Easy Salt Dough Gingerbread Men Ornaments

Salt Dough Gingerbread Men are Perfect for Your Christmas Tree!

Do you have memories of creating salt dough ornaments with your grandmother?

So nostalgic!

salt dough gingerbread men ornaments

Just a few simple ingredients and you have amazing smelling, super simple, homemade ornaments to hang on your family’s Christmas tree.

Salt Dough Gingerbread Ornaments are a fun, classic Christmas ornament to make with the kids! These smell amazing and use super simple ingredients! #Christmasornaments #gingerbreadmen #GINGERBREAD #gingerbreadcrafts #gingerbreadmendecorations #Christmascrafts #Christmas #easyChristmascrafts #Christmasdecorations #diyChristmas #DIYChristmasornaments

The first time I made salt dough ornaments with my own kids was an incredibly fun learning experience!

Salt Dough Ornaments are Easy to Make!

We learned we could create almost any shape for the holidays and that salt dough ornaments need a lot of salt!

Go figure!

More importantly, we learned that creating something unique, special, homemade and VERY budget-friendly (we already had all the ingredients in the pantry) was what made holidays extra special.

But I have a special place in my heart for gingerbread men.

You can also find a super-cute, paper gingerbread house that lights up here!

gingerbread house to go with gingerbread men ornaments

It would be the perfect match for these gingerbread men ornaments!

Homemade Christmas decorations are my all-time favorite!

I’m not sure if our family has more fun creating them or enjoying them!

Did you know salt dough ornaments last a really long time if you take care of them?

Salt Dough Ornaments Are Long-lasting

We still have the same ones my kids made eight years ago!

Keep them in an air-tight container for safe-keeping when they’re not decorating the Christmas tree!

If you love salt dough ornaments, you’ll love these snowmen magnets too!

These cinnamon gingerbread ornaments are so easy to make! With just a few ingredients, you're  home will smell and look amazing! A fun Christmas activity that kids and parents love! #DIYOrnaments #Christmasdecor #EasyChristmasCraft

If you want to avoid some common blunders of salt dough Christmas ornament making, then stay tuned.

Learn from our mistakes that cost us time, materials but did give us some extra giggles! ;0)

Best Tips to Make Salt Dough Christmas Gingerbread Ornaments

  1. Make your dough medium-thick. Not too thin and not too thick.
  2. Let dough cool before painting, but add glitter while the dough is still hot.
  3. Make a hole in the ornaments for hanging BEFORE you bake them
Christmas gingerbread ornaments

Here’s a HUGE plus when you bake these cuties…

Your house will smell like Christmas!

cinnamon gingerbread men ornament

Just like it should. <3 Cinnamon, apples and cloves — oh my! And the smell lingers throughout the season! Dreamy, right?

Kids will love pressing the gingerbread men cookie cutters into the soft, cinnamon dough.

Easy Salt Dough Gingerbread Men Ornaments

Everyone can personalize their gingerbread ornament for an extra touch of fun.

Think of writing names so they’re personalized…

Adding hair…

Adding a favorite team jersey…

So many options!

making cinnamon gingerbread men ornaments

My kids love to watch Christmas cookies, ornaments and bread bake!

They’re mesmerized with seeing their creation transform into a Christmas ornament!

Who am I kidding?

I thought it was pretty mesmerizing myself the first few times!

You Can Customize Salt Dough Ornaments!

After all the baking is done, it’s time to place a ribbon, twine or string through your perfectly baked gingerbread man and hang it on the tree!

cinnamon gingerbread Christmas ornament

Don’t you love seeing a tree full of handmade ornaments?

Easy Cinnamon Gingerbread Men Ornaments

Christmas trees like that seem to welcome everyone into a house full of love!

cinnamon gingerbread ornament

Ready to create some simple decorating memories with your kiddos?

Instructions follow!

Materials Needed to Make Christmas Gingerbread Men Ornaments:

  • 1 cup cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup applesauce
  • 2 tsp. nutmeg
  • 2 tsp. ground cloves
  • one drinking straw
  • ribbon or twine

Directions

  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  2. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients, mixing until well combined and a dough begins to form. Sprinkle your surface with extra cinnamon to avoid sticking.
  4. Place dough mixture onto the surface and knead the dough, then roll it into a ball
  5. Roll out your dough flat, about 1/4 inch thick.
  6. Using your gingerbread men cookie cutters, cut out cinnamon shapes and lay them onto the parchment paper.
  7. Use a drinking straw and poke a hole in the ornament where you want the string to go through. Leave a little bit of space as a buffer so the ornament does not break.
  8. Bake in the oven for 2 hours.
  9. Let the ornament cool, add some ribbon or twine to your ornament and hang for some amazing smelling ornaments.

Be sure to share pictures of YOUR cinnamon gingerbread ornaments with us on Facebook!

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