Super Easy No-bake Gingerbread Man Ornaments

Inside: no-bake gingerbread man ornaments made with applesauce, cinnamon, and glue. Give it a try! Not only will they look gorgeous on your Christmas tree, but they’re also great for gifting.

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Making gingerbread man ornaments is a perfect activity for this time of year. But if you always reach for your tried-and-tested salt dough recipe, you’re missing out. This year we’re daring you to try this innovative recipe.

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It involves only three things, including one special secret ingredient. You won’t believe what it is! It’s applesauce. Combine the glue, cinnamon, and applesauce, make the gingerbread men, let them air dry, and then decorate. Voila! Beautiful, super easy, no-bake Christmas tree ornaments that will last for years.

No-bake Gingerbread Man Ornaments

What you need

• 1 standard (3.9 oz) Mott’s container of applesauce  (if you use homemade applesauce, then it is equal to ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon)
• 1 cup cinnamon
• ½ cup craft glue + more for decorating (optional)

• Gingerbread man cookie cutter
• Drinking straw or something similar to make a hole for hanging
• Ribbon or thread for hanging

What to do

• Mix applesauce with cinnamon.

• Stir in ½ cup glue and mix until the ball forms. Note: Every time we have tried this recipe, this is the point when I went back to double-check if we were doing it correctly because it looked too dry and crumbly. So don’t worry, and don’t try to add any liquids at this point. Just mix it until it all sticks together.

• Let stand for 1 hour. I prefer to wash the mixing bowl at this point and keep the dough in a plastic wrap at room temperature.

• Flatten half of the dough with a rolling pin to about ¼ inch thickness. Note: Here, you might have one of two problems. If the dough is too sticky, then sprinkle the rolling pin or your hands with additional cinnamon. Or if the dough is too dry, then dip your hands in water or spritz the dough.

• Using a cookie cutter, cut out the shapes until you run out of dough. Repeat the same with the second half of the dough.

• Poke a hole in each gingerbread man for hanging.

• Air dry ornaments for 24 hours. We like to flip our gingerbread men multiple times during drying time just because we can’t keep our hands off them. But if you only flip them once, do it somewhere in the middle. It will probably be enough.

• Decorate your gingerbread man: go over your design in your head so you have the final destination clear in your mind. Spread craft glue only over the area you wish to decorate. Immediately (while the glue is still wet), sprinkle glitter, push beads and buttons on, and tap off the excess. Alternatively, you can use white paint in place of glue. Let it dry.

• Add a pretty ribbon and hang it on a tree.

A no-bake, super easy gingerbread man ornament that smells like magic and is fun to make? You bet! If you give it a try, let me know in the comments below.

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