Try Making Cinnamon Pinecones

Cinnamon pinecones offer an aromatic holiday delight.  Make this recipe and place it in a decorative bowl to enjoy!

Plus, this is a great time of year to collect pinecones that have fallen from the trees.  Pinecones from outside should be shaken and then heated to prevent bugs attached to them from becoming a part of your house.

Here is what you will need to make a potpourri of cinnamon pinecones.

Cinnamon Pinecones

• 1 large crockpot
• Pinecones equal to a single layer in the bottom of the crockpot
• About 1/3 cup of water
• 1 tsp of dish soap
• 10 drops of cinnamon bark essential oil
• 12 drops of pine essential oil
• 5 cinnamon sticks
• Optional:  a few pieces of clove, star anise, peppercorn, or cardamom

Instructions

• Place the pinecones in the crockpot.
• Separately, mix water and dish soap.  Drizzle the soapy water across each pinecone so that each is damp but not submerged.
• Cook on low (about 200 degrees) for 90 minutes, until the pinecones are warm.  Do not overcook the pinecones or cook them at too high of a temperature.  Heating the pinecones will help them to open up, and kill bugs that might be on them if you have collected them from outside.  If the pinecones are overly wet, they may want to close.  Pinecones open when a climate is hot and dry.
• After 90 minutes, turn off the crockpot.
• Sprinkle the essential oils across each pinecone.  Gently stir with a spoon.  Be gentle as not to break the pinecones.  Do not get the essential oil on your skin, as it can be irritating.
• Add the cinnamon sticks and any additional (optional) spices.
• Let the pinecones set in the warmed but turned off crockpot with the lid on for about 4 hours.
• Remove with a spoon and place in a decorative bowl to enjoy!
• Not ready to use the pinecones just yet?  Place them on a paper towel to dry.  Once dried, store them in a zip lock bag.

Please keep away from pets and small children.  Avoid contact with the skin.

Post by: Kathy Sadowski, MS in Aromatherapy, RA (ARC), Professional NAHA and AIA Member, LMT

Posted: 11/30/18