Busy Hands Cinnamon Dough

Busy hands are happy hands (and make happy Moms!) While this dough is not comestible in the true sense of the word, it is made from edible ingredients to form non-toxic, kid-friendly craft dough is undeniably perfect for the holidays. It gives the kiddles something to do while you work, makes the house smell wonderful and makes adorable holiday gifts and tree ornaments. This was always a great way for the kids to experiment with shapes using cookie cutters and plastic utensils to create their own masterpieces. One year we used alphabet cutters to make gift tags for packages. They were almost as well received as the actual presents!

Cinnamon Dough

• 3 cups (25 oz. jar) of unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup ground cinnamon
• ½ cup ground clove
• ½ cup ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon corn starch (or non-toxic school glue)

Pour applesauce into a sieve and place over a bowl. Drain overnight. Mix together ingredients and roll out dough on adding more cinnamon if needed to roll out dough without it sticking to your work surface.

Roll the dough between waxed paper until it's between 1/4" thick and 1/2" thick. And then cut out desired shapes. Gently place the shapes on a piece of clean wax paper or parchment paper. You can use a straw to punch a hole for the ribbon to hang. The circle of dough will pull out with the straw.

The ornaments will take about 4 days to dry completely depending on their thickness. You should plan to turn them over a couple of times or the edges will curl. (The thicker they are the longer it takes for them to dry, but the less they will curl.) Don't be surprised if the ornaments shrink a bit during the drying process. You may wish to keep this in mind when picking out the cookie cutters for your designs.

When dry, thread a piece of ribbon or yarn through the hole to hang. Enjoy the wonderful scent all season long.