How to Make Cinnamon Dough Ornaments- Easy DIY

These cinnamon dough ornaments are super simple homemade ornaments that will add a rustic charm to any Christmas tree.

Making homemade decorations together is a great way to spend quality time as a family this holiday season.

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Why you want to make these cinnamon dough ornaments

Family time

These ornaments are an easy holiday craft.

Making cinnamon dough ornaments is a fun activity to do with little kids at Christmas time.

Letting little hands go to work with the rolling and cutting our festive shapes with our favorite cookie cutters has become one of our favorite Christmas traditions.

Simple & budget friendly ingredients

These homemade ornaments use just a few simple ingredients that are found in many home pantries.

If you are looking for a cost effective way to decorate the Christmas tree, making your own ornaments is the way to go.

Delicious smells

The best part about making these cinnamon salt dough ornaments this holiday season is the smell of our home during the process.

The scent of cinnamon and warm spice bring so much nostalgia and warmth around to get us into the holiday spirit.

No apple sauce & less mess

I have made cinnamon applesauce ornaments in the past and though it is a simple recipe, I find that working with a salt dough with my young children is less messy.

These ornaments can preserve into the next year because of the salt, and the dough is an easy consistency to work with. Similar to play dough.

Equipment you will need for cinnamon dough ornaments

• Large bowl 
• Mixing spoon
• Rolling pin
• Favorite christmas cookie cutters
• Cookie sheet
• Wooden dowel– or something to poke through the top of the ornament to create a small hole for hanging
• Parchment paper– (can use wax paper if air drying)
• Wire rack
• Ribbon, string, or twine

Optional supplies: the dollar store is a great place to look for these

• Puffy paint
• Acrylic paint
• Glitter glue
• White glue
• Embossed rolling pin
• Stamps

Cinnamon Dough Ornaments DIY

Ingredients

• Flour
• Ground cinnamon
• Salt
• Warm water

Optional: cinnamon or other spice scented essential oil (from a trustworthy brand- I like YoungLiving, DoTerra or Simply Earth Essential oils)

Directions for making Cinnamon Dough Ornaments

First, to a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients- 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of cinnamon, and salt.

Whisk or stir together until no clumps remain.

Then, pour in the warm water and mix until well combined and a dough forms.

Adding essential oils

If adding essential oils, add 10-15 drops of the oil of your choice. I like cinnamon, ginger, or nutmeg essential oils for that extra cinnamon smell. 

Roll out the cinnamon dough ornaments

Once the dough is mixed, form a dough ball. If the dough is slightly sticky, flour your hands when forming the ball. The end result should not be a very sticky dough. The right consistency is a smooth and easy dough to work with.

Place the dough on a lightly floured smooth surface.

Then, roll dough out to q 1/4″ inch thickness.

Last year, we used embossed rolling pins to leave a beautiful design on our handmade ornaments. These made for great gifts, fun Christmas ornaments, and tags for gifts.

Cut out cinnamon dough ornaments

Next, use cookie cutters to cut out different shapes you like for your Christmas decorations. Add any stamps and imprints you would like on your ornament.

After the ornaments are cut out, use a small dowel or tip of a pencil to create a hole at the top of each ornament to string through.

Options for hardening cinnamon dough ornaments

Air-dry

Place the cut out ornaments on a sheet of wax paper on a wire rack.

Allow to air dry at room temperature until completely hardened through and not soft or sticky at all. This could take a couple of days.

Baking

Line baking sheets with a few pieces of parchment paper.

After the shapes are cut out, place ornaments on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 

Bake the ornaments at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 and a half hours. Baking this cinnamon salt dough recipe can result in a more rustic look as the baking dries out the ornaments quicker and can have a slight white dusted color on the surface and edges of your ornaments. You can use modge podge to help restore the brown or decorate over the ornaments. We like the rustic look and typically leave them as is. 

Storing leftover dough

Use a couple sheets of plastic wrap to store leftover dough in the refrigerator. This dough will last a long time.

After drying

Once you have dry ornaments, decorate with additional paint, glue, glitter, or as you’d like. Allow to dry.

Some ideas for decorating

• The best way to finish this fun project is to put on some Christmas music and make it a fun activity. 
• Use white glue to draw faces on gingerbread men shapes for easy cinnamon ornaments that look like gingerbread cookies.
• Adding glitter is a great way to dress up these ornaments. 

String ribbon or twine through the little hole and tie a knot. 

Ta-da! You now have sweet little ornaments that will look wonderful next to hanging lights and candy canes on your Christmas tree.

These easy homemade cinnamon ornaments are so much fun to make with the family. They typically last through the next year when dried properly. The rough edges and rustic look adds charm to our tree. Adding letter stamping to these ornaments make for cute little gift tags. There are so many ways you could use this project.

Some years we use a full day making homemade Christmas ornaments to decorate the tree and this cinnamon ornament recipe makes the list every time. 

Do you have a fun tradition your family does each year? Let us know in the comments below!

For more family tradition ideas check out this post:

25 Days of FREE Christmas Activities for Families