Traditional Salt Dough Recipe

Ingredients

3 Cups Flour
1 Cup Salt
1 1/2 Cups Warm Water

Directions

Mix flour and salt together. Add water gradually and knead dough. If dough is too dry, add water. If it is too sticky, add flour.

Roll out dough onto waxed paper about 1/4" to 3/4" thick. The thicker the dough the longer the drying (cooking time).

Cut cookies into holiday shapes like X-mas tree, stars, candy canes, wreaths, ginerbread people or anything you can think of or have a cookie cutter for. Although using cookie cutters is the easiest way to shape these cookie dough ornaments, they are not necessary.

If you have a steady hand and artistic flair, simply use a butter knife to cut out your shape. Just cut slowly so as not to tear the dough.

Place Christmas shaped cookie dough ornaments into oven and bake. Depending on oven temperature the time will vary. For a 325 degree oven, bake for approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours. For lower temperature, increase the time and check after 1 1/2 hours.

Tip: For faster drying, increase temp to 325. For slower drying decrease temp to 225. The lower temperature helps prevent some of the "puffing" effect when baking the cookie dough ornaments.

To prevent curling, flip the cookie dough ornaments during cooking time. Let the ornament shapes cool down completely and then decorate with acrylic paint, glitter glue, pony beads or what ever you want to add to make these ornaments stand out and look beautiful on your tree.

I find that for the toddler's, painting is the easiest option and they will have the most fun with this decoration idea. Older kids like to get a bit fancier and may want to add some glitter, ribbons etc. to complete their cookie dough ornaments.