Salt Dough Ornaments

Two posts in one day! A first for this blog, I think...maybe not. Anyway...here's the promised recipe for salt dough ornaments. As I mentioned in the other post, rolling out dough is not big in list of fun things, but this is different...it's kind of fun because it really doesn't matter if it's not perfect-it's going to be a homemade Christmas ornament made by 7 and 8 year old boys...I just tell them the imperfections are part of the charm. So far, they buy it!

Salt Dough Cookie Ornaments
Ingredients:
4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1-1/2 cups hot water (from tap)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil (optional)

Mix the salt and flour together, then gradually add the water until the dough becomes elastic. (Some recipes call for 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil at this point.) If your mixture turns out too sticky, simply add more flour. If it turns out too crumbly, simply add more water. Knead the dough until it’s a good consistency for rolling, roll it out on a lightly floured board, drag out the cookie cutters and let the kids have fun!

After the ornaments are cut out, use a drinking straw to make a hole at the top for hanging the ornament, place them on a cookie sheet and bake at 200 degrees for as long as it takes to get the dough hard and light brown, usually about an hour or so. Let them cool, paint and glitter them to your heart's content, and call them Christmas ornaments!

For storage purposes, I would not store them in extreme conditions, such as in our storage building outside. They need to be wrapped in tissue and placed in an uncrushable storage box, such as those plastic lidded shoe boxes that Wal-Mart sells. Then keep them in the top of your closet or someplace else relatively warm/cool when you are not proudly displaying them.

I have to run now, but I'll be sharing more gift ideas, especially gift in a jar ideas, and I still have that Fabulous Five Minute Fudge recipe for you...

What are you doing to get ready for Christmas in July?

Merry, Merry!
Cathy