! We box them up each year, carefully wrapped in tissues. I am looking forward to making new ones this year for the first Christmas Season with my own real tree!
October 28th, 2012 @ 4:05 am
T-tablespoon. t-teaspoon
November 1st, 2012 @ 10:39 am
When do you put the hole in to string the heart? Before or after cooking? What did you use?
November 1st, 2012 @ 2:24 pm
I wonder how they would turn out if you added some iridescent glitter, especially since they can be left to air dry. ;)
November 1st, 2012 @ 3:41 pm
You poke the hole in before baking (i.e. on cookie sheet right before baking) since they will have hardened after the baking process.
November 3rd, 2012 @ 9:32 am
Could these be made with a cookie press, rather than rolling out and cutting?
November 4th, 2012 @ 2:11 pm
I made these today with my daughter. I used parchment paper on my cookie sheet and it worked very well. Also ran out of applesause and still needed a bit more found some strawberry applesause and added it, worked fine. I used a straw to make the holes for the ribbon.
Was great fun and smell great, I plan on putting one in my car to bring the smell with me.
November 4th, 2012 @ 8:03 pm
I think we made these when I was in kindergarten. I’m totally going to make these with my kiddo! Thanks for sharing!
November 7th, 2012 @ 8:08 am
My husband is worried about attracting mice with yummy smelling things, or (more likely) that the dog will try to eat them. Anyone have experience with this? I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.
November 9th, 2012 @ 11:08 am
Can you keep these or do they need to be thrown away after christmas?
November 11th, 2012 @ 5:17 pm
Love these – thanks! I am in England and have made them this afternoon. I used shop bought apple sauce (cheapest and biggest jar I could find) but put it in the blender first to get rid of any chunks. I added some nutmeg and cloves as the sauce wasn’t spiced. The ornaments have turned out really well and the house smells amazing!
November 12th, 2012 @ 1:19 am
I still have some I’ve had since 1980ish. The smell is not as strong but the ornaments still look as good.
November 12th, 2012 @ 10:29 am
I made cinnamon bears using this same recipe years ago also can use the hearts to create a wreathe.The possibilities are endless. Thanks for the reminder they do smell awesome.
November 13th, 2012 @ 11:29 am
I found this recipe via pinterest, they are currently in my oven right now. I think I am going to take some and donate them to different organizations that pass out items at Christmas to those in need, and nursing homes. Help spread christmas cheer and the aroma. Thanks for the recipe. I made a quadruple batch.
November 13th, 2012 @ 11:55 am
These are on my holiday to-do list! How many hearts does this recipe make?
November 14th, 2012 @ 12:52 pm
I think this would be a great project with my grandkids, my only concern is wether they attract ants like candy canes can and do!
Thank you,
November 16th, 2012 @ 5:58 pm
If you do not have a Silpat mat, you can use parchment paper instead. It’s usually found at the grocery store by the aluminum foil.
I have a Silpat mat, but I prefer to use parchment paper. There’s less to clean up afterward. :)
November 16th, 2012 @ 8:34 pm
Wondering…. Could you also use plain flour in place of cinnamon and then use lemon extract or oil of pine, etc. for different fragrances? FYI – Fragrances can be found at your local craft or big chain stores. May have to try this……
November 16th, 2012 @ 8:44 pm
We got married 2 weeks before Christmas (2004) and my mom made these, but in the shape of gingerbread men. We attached ribbon, our wedding date, and guests took them home at favors. We have about a dozen we put on our tree every year and they still smell amazing.
I like the idea of making a garland, will have to try with my pre-schooler!
November 16th, 2012 @ 8:46 pm
We pack them up in a ziploc bag every year and have never attracted ant or mice ect. Also while hanging on our tree, we’ve never seen bugs. Our dog ate a couple and it didn’t seem to bother her. But she is 80lbs and has a stomach of steel!
Hope that helps!
November 16th, 2012 @ 11:14 pm
I’m not sure. I’ve never tried it but worth a shot Michelle!
