Gingerbread Ornaments (3 Ingredient) with Fragrant Cinnamon

Our 3-ingredient gingerbread ornaments are so fragrant with lots of fresh cinnamon and they are super easy to make! They are sure to be a special tree decoration that your family will cherish for years to come. 

Gingerbread Ornaments

I still remember as a little girl, putting “gingerbread” ornaments on the tree at that my step mom made. They smelled AMAZING year after year and I could never get enough of them!

I finally learned that my beloved childhood ornaments were actually bought at a craft show and not homemade but they still felt special to me. They were made from an easy recipe of mostly glue and cinnamon.

Placing these fragrant gingerbread ornaments on the tree is a nostalgic memory for me and I am sure for many of you as well. So here is that unforgettable recipe…

How to make fragrant gingerbread Christmas ornaments

• To prepare dough: in a large bowl, mix together 1 cup ground cinnamon and 1/3 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup of white glue

*Applesauce gives the dough pliability, glue makes it firm, and cinnamon imparts the fragrance you will remember for years to come as well as the authentic gingerbread color

• Stir the dough using a rubber spatula until consistency is smooth and dry
• Turn out the dough onto a cool, flat surface; flatten with a rolling pin to 1/4 inch thick

Pro Tip: If dough becomes too dry, spritz with water. If it sticks to rolling pin or work surface, sprinkle with additional cinnamon.

• Use your favorite holiday cookie cutter or gingerbread man cutter to shape into classic gingerbread men, stars or whatever your heart desires

• With a straw, poke a hole in cut out dough at the top (for hanging)
• Air-dry ornaments on a wire rack lined with paper towels for 24 hours, turning them over every 6 hours or so to keep them flat. Or feel free to preheat oven to 200 degrees. Transfer ornaments to a baking sheet; bake, flipping once, until dry, about 2 hours
• Once the dough has dried completely, decorate your lovely ornaments with white fabric paint for “icing” and enjoy for years to come!

**NOTE: THESE COOKIES ARE NOT FOR CONSUMPTION, RATHER FOR DECORATION ONLY.**

How long do gingerbread decorations last and how do you store them?

These gingerbread decorations can be used year after year if stored properly. Simply decorate once dry and let the decor dry out completely then store in air tight containers with wax paper in between each layer. 

You really can pull them back out year after year and they still look and smell great! 

Can you paint cinnamon ornaments?

Absolutely! We like to use white fabric paint but any craft paint will work. You may need to do more than one coat if you are using certain paints that are more absorbed into the ornaments. 

Feel free get creative using glitter and other crafts to decorate them too. The sky is the limit!

What are some other DIY Christmas ornaments?

If you want to keep your DIY ornament momentum going, I highly recommend making these gorgeous orange slice ornaments from She Keeps a Lovely Home.

Need more gingerbread inspiration? We’ve got you covered! These gluten-free ginger molasses cookies are my favorite and they could not be more chewy and delicious. 

Our gingerbread pancakes with gingerbread milkshakes and gingerbread martini mocktails are all great additions to your next gingerbread decorating party. Each is delicious and definitely will get you feeling festive!

And if all you want is a classic gluten-free gingerbread men recipe, then you can look no further. If you are a classic sugar cookie fan, stick with our decorated sugar cookies. 

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Gingerbread Ornaments

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 2 hours hrs

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gingerbread, ornaments

Servings: 12 cookies

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 C ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1/3 C applesauce
• ▢ 1/2 C white glue

Instructions

• To prepare dough: in a large bowl, mix together 1 cup ground cinnamon and 1/3 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup of white glue
• Stir the dough using a rubber spatula until consistency is smooth and dry
• Turn out the dough onto a cool, flat surface; flatten with a rolling pin to 1/4 inch thick
• Use your favorite holiday cookie cutter or gingerbread man cutter to shape into classic gingerbread men, stars or whatever your heart desires

Notes

*Applesauce gives the dough pliability, glue makes it firm, and cinnamon imparts the fragrance you will remember for years to come as well as the authentic gingerbread color

Pro Tip: If dough becomes too dry, spritz with water. If it sticks to rolling pin or work surface, sprinkle with additional cinnamon.

These gingerbread decorations can be used year after year if stored properly. Simply decorate once dry and let the decor dry out completely then store in air tight containers with wax paper in between each layer. You really can pull them back out year after year and they still look and smell great! 

*This blog post was originally published on December 5, 2012 with this photo below…I have cherished these sweet and spicy smelling ornaments for years! We’ve updated the post with new photos, a recipe card and helpful information.