Cinnamon Salt Dough Recipe for Thankful Tree Ornaments

Making This No-Bake Cinnamon Salt Dough Recipe is perfect for making Thanksgiving Ornaments for a Thanksgiving Thankful Tree. This is such a sweet family tradition to start with the kids. 

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Cinnamon Salt Dough Recipe for Thankful Ornaments

Set up the Thankful Ornament Activity on Thanksgiving for Your Family to Enjoy

Thanksgiving is such a sweet holiday. It’s a holiday that allows everyone to gather and enjoy food without having to spend a fortune on presents. Mostly, it’s a holiday to reflect on what we are thankful for. Throughout the years, I have made a lot of Thanksgiving crafts to share on the blog like a Pumpkin Turkey Centerpiece for the table, Water Bottle Indian Corn, and a Paper Cup Teepee.

What You’ll Love About this Cinnamon Salt Dough Recipe

• Bake or No-Bake – You have the option to Bake these ornaments ahead of time (or if you have time – let these ornaments air dry)
• These ornaments will last for years. If stored properly, they will be enjoyed for generations to come.

Ideas for your thankful tree ornaments

• place ornament shapes in a basket on the table
• provide paint pens, gel pens, markers, or puffy paint for guests to write on the ornaments
• Then, display everyone’s thankfulness on a tree in the middle of your Thanksgiving table to be enjoyed by all

No-Cook Salt Dough Thanksgiving Ornaments

This is a NO COOK Dough, and it dries hard. Another (faster)  alternative is to bake them; instructions on that are below.

Supplies You’ll Need Salt Dough Ornaments

One cup flour
1/4 cup, plus 2 Tablespoons of salt
1/4 cup, plus 2 Tablespoons of hot tap water
1 Tablespoon of cinnamon
Food coloring is optional

Equipment Needed

Straw

Cording or Ribbon for Hanging

Thankful Tree

Paint Pens, Chalk Markers, or Sharpies

Supplies For Tree

You can gather twigs in the yard to make a thankful tree, purchase twigs at a craft store, or purchase a pre-lit fall tree each year.

How to Make Thankful Tree Ornaments

Step One

Combine flour and salt.

Step Two

Add hot water and optional food coloring. Without food coloring, the dough will turn a nice brown color with bits of cinnamon throughout. Knead for 5 minutes on a floured board.

Step Three

The salt dough should be a play-dough consistency. Your fingerprints should stay molded in the dough, and it should be pliable. If it is too dry, water 1 Tbsp at a time until it is just right.

Step Four

Roll the dough out like playdough.

Step Five

Shape the dough with cookie cutters.

Step Six

Don’t forget to insert a straw into the shape to create a hole for hanging

Step Seven

This will be the hole you’ll use for hanging the ornaments

You can let them air dry for 1-5 days. But, to speed up the process, bake them on a cookie sheet at 200 degrees for 3 hours

Decorating

Use markers, paint pens, or chalk markers to write what you are thankful for.

Pro Tips

Remember to write the date down on the back of the ornaments so you can look back on the memories each year.

Storage

These can be saved in an airtight container.

I’ve had mine for about ten years now. I love looking through the older ones to see what the kids were thankful for. We add new ones each year.

Yield

This recipe yielded nine to twelve ornaments for our tree.

Making a Thankful Tree

In years past, I have collected branches from our yard and placed them in a tall container

This year, however, I found a pre-lit battery operated fall tree at Michael’s Craft Store that I think I think I’ll use from now on

More Thanksgiving Crafts You’ll Love

Cinnamon Salt Dough Recipe Printable

~Melissa
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