The Best Salt Dough Recipe

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As Christmas is just around the corner, everyone is trying to prepare for the festive holiday. Kids always want to be a part of the fun and one of the best ways is by making some adorable ornaments with a simple salt dough recipe. Its safe for kids and super easy to make and great fun.

Kids can make gifts for friends, family and teachers and feel good about being able to gift something so special. My children absolutely love making salt dough ornaments, especially the decorative part.

Even if you don’t have little kids around, but you love to bake and craft, then you should definitely try making salt dough ornaments as it involves both skills.

Salt dough is very easy to make, and uses ingredients you most likely already have in the cupboard. Below are the different types of salt dough ornaments you can create.

Ingredients

2 cupful of all-purpose flour
1 cupful of table salt
1 cupful of lukewarm water

Procedure

Before you start to mix your ingredients, pre-heat the oven to its lowest setting, and line the baking tray with a parchment paper.
Mix flour and salt in a large bowl and keep adding water until the mixture forms a doughy consistency
Knead the dough with your hands to form a ball. Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and start to roll it out.
You can then use any cut out shapes or cutters on the dough. You can also add colors at this point by using food coloring, natural coloring, food dye, or acrylic paint.
Place your items onto a baking sheet and put it in the oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit. The baking time depends on the size of your item. However, it normally takes around 45 minutes to an hour. If you’ve made thicker creations, then let it bake for at least 3 hours or until it has dried.
After you have properly baked the dough, let it cool off for a while, and then you can start decorating it. You can also add natural colors, food colors, dyes, or acrylic paint at this point.

Different Types of Salt Dough Ornaments

Mentioned above is the standard recipe for salt dough. You can use this recipe to make different types of ornaments or creative and artist pieces. Here are a few fun ideas you can make using salt dough.

1. Melted Snowman Ornament

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Snowmen are the cutest Christmas tree ornaments, and what better way to keep your kids occupied other than teaching them how to make a melted snowman ornament. The recipe is very simple, just use the standard recipe of salt dough mentioned above.

Procedure

You should start by rolling out the salt dough into an oblong shape.
After you have rolled the dough into an oblong shape, make small balls for the head
Mold out a carrot nose from the salt dough and attach it to the head.
Make a hole with the help of straw for hanging.
Finally, put it in the oven, and after it’s baked, you can start to paint it, or you can add glitter.

It will take around one and a half hours to bake these melted snowman ornaments.

2. Gingerbread Salt Dough Ornament

You can use the standard recipe to make gingerbread salt dough ornaments; however, there are just a few extra ingredients you have to add. This amazing gingerbread scented salt dough recipe not only smells good, but makes adorable ornaments. You can use a glitter glue to add that extra special touch.

Things you need to add:

Two tablespoons of grounded cinnamon powder
Half a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
Two teaspoons of grounded ginger
Holiday Cookie cutters
3D paints, Glitter Glue, or Similar
A string

Procedure

You will use exactly the same method that I have mentioned above. There are just a few new adjustments:

Mix all the dry ingredients together into a large bowl, which includes the cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, and the usual flour and salt, and then keep adding water to make a doughy formation.
Roll out the dough and start to make the cutouts with gingerbread cookie cutters
With the help of straw make a hole in the top center of the ornaments and two holes in the middle of the ornament that should be approximately 2-inches apart
After you have baked the items for two hours, use a small sponge brush to apply the glaze. This will help to amplify the cookie’s natural color.
Use 3D paints to decorate the gingerbread man cookies and add the thread/string however you would like

3. Doughnuts Salt Dough Ornaments

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If you love doughnuts, you can now make them out of salt dough and use them as ornaments. The procedure is very simple and easy.

Things you need:

Salt dough
A mini silicone donut pan
Polymer Clay
Acrylic paint
Bakeable Adhesive
Sting to hand the ornaments

Procedure

Use the standard recipe to make the salt dough. After you’ve got the salt dough, pinch a small amount of dough and roll it into a ball. Use your finger to create a hole in the center and gently pinch it into a donut shape.
Bake the donuts at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 hours
After you have baked the donuts allow them to cool and then gradually remove them from the pan
Start to make sprinkles for the donuts from polymer clay. Roll out long skinny pieces of the clay and with the help of a sharp knife, cut it into sprinkles.
Apply at least three coats colored frosting onto your donuts for a bold and neat look
Apply some bakeable adhesive onto the donuts and press the sprinkles into it
Lastly, add the string and hang it up as an ornament!

4. No-Bake Salt Dough Ornaments

No-bake salt dough ornaments are one of the easiest salt dough cookies you can make, and it allows you to be as equally creative as you are with the baked ones.

These salt dough cookies are just the same as the baked ones; you can follow and use the same recipe and ingredients.

The cookies will take at least 2-3 days to dry since they are not baked, and if you want to preserve them for a longer time, then you should pack the ornaments in tissue and store them in a box.

5. Candy Cane Salt Dough Ornament

Candy canes are one of the most festive features that mark the holidays and are the most commonly used shapes for cookies. Follow this easy guide on how to create candy cane salt dough ornaments.

You can use the normal salt dough recipe for this. However, for half the batch you will need to add some red food coloring to the water before mixing it with the dry ingredients.
You will need to make two separate batches. One plain and the other red
Take a pinch of salt dough from each of the two and role both of them separately into long thin rolls.
Wrap the two roles around each other to get the shape of a candy cane
Lastly, add a ribbon to the top to hang it as an ornament

You should give these five easy ornaments a try or create your own designs and make something special to hang on the tree this year. This is truly the best salt dough recipe that you will come back to year over year.

The best part about this dough is that there is no limit to your creativeness. It doesn’t have to be Christmas season either to use this dough- you can use it anytime and create a number of fun and unique crafts. If its not on your winter bucket list– you should be sure to add it!

These ornaments can be used occasionally and throughout the year. Make them scented or full of color, there is no wrong way to be creative with this dough. You also won’t have to worry about buying new Christmas ornaments when you already know how to make them!