Orange Pomander Balls with Ceylon Cinnamon and Cloves

One of my most exciting recent discoveries (via Simple Bites) is orange pomander balls with ceylon cinnamon sticks and cloves. These crafty balls are simple, warm, sweet-smelling holiday treats great for decorating your dinner table or adding a delicious freshener to your kitchen.

All you need are a few cinnamon sticks (I used Ceylon, the most delicate and complex of all the cinnamons)...

a handful of cloves (an intense and warm spice often used in chai)

a citrus peeler, a few oranges, and some colorful ribbon.

Take the citrus peeler and create any design you wish. I simply circled the orange with my peeler. Then, start poking the cloves into the spaces where the orange peel is still in tact. Use as many or as little of the cloves as you wish. There's no right or wrong way to do this. It just take a little creativity. Once you start pressing the cloves into the orange, the aroma begins to emanate. The cloves bring out the sweetness of the orange, and the orange dampens the cloves to bring out their rich and bold flavor.  

As you can see, these cinnamon/clove orange pomander balls are pretty simple and straightforward and can be great hostess gifts to take to upcoming holiday parties or a beautiful, unique way to decorate and freshen up your own home in celebration of the impending holiday season. Happy orange pomander ball crafting!

This post is part of our series on cinnamon. For others in the series check out:
A Short Summary of Cinnamon
What’s the Difference? Ceylon, Korintje, and Saigon Cinnamon
Orange Pomander Balls with Ceylon Cinnamon and Cloves
Cinnamon Spiked Tomato Sauce
Raw Vegan Cinnamon Rolls