If you're looking for an easy Christmassy DIY to do this year, this is the one. It smells like Christmas and looks like anything you want it to. Just roll out some cinnamon applesauce dough and enjoy a spectacularly scented Christmas.
Christmas isn't just the season of joy. It's the season of scent with bouquets of of cinnamon, vanilla, pine, and burning money wafting through the air. You have no idea how important the sense of smell is until you lose it.
One of the symptoms of Sinusitis is the loss of smell and taste. A few years ago I lost it all. I couldn't smell flowers or lasagna or anything. I also couldn't smell gut rot breath or dog poop so there was good and bad to the situation.
As soon as I got my sense of smell back, I started smelling everything in my path.
With Christmas approaching, my nose is moving into high gear again. I expect and want everything I pick up to be scented. Pine cones, candles and cookies are all lifted to my expectant nose. If they aren't scented, I get incensed.
So how do you make them?
Cinnamon Applesauce scented ornaments. All it is, is equal parts cinnamon and applesauce. That's it. Roll it out, cut it with cookie cutters and let it dry.
Materials/Ingredients
- Cinnamon
- Applesauce
- Rolling pin
- Cookie cutters
- Sparkles
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Method
Mix together equal parts applesauce and cinnamon until it forms a dough.
If you want to use other spices like nutmeg or cardamom, mix your dry ingredients first, then add them to the applesauce.
It'll look like regular cookie dough. Shockingly so, in fact.
Roll the dough out and if you want sparkles, add sparkles on top.
Then just use your cookie cutter to cut out shapes.
I bought this Moose shaped cookie cutter for the occasion but you can get a similar one (nicer shape actually) here.
Carefully lift the "cookies" up and place them on a cookie sheet, punch a hole in them so you can hang them and bake at 200° F for at least 3 hours. (You can also dry them on the counter but it'll take days.)
Adding realistic touches from nature will elevate the holiday ambiance. Note the careful application of sparkles, the perfect plop of poop which also smells like apples and cinnamon. Unless you happen to have have sinusitis.
Easy DIY Scented Ornaments.
Just equal parts applesauce and cinnamon make these easy and fast to whip up, plus you can customize them however you want with a cookie cutter.
I've added links to some worthy cookie cutters for 2020 in the "Notes".
Ingredients
- 1 cup applesauce
- 1 cup cinnamon
- nutmeg (optional)
- cardamom (optional)
- clove (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 F.
- Mix together your dry ingredients if you're using more than just cinnamon. (you can use any mix, just make sure the total of dry equals the total of applesauce).
- Mix the dry ingredients with applesauce with a fork and then with your fingers until you have a dough.
- Roll the dough out to ¼". If you'd like to add sparkles do it now by sprinkling them over the rolled out dough. Press them in by going over them once or twice with a rolling pin.
- Cut the dough out with any cookie cutter of your choice. Using a straw, cut a hole in the shape for you to run an ornament hanger or string through. Transfer "cookies" to a baking sheet and bake at 200 F for 2 hours or until dry.
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To store these from year to year just put them in an airtight container. The scent will last for years.
Honestly, if you're looking for a spur of the moment, fun, little crafty thing to do this holiday season these are the way to go. Play some carols, grab a stemmed glass and throw on your crafting frock.
You can make the ornaments as simple as mine or get way more creative with them. You're only limited by your imagination.
And maybe the size of your bottle of wine.
Brie
Awe- just read it was your birthday! Happy Birthday Karen :)
Liz
I love the moose poop. Is it sparkly, too?
This is a particularly timely post here in Minnesota, where I read an article in this morning's paper about the inexplicable, exponential decline of the moose population. Perhaps we need a grass roots cinnamon moose bake sale to raise funds and awareness...
Thanks, as always, for your inspiration (and HUMOR!)
Elizabeth
I just have to tell you that I LOVE your blog! Your sense of humor cracks me up! And I love this idea. I'm already covered in glitter nonstop from all my Christmas projects, so why not add more?
Karen
Thanks Elizabeth! Now go glitter. ~ karen!
Patti
Ooh! Is it really your birthday!? If it is:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TO YOU!
You look like a monkey, but you smell like moose pooh!
If not, that's okay. Save it for the big day :)
MelissaM
Hah, I just made 5 cups of cinnamon worth of these for my scouts. Guess how many I have left in my house? Yeah, about 4 1/2 cups of cinnamon worth. But my house smells wonderful! And I wish I had thought of the glitter in there. I just had the girls decorate them with glittery fabric paint.
Sinusitis sucks. BTDT.
Jasmine
Did you taste the unsparkled dough?
Karen
Jasmine - No. Ick. Ew. Nope. ~ karen
Sandy
You are so funny! This is on my list of things to do before Christmas. It would make a nice craft to do with kids too. Thanks for sharing.