Katy Elliott
November 16th, 2012 @ 11:19 pm
You can also paint them – I did these with my residents only we made “gingerbread” men. We glued ribbon to the back of their heads for hangers. Was REALLY cute
November 17th, 2012 @ 5:34 pm
So cute!! We usually give Dollar Tree ornaments to my boys’ teachers as a package decoration for their gifts, but this is so much cuter!!! And they will love helping. Thank you for sharing the recipe :)
November 20th, 2012 @ 7:32 am
Thanks for the wonderful pictures to go along with the recipe. I love the ones I made yesterday. Would love to send you a picture – is that possible?
November 20th, 2012 @ 10:56 am
I’m going to make these this Christmas :) For our first real Christmas tree :) How many does this batch make, approximately?
November 21st, 2012 @ 9:11 am
I was able to make about 30 heart ornaments with one batch of dough.
Thanks! Katy
November 21st, 2012 @ 10:21 am
Thanks for the reply Katy! These are so cute! I’m making a batch today and maybe another on the weekend. I’m having a Cookie Exchange and thinking about giving these out as party favors :)
November 21st, 2012 @ 7:15 pm
What type of cloves???
November 22nd, 2012 @ 5:54 pm
Hi stupid question is this made from applesauce like apple sauce from a jar ?
Thanks
Claire
November 24th, 2012 @ 5:21 am
Yes, Claire! Regular old applesauce from a jar.
November 24th, 2012 @ 3:02 pm
Can’t u just add all the cinnamon ( with extra water) to salt dough? Just wondering,
November 24th, 2012 @ 5:46 pm
Mine are in the oven and smelling wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing this!
November 24th, 2012 @ 7:02 pm
I’ve never tried it using the salt dough method but give it a shot.
November 26th, 2012 @ 9:55 am
Hello. Can’t wait to make these but just wondering if the oven temp is Fahrenheit or Celsius? Thanks xx
November 26th, 2012 @ 12:08 pm
Hi Laura,
Sorry I should have added above in the recipe. The cook temp is in Fahrenheit. Have fun!
Katy
November 27th, 2012 @ 10:56 am
This is the handmade gift my family will make for our neighbors this year :-) My mom used to make them when I was young and the smell brings back great memories :-)
November 29th, 2012 @ 9:23 am
In 1995 I made over 200 of these for my sisters wedding. Lost the recipe. Knew it was simple but glad to have it back. I painted flowers and pink and white dot design on each one with acrylic paint and a toothpick. Took months to make that many. LOL. They still smell nice all these years later.
November 29th, 2012 @ 9:28 am
If kids are doing it just know that cinnamon is irritating on skin. Might “burn” little hands.
November 30th, 2012 @ 4:49 pm
I have 100 small hearts in the oven right now…the house smells amazing! I also added some gold glitter to the mixture before rolling and they came out great!
December 1st, 2012 @ 8:53 pm
I started making these when the kids were little (about 20 years ago). I love them. I like to let them air dry on cooling racks over the heat vents throughout the house. Takes a couple of days, but the whole house smells Christmas-y. We use other shapes, too (ornaments, stars, gingermen), and hang the ornaments on the tree.
December 1st, 2012 @ 11:25 pm
Aren’t they supposed to have a cup of Elmer’s glue in them to make them hold together?
December 2nd, 2012 @ 5:27 pm
I just wanted to say that I bought my applesauce and cinnamon at the dollar store. The cinnamon came in a larger container and made the whole thing pretty cheap. It makes plenty of dough to give ornaments to many many people!
December 2nd, 2012 @ 5:42 pm
You can make them without glue if you allow for extra drying time.
December 3rd, 2012 @ 12:02 am
I was told if these start to lose the scent you can put them back in the oven on very low heat and the smell comes back stronger.
December 3rd, 2012 @ 6:15 pm
My house smells amazing and they are only in the oven. Thank you!!
December 4th, 2012 @ 12:20 pm
oh my! I have to do this, I need to find that gorg twine first!
