If you're wondering how to make your home smell like Christmas, this Christmas Simmer Pot Recipe will give you the perfect cozy Christmas scent! The simmer pot gift bags also make the perfect thoughtful Christmas gift for teachers, a hostess, or party favors. I've also included printable gift tags! (See below)
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The only thing that takes a bit of time for these simmer pots, is the dehydrated oranges. You can definitely order them online to make things easy but it's really inexpensive and easy to make them if you have the time.
How to dehydrate oranges in the oven:
Start by slicing your oranges into ⅛ or ¼ inch slices. The thicker they are, the longer they'll take in the oven. You'll want to pat them dry with a paper towel then add them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Oranges have natural sugar so they will stick if you don't line your pan. They typically take about 3 hours in the oven but that can vary depending on how juicy your oranges are, how thick the slices are, etc. Flip them half way through and you'll know when they're done when they are no longer shiny and look completely dry.
How to make a Christmas simmer pot:
Once you've dehydrated your oranges and they've completely cooled, you can assemble your gift bags. You can also give these away in the cute little glass pots that are popular on Tiktok. I just found that to be a little pricy because I had 10 teachers to make gifts for. But they make a great gift!
There's no real trick to assembling the simmer pot gift bags other than the order that you place everything in. The cranberries need to go in first then you can add in the cloves, cinnamon sticks, orange slices, and rosemary.
After adding all of the simmer pot ingredients, you tie the bags to seal them. Most of the treat bags come with little twist ties. I did use those but I also added some Christmas ribbon to make it cuter and give me something to tie the tags on with.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PRINTABLE GIFT TAGS!
To use the Christmas simmer pot, you'll want to add all of the bag contents to a sauce pan along with 3 cups of water. Simmer over medium/low heat and add water as necessary. You can also use a mini slow cooker on low. Your whole house will smell amazing!
Other Christmas Posts You'll Love:
Christmas Simmer Pot Recipe
Equipment
- 10 cone shaped treat bags (find them here)
- Single hole punch for gift tags (find it here)
- Christmas string or ribbon (find it here)
- Printable gift tags (click here for the free download)
Ingredients
- 2 large naval oranges
- 3 and ½ cups fresh cranberries (about 18 ounces)
- ¼ cup whole cloves (find them here)
- 20 whole cinnamon sticks (find them here)
- 10 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Instructions
How to dehydrate orange slices:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pre-heat your oven to 200°.
- Slice your naval oranges into slices that are about ⅛ to ¼ inch thick. (the thicker they are, the longer they'll take in the oven)
- Pat the slices dry with a paper towel then lay on the lined baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven for about 3 hours, flipping half way through. When the oranges look dry and no longer shiny, they are done.
Filling the treat bags:
- Fill each bag in this order:⅓ cup of fresh cranberries5-6 cloves2 cinnamon sticks2 dried/cooled orange slices1 fresh sprig of rosemary
- Tie each bag with a twist tie or a cute ribbon. You can also use a hole punch to add the printable gift tags.
Sharron says
I have a question on the summer lot bags I’m planning a shower in Sept how early can I add the fresh cranberries to bags??do not want them to go bad before Sept 21
Coco and Ash says
Hi Sharron!
I would make them no more than 2-3 days in advance. 🙂
Frannie says
Hi there ~ Is this to say the bag will last a total of 2-3 weeks once made? / Also, are these essentially 1-time use? Would imagine they lose potency once additional water is added?
Megan says
We don't have fresh cranberries available to us. What could you replace them with?
Coco and Ash says
I haven’t tried this but I’d bet some dried apples would smell amazing.
Amanda says
If I place them in Mason jars, should I seal them? Also, what is the shelf life if I were to do that? I just dehydrated the fruit but our Christmas isn't until December 14th. Do you think they will still be good? Or do you have any suggestions on how to keep them good until then?
Thank you.
Dawn Jacobson says
My question also....how long will the dehydrated oranges keep before I put the bags together
Coco and Ash says
As long as they have been fully dehydrated and all the moisture is gone, they will last for months!
Coco and Ash says
I’m not sure about the mason jars because I have never done canning or ceiling. But the orange slices should last for months as long as they are fully dehydrated.
taryn says
How long do the fresh cranberries stay fresh in the bag?
Jodie A says
Hello... Im making these... can I store them in the fridge until I give them away??
Coco and Ash says
Yes but leave the bags open so they don’t wilt or condensate 🙂
Jodie A says
Great..... thank you!!!!!!!
Stephanie says
These are awesome, thank you! How much would you say the ingredients/supplies cost for the 10 packets approximately?
Vira says
Hi, thanks for the recipe, it is great! one question, what if at the end of the day you are done with simmering? can it be reused several days? What are the tips post simmering one time? thank you again for your generosity.
Emily says
$3 bags from Michael’s
$3 spice bottle of cloves
$2.50 for bag of cranberries
$5 for 2 oranges
$6 for 10 cinnamon sticks
I skipped the rosemary bc the store was out. If i had more cinnamon sticks, i could have probably made 8 with these ingredients. However, i only made 5 due to running out of sticks. Someone was selling these at a Christmas market i went to last year for $10 a bag.
Sue says
Made these today! Thank you for the cute print out!
M E says
Could you freeze them once they are assembled?
Sev says
Can I use dried rosemary sprigs instead of fresh?
Coco and Ash says
Sure!
Anne says
Question! Can I used dried cranberries instead so I can make them further ahead of time?
Coco and Ash says
I’ve never used dried ones so I can’t say for certain. They’re definitely a little bit stickier, but I don’t think that they would cause a problem. 🙂
Tammy says
If I make these 2-3 days before gifting, what is the window of time in which I should tell the recipient to use the bags.
Emily says
I've had my oranges in the oven for hours now. How long should it take to dehydrate them?