Having been born and raised in Germany, I have to admit that it’s the Christmas season when I get homesick the most. The Christmas markets, the decorations, the atmosphere, and all the delicious Christmas treats … nothing beats Weihnachten in Germany. Besides chocolate, and cookies like Vanillekipferl and Pfeffernüsse, there is also one of Germany’s most famous Christmas treat – Lebkuchen.
To bring the smell of German Christmas into our home here in California, my son and I made some homemade Zimt or cinnamon ornaments today! With just a few ingredients, these easy ornaments will not only look good as Christmas tree decorations but will make the entire house smell like Christmas in just a few hours! They are just for decoration though – they are not edible.
INGREDIENTS:
- applesauce
- ground cinnamon
- ground cloves
- sliced almonds (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- PREHEAT OVEN TO 200 DEGREES. LINE A COOKIE SHEET WITH PARCHMENT PAPER.
- IN A BOWL COMBINE APPLESAUCE, CINNAMON AND CLOVES. YOU WANT IT TO A BALL OF DOUGH WITHOUT STICKING TO YOUR FINGERS. I USED ABOUT 3/4 CUP APPLESAUCE AND 4 OUNCES OF CINNAMON BUT IT ALWAYS DEPENDS ON THE THICKNESS OF THE APPLESAUCE AND THE TYPE OF CINNAMON. SO, ADD ADDITIONAL APPLESAUCE OR CINNAMON IF NEEDED.SPRINKLE A CLEAN SURFACE WITH CINNAMON JUST LIKE YOU WOULD WITH FLOUR (I USED ANOTHER SHEET OF PARCHMENT PAPER TO MAKE THE CLEAN UP PROCESS FASTER). PLACE THE DOUGH ON THE SURFACE AND SPRINKLE WITH MORE CINNAMON. USE A ROLLING PIN TO ROLL THE DOUGH TO 1/4 INCH THICK.
- USING COOKIE CUTTERS, CUT INTO DESIRED SHAPES AND PLACE ON THE PREPARED COOKIE SHEET. USING THE END OF A STRAW POKE A HOLE INTO EACH ORNAMENT. DECORATE WITH ALMONDS IF DESIRED.BAKE IN THE OVEN FOR 2 HOURS.
- TIE STRING AROUND ORNAMENTS AND HANG ON TREE.
One German American Girl 
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