December 4th, 2012 @ 4:05 pm
My preschoolers made theirs today; they will be for Christmas gifts for their parents’. Very easy to make and roll and cut out! Now, I’m going to bake them at home; boy, is my house ever gonna smell good!!!
December 4th, 2012 @ 5:16 pm
Ok, I don’t know what I did wrong. I used cinnamon I bought at a spice company near me, not the cheap stuff. I tried for over an hour to get the dough to come out right, no matter what I did, didn’t work. I even tried adding glue like some other sites suggested. Besides the fact that the cinnamon burned my hands, I only have 3 hearts in the oven. I’m not too optimistic that they’ll stay in 1 piece.
December 4th, 2012 @ 5:26 pm
Oh, man, we had such a hard time with these! I’m feeling pretty dumb now that I’ve read all the comments and everyone talks about how easy they are :). I could NOT get the right ratio so the dough would roll out. I finally added some Elmer’s glue and was able to make it work. Oh well, at least it was a lot of messy fun for the kids (aged almost 2 and 3). Be sure to warn them immediately not to eat the dough! My three year old learned the hard way, lol.
December 4th, 2012 @ 8:27 pm
I was wondering if you could make the dough a couple days ahead of time? I have a daycare and thought it would be easier to have the dough done before hand. Wasn’t sure how it would keep or how to store it.
December 5th, 2012 @ 1:39 am
How long will the dough last (before baking) and does it need refrigeration? I want to take to class for the kids to play with and bake it later.
December 5th, 2012 @ 8:12 am
The dough will dry out. I don’t know how long it will last but once the dough looses the moisture it will be dry. I would do a small test before planning a whole project.
December 5th, 2012 @ 8:13 am
Hi Tara!
I’m so sorry you had a hard time. I would imagine the drying time and amount of cinnamon required is based slightly on the humidity in your area. If it’s too wet add more cinnamon, if it’s too dry add more applesauce.
December 5th, 2012 @ 11:35 pm
Can I use unsweetened apple sauce?
December 6th, 2012 @ 3:33 pm
Vincent’s Mom
I just made these today and ended up adding almost an entire extra cup of applesauce to get it “doughy”. Just following the basic recipe was so dry and flaky, but I didn’t know if that’s how it was supposed to be. I decided to just add more sauce to moisten it up, and ended up adding it until it was kind of like a playdough consistency. Keep adding applesauce until it’s moist enough to stick together easily and not have any cracks in it from kneading the dough around.
And thank you so much for this recipe! I have seen a couple others, but they didn’t mention the addition of cloves or tell much info on drying them. Thank you! My house smells amazing!
December 6th, 2012 @ 4:01 pm
@ Vincent’s mom: WOW I doubt ours would have dried if we’d have put a whole extra cup of applesauce in!! As it is, they took 2 days to completely dry!! We did add the cup of glue; I wanted to be sure they held together.
My preschool students wrapped theirs today; they will go home next week to put under their familys’ Christmas trees!
December 6th, 2012 @ 8:38 pm
Sure unsweetened is fine to use.
December 7th, 2012 @ 4:58 pm
Super easy to make! Made these to give out at my husbands family Christmas this year. We did angels, gingerbread, trees and snowman shapes. Got everything at the $1 store. I baled mine for about 3-4 hours and they are dry & look great. Thank you!
December 8th, 2012 @ 11:17 pm
Made these tonight and my house smells delicious! Love them. I also made them into different shapes (stars, candles, trees, angels for my daughter and me, a gingerbread man for my husband, and an ornament shape). Keeping these and definitely making more in the future! Thanks for posting!
December 9th, 2012 @ 1:05 pm
Can’t wait to give these a try! My husband remembers his mom making similar ornaments when he was little. He recalled that dogs LOVE them, so if you put them on the tree put them up high. I adore the smell of cinnamon. I’ll be using my woodland critter cookie cutters.
December 11th, 2012 @ 9:21 pm
Made a double batch today and they turned out awesome…. I do daycare and all the parents commented on how great the house smells.. I’ll be giving them as gifts to those parents and my husbands employees. I did small hearts, snowflakes, Xmas trees, and poinsettia’s with different ribbons. So easy and so pretty. Thank you
December 12th, 2012 @ 10:57 am
To those worried about pests. It is actully recommended to use cinnamon to keep ants away. Will have to try this when I find time.
