Cirtus Sun Catchers dangling in front of window as a garland for decoration

Crafts

Baked Citrus Suncatchers

It seems we are spending a lot more time indoors these days and that means more time for decorating!

Instead of ordering decorations online or hitting the local dollar or party store, I decided that I was going to decorate with as many homemade finds as possible. What else would you expect from a crafty gal? We all know about stringing together popcorn and cranberries for garland and we probably have seen a few Christmas trees decorated with orange slices but have you ever made baked-citrus suncatcher? It’s so rustic and pretty and surprisingly easy to make!

Supplies needed to make a Citrus Suncatcher:

any kind of citrus (lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruits. The greater variety you have, the better.)
twine or string
large-eye sewing needle
cinnamon sticks (optional)
a serrated knife
your oven

How to make a Citrus Suncatcher:

Step 1: Cut your citrus into thin slices, probably 1/2 to 1/4 inch thick.

The greater variety of citrus you can include, the better. We have citrus in abundance here in California so slicing up a few dozen limes was a great way to use all the aging limes we have sitting around. But if you can throw in a ruby red grapefruit or two you’ll be very pleased with the results.

See how pretty they are! Just wait until you start baking them… the smell is divine!

Step 2: We lined our baking sheets with parchment paper, but a fine mist of cooking spray will do the trick too. You don’t want your orange slices to stick and ruin their shape when you are trying to remove them.

Step 3: Bake at 200 degrees for about two hours, checking often to make sure they don’t burn.

We liked ours just a little under-cooked to preserve their bright color. Our weather has been so dry lately that we don’t have to worry about ants or mold because these slices will practically dry themselves to a crisp just being out in the open air but if you live in a more humid climate you will probably want to bake them a little longer. Just be careful not to burn them. Slow and low is the key.

Step 4: Once your citrus slices are baked it’s time to sew them together. We cut about 20 inches of twine and sewed six or seven citrus slices on each suncatcher but you could mix it up.

We also tied a cinnamon stick on several of our suncatchers just for fun but they didn’t give off as much smell as we had hoped. Maybe our cinnamon sticks were too old.

Make as many as you like and hang them in your windows! Or string them all together and decorate your tree.

Wherever you put them they will add extra charm and if they catch the light they will look like jewels!

(Please ignore my dirty windows.)

The good thing about these suncatchers is that they can be used all winter long. If they dry well, you could easily pack them up and use them again next year.

Happy Holidays!