Handpainted Cinnamon Applesauce Christmas Tree Ornaments

When I was a kid every holiday season we would sit down to make a batch of homemade cinnamon applesauce holiday ornaments. They’re easy-to-make and add a country-touch or primitive flair to your Christmas tree. Use them as holiday ornaments, package tie-ons, napkin rings, hang from a peg shelf, etc.

The best recipe that I’ve personally found is by McCormick and you can grab their recipe HERE. You only need ground cinnamon, applesauce, cookie cutters, a drinking straw, and ribbon to make them according to their directions.

While the plain look is okay for the country and primitive look…we took the craft project a step further by painting them with beautiful colors. You can do all kinds of different things with them. The one that is shown in my photo is super easy to make.

We used a heart-shaped metal cookie cutter to make the cinnamon applesauce ornament following the instructions via the link above. Once they’re hard you can paint them with acrylic craft paint. In this case we used a cherry red color to paint the entire heart. Let the paint dry for 45-60 minutes or until no longer tacky.

Now you can decorate the painted heart with a design that you like. My 13 1/2 year old granddaughter painted a classic snowman with snow falling around him. Let the paint dry for 2-3 hours or until no longer tacky. Take them outside and spray each side of the painted ornament with 1-2 light coats of a clear acrylic spray sealer with a glossy finish. Let dry for several hours.

Finishing – Cut a piece of 1/8″ wide by 6″ long piece of ribbon and loop it through the top. Use a Sharpie Marker or Paint Pen to write a message on the back…name, date, holiday message, etc. Let dry for 1-2 hours. That’s it, you’re done!

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