December 12th, 2012 @ 6:37 pm
Hey! PLEASE tell me where you found the string. It’s PERFECT for Christmas gifts! :) Thank you!
December 13th, 2012 @ 4:55 pm
I’m so sorry I didn’t realize the link for the string is now broken. You find the string here: http://www.shopangelaliguori.com/
Thanks! Katy
December 15th, 2012 @ 7:49 pm
I am thinking of making these but wanted to see if anyone has cats and dogs? if you do did they try and eat them off the tree?
Thanks
December 16th, 2012 @ 1:40 pm
can you put elmers glue in this also?
December 16th, 2012 @ 3:18 pm
Yes, you can put glue in these; it supposedly helps them hold together better. We made them in my preschool class for parent gifts and added the glue; they turned out perfect!
December 16th, 2012 @ 7:03 pm
I followed initial directions perfectly. Mixture looked and felt like grainy sand. When I tried to roll out, sure enough it stuck to the rolling pin. So I thought too wet and added more cinnimon. Same result. Added more, but same result. It never resembled dough and was like wet sand. I was able to make about 6 star shaped ornaments whech all cracked in some manner. Cracked should = dry but it always stayed wet feeling. What went wrong?
December 17th, 2012 @ 11:52 am
I tried to make these yesterday. First, they were too dry and wouldn’t stay together when I tried to use the cookie cutter on them. Tossed the mix back into the bowl and added a bit more applesauce. The mixture turned into what can only be described as “foamy!” What happened??? I kept adding more cinnamon to try to dry it back out, but just ended up trashing the entire project. I’m so disappointed.
December 17th, 2012 @ 12:22 pm
Hi! I am planning on making these and the salt dough handprints of my daughter, but I was wondering if I could make these cinnamon ones, but do the handprint instead of the shapes??
December 18th, 2012 @ 8:19 am
I made these last night and they came out perfect!! It was so easy .. While mixing the 1 cup of cinnamon and 1 cup of applesauce it was still alittle too wet so I added alittle more cinnamon and it was perfect!!! I used the kitchen aid stand mixer so I don’t know if that has anything to do with it!!
December 18th, 2012 @ 4:41 pm
We made these with preschool children ages 3, 4 & 5 yrs. old and had NO problems! Mixed the applesauce, cinnamon & glue together,using a spoon, then our hands, then gave each child their own ball to roll out. Each had some cinnamon on the table to roll on, much like using flour when making cookies; worked perfect!! They smell SO GOOD and using different Christmas cookie cutters they are ADORABLE parent gifts!
December 19th, 2012 @ 6:11 pm
I made these last night and they turned out fantastic! I had to bake mine for over four hours! Guess the humidity is high around here. No worries, they turned out perfect. Thanks for sharing. I love them. See how I used them on my post at
http://lizspinspiration.blogspot.com/2012/12/pin-165.html#
I provided a link back to your page.
December 21st, 2012 @ 11:08 am
What a fun project! My two-year old son loved it. We used them to decorate gifts for our neighbors. I’ve written about these and I’m including a link back to your blog. :) Thanks!
December 31st, 2012 @ 7:30 pm
when the smell weakens I brush them with oil of cinnamon and let them dry, good as new!
February 28th, 2013 @ 4:02 am
It’s too bad that they aren’t edible. They look so tasty! When I was young my neighbours had this kind of ornaments. Back then I didn’t know that you shouldn’t eat them. The parents had a good laugh out of it.
February 28th, 2013 @ 4:05 am
It’s too bad that they aren’t edible. They look so tasty! When I was young my neighbours had this kind of ornaments. Back then I didn’t know that you shouldn’t eat them. The parents had a good laugh out of it.
March 26th, 2013 @ 10:52 am
Pretty good family activity ;) ! Thanks a lot for the article i might try it soon!