You and your toddler will have a great time with this simple recipe for holiday ornaments. There is no cooking requirement, so it's a safe activity as well. Friends and family will love to hang these on their trees this year, and the spicy smell is long-lasting. They also make a great addition to gift tags.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: indefinite
Here's How:
- The night before, drain the applesauce through cheesecloth and discard the fluid.
- Cover your toddler (and yourself) with an apron or old shirt.
- Prepare a surface to roll the dough onto. I like to use wax paper.
- In a bowl, mix the applesauce and the cinnamon thoroughly and pat into a solidified ball.
- Take about one cup of the mixture and place on the wax paper.
- Place another piece of wax paper and place on top of the mixture and pat or roll until the ball is flattened and about 1/4" to 1/2" thick.
- Cut the dough with cookie cutters. Use a straw to make a hole near the top so the ornament can hang.
- Allow the ornament to dry. Depending on thickness, this may take 24-48 hours.
- Thread a paperclip, ornament hook or curl ribbon through the hole.
Tips:
- If you don't have cheesecloth to drain the applesauce, you can use an old birdseye weave cloth diaper (flatfold) or other very thin fabric.
- Be careful not to make the hole too close to the top or breakage may occur.
- Ornament hooks can be purchased in bulk at your local hobby store.
- Be sure to use sweetened applesauce. The sugar content helps hold the ornament together and prevent breakage.
What You Need:
- One 16 ounce jar of sweetened applesauce
- 8 ounces cinnamon
- Mixing Bowl
- Wax Paper
- Cheesecloth
- Curl ribbon, paperclips or ornament hooks
- Holiday cookie cutter(s)
- One drinking straw
