No-Cook Cinnamon Ornaments

Here is a simple way to make amazing cinnamon ornaments for your Christmas tree this year.

This recipe requires NO COOKING, takes mere minutes to mix up, and the ornaments will make your entire home smell just like Christmas!  Read on for the easy tutorial.

If you love making homemade Christmas keepsakes, you'll find even more inspiration in our collection of ornament crafts for kids. You can also explore our favorite Christmas activities and crafts for more ways to make the season magical.

This is so simple to prepare, and I love that kids can paint the ornaments once they are dry. They dry light in color, giving kids a perfect canvas to create!  

Are you ready to make your own?

Cinnamon Ornament Recipe

• 1 cup of flour

• 1/2 cup of salt

• 1/2 cup of cinnamon

• 3/4 cup of very warm water

Other Materials Needed

• Cookie cutters
• Wax paper
• Acrylic paints (optional)

Method

• Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

• Then, add 3/4 cup of very warm water and mix well.  

• Once combined remove the dough from the bowl, and knead it with clean, dry hands.  

• If the dough is at all sticky dust your hands with flour and knead it into the dough. 

• After a bit of mixing & kneading you will be left with amazing cinnamon ornament dough!

Give kids cookie cutters and rolling pins, and they will have a blast making their very own cinnamon ornaments.

• It will take roughly 24 hours for the ornaments to dry.  

• Once dry kids can embellish the ornaments using acrylic paint, or you can simply hang them from the tree as they are.  

We made two batches of this easy ornament clay, and that allowed us to make roughly 20 ornaments.  We hung some without painting them, but most were painted by Rosie and Jewel the next day.

Pro Tips

• If kids are painting the ornaments, you can add a touch of cinnamon to the paints to make the ornaments extra fragrant.
• I recommend using acrylic paint.  
• If you are not painting the ornaments, you can spray them with a clear finishing spray or use Mod Podge to return them to a deep brown color before hanging them on the tree.

Extend the Fun

Once you've made your first batch of cinnamon ornaments, there are so many ways to make them your own!

Make fingerprint keepsakes 

Before the dough dries, let children gently press their fingertips into the ornaments. Once dry, those little fingerprints can become Christmas lights, ornaments on a painted tree, or colorful dots on a heart.

Create a cinnamon ornament garland

Make a collection of small stars, hearts, and Christmas trees. Remember to add hanging holes before drying. Once the ornaments are completely dry, string them together with ribbon for a handmade Christmas decoration.

Make personalized gift tags

 Use larger cookie cutters to create ornaments with room for a name or short message. Once dry, children can paint them and tie them onto wrapped presents.

Paint a rainbow of ornaments

 Christmas doesn't have to be all red and green! Set out a rainbow of acrylic paints and let children decorate snowflakes, stars, and gingerbread people in their favorite colors.

There's no wrong way to decorate these little keepsakes. Sometimes the most colorful, imperfect ornaments are the ones you'll treasure most.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do cinnamon ornaments take to dry?

Our ornaments took roughly 24 hours to air-dry. Thicker ornaments or humid conditions may require more time, so make sure they are completely dry before painting or hanging them.

Do you have to bake these cinnamon ornaments?

No! That's one of the things I love about this recipe. The dough doesn't need cooking, and the finished shapes can be left to air-dry.

What if the cinnamon dough is too sticky?

Dust your hands with a little flour and knead it into the dough. Add just a small amount at a time until the dough is easier to handle.

Can you paint cinnamon ornaments?

You absolutely can! Once dry, children can decorate the ornaments using acrylic paints with adult supervision. You can also leave them unpainted to enjoy their natural cinnamon-brown appearance.

How should you store homemade cinnamon ornaments?

Make sure the ornaments are completely dry before storing them. Wrap them carefully in tissue paper and place them in a sturdy container somewhere cool and dry until next Christmas.

More Christmas Crafts to Make

If your children enjoyed making these cinnamon ornaments, here are a few more homemade Christmas treasures to try together.

• Applesauce Cinnamon Ornaments
  Make another wonderfully fragrant ornament dough using just applesauce and cinnamon. It's a fun alternative to our no-cook flour recipe.

• Gingerbread Clay
  Create homemade gingerbread-inspired clay for rolling, cutting, and shaping into festive Christmas keepsakes.

• Salt Dough Recipe
  Turn everyday pantry ingredients into handmade ornaments, handprint keepsakes, and little gifts children can decorate.

• Ornament Crafts for Kids
  Discover even more Christmas ornaments to make with children, from simple crafts to keepsakes you'll love bringing out year after year.

For even more holiday inspiration, visit our collection of Christmas activities and crafts for kids.