Ruth
Moose poop?! Oh dear me.... You wouldn't be Karen if you didn't throw a figurative wrench in the works. I went from the whole bake-a-cookie feeling to a regurgitation feeling. I no longer feel like baking cookies... my hips thank you, but I'm a grouch. Pshtt!
Amy in Stl
Does it make your house smell amazing when they're in the oven? Maybe I'll make them while we are decorating the tree.
Karen
Amy - It does. ~ karen!
Diana
Hi Karen,
my boss gave my a couple of free days, and I thought I could use it and make preparations for xmas.
You just hit me with this great idea! And now-hophop- into my kitchen....
Thanx;o)
Barb
Happy Birthday Karen! Lucky girl on 12.12.12. Mine sadly is 13.12.12 (doesn't have the same cache!)
I too had a sinus infection which was so severe that I developed polyps and lost my sense of smell for over 5 YEARS. It actually worked for me at the time as my boys loved to fart, play hockey, stash dirty dishes in their rooms and just generally smell.
I was placed on antibiotics for an unrelated reason and suddenly I could smell again.
Weird but there was one thing that I could always smell and that was Turkey!
Have a great b-day!
Karen
Barb - Thank you!! The turkey thing is completely bizarre. (for everyone reading this, Barb was the first person brave enough to hire me to be on television many years ago by the way!) ~ karen!
cred
shit! Now I 'have' to go out and buy a moose cookie cutter!
Maggie V
Will try this with my Grandkids. The thought of baking puts me over the edge unlike sista Marilyn who by the way makes punkie pie from scratch thanks to you Karen and they are really good by the way. This is simple and I don't think I will liken it to real baking. We will see. Thanks Karen.
Bonnie
Love this,with or without the moose poop. Do you think the irnaments themselves will be something that will still be good another year? Or would this be the 2012- only ornaments? Thanks!/
Karen
Bonnie - I have no idea. I'll let you know next year. :) They seem like they'd last for as long as you can keep them from breaking. ~ karen
Taria Lorehand
no they last if you keep them in a air tight container and if they loose their scent, just add a couple drops of fragrant oils to bring it back or add a new scent to it. I've had mine for about 3 years now and they still smell cinnamony (is that a word, it is now) you can even put them in your car to make them smell all nice. I have one that I know is in there cause I can smell it, but can't find it. :)
Karien
Can you use something other than applesauce?
Karen
Karien - You need to use applesauce. You could try something with a similar consistency but I'm not sure what that would be or if it would work or not. ~ karen
Raymonde
This fall, I canned tons of applesauce, much too much applesauce... I don't know why, I don't even like it that much... I seem to have a recurring problem with quantities...Thank you so much for coming to the rescue. Now, at last I have a way to use part of that humongous applesauce stash! :-)
amy
Yippeeee!!! I had forgotten all about making these, thanks for the reminder! When I used to teach school, this was a Christmas ritual for my first graders and me. I never did use glitter though...what a simple, yet amazing touch!! I know what's on tomorrow's agenda, right after I go to the dollar store and score some glitter. by the way...I notice your thrift store purchase in the window. score!!!!
Angie
You must have magical psychic powers or else you're spying on me.... Everytime I find myself wondering about something, you turn around and write a post about it! The smelly moose are wonderful, but I really have to ask about the sinusitis. I haven't been able to smell or taste since the first of November. I too had a cold, but only a small 3 day one, I feel fine and my sinuses feel clear. What in the world could a Dr. possibly do to make me smell again? Not that I'm complaining...I did loose 8 lbs over the Thanksgiving holiday after all. Only 40 more to go now!
Karen
Angie - It was a while ago so I can't rightly remember. I have a feeling I may have went on antibiotics but can't remember. It's an actual thing so go to your doctor. ~ karen!
Angie
Did you have sinus pain/stuffyness? Since I don't have any sinus pressure or stuffyness, I'm sure they'd want to run a bunch of expensive tests and what-not. If only we had Canadian Health care then I wouldn't hesitate, but I don't want to hit my deductable in December only to have it start over again in January! Thanks for answering my question, and thanks for all the really inspiring and entertaining posts! Happy Holidays.
ps. Did you ever get a new fridge?
Karen
Angie - I'm afraid I can't remember if I had pain. I had stuffiness to begin with but once it went away I still couldn't smell. ~ karen!
Five Monkeys and a Chick
So deceptive! I was anticipating whole Maine moose stuffed with apples and cinnamon left to rot until Christmas.I just couldn't figure out how you would hang it on your tree.
Cute moose pie though!
Amy Greer Cruce
Please tell me it's moose droppings and not a stick penis....
Karen
Amy - Hah! You're right. I've since Photoshopped out the stick which may have confused people. It's moose poop I made. ~ karen!
Marti
What? I missed Karen's sculptural depictions of a MOOSE PENIS? Way to go and ruin it for the rest of us, Amy!
Amy Greer Cruce
;-)