5 Days Until Christmas: No-Bake Spiced Dough Ornaments

As often happens in our home, the Christmas countdown is a little off. The countdown hanging on the refrigerator didn’t match the countdowns in the living room and nothing matched the candy kiss countdowns! However, you can almost always be guaranteed that at least one candy kiss countdown is accurate, and that’s usually the one belonging to the youngest child in the house! As you can see, my countdown here is a little off as well. Unfortunately, we cannot pretend it’s still five days until Christmas. I suppose I should fix that.

Today’s recipe is not edible. It seems edible right up until you mix in the glue. On the other hand, if it were paste….I’m just saying some people might like that and the paste might bring back some fond memories of their childhood…not me, of course…but some people.

Anyway, my dear friend Jennifer makes these ornaments at Christmas time with her six kids. It’s a fun project that gets the house smelling delicious! Who needs potpourri with these ornaments?!

No-Bake Spiced Dough Ornaments

1 cup ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground cloves

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon ground nutmeg

1 cup applesauce

2 tablespoons white craft glue

Food coloring (optional)

A few tablespoons all-purpose flour

Combine cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg in a large bowl.

Add applesauce and glue. Mix thoroughly. Little hands really enjoy working the dough, so go ahead; let the kids get in there.

If you’re using food coloring, divide the dough and mix in a few drops of food coloring.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to approximately ¼-inch thickness.

Cut dough with cookie cutters into various shapes.

Bore a hole in the top of each ornament with a drinking straw.

Lay the ornaments out flat to dry at room temperature for 3 to 5 days, turning over often. If you run out of patience, pop them in a 200°F oven for about 1 hour.

When the ornaments are completely dry, thread short lengths of ribbon or string through the hole in each ornament. 

Tips:

Cinnamon and the other spices can be outrageously expensive at the grocery store. Look for Frontier Herbs and Spices at your local health food or bulk foods store. They’re usually sold in bulk and very reasonably priced.