DIY Salt Dough Christmas Ornaments
Learn how to create adorable salt dough ornaments with this easy recipe and step-by-step guide! These sweet ornaments double as keepsakes and are perfect for a fun, family-friendly activity.
Yield: 15 + ornaments
Equipment
- Tool for poking a hole
- Cookie sheet
- Cooling rack
- Decorating supplies (puffy paint, glitter glue pens, paint, gemstones, etc).
- Twine
Materials
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup table salt
- 3/4 cup water plus more if needed
Instructions
Combine the Ingredients
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup table salt
- Add the water and mix with a spoon until combined. If the dough is dry, add one tablespoon of water at a time until it comes together. The texture should be soft and smooth, not crumbly, wet, or sticky.3/4 cup water
Knead and Roll the Dough
- Turn the dough out onto a clean counter or work surface and knead for a minute or two just to combine the ingredients.
- Lightly dust the counter with flour and roll the dough to about 1/4" thickness.
- I usually roll it forward and backward a few times, then from right to left to make sure all directions are close to equal thickness. I also like to flip the dough once or twice while rolling.Because salt dough is dry, I haven't had much problem with it sticking. But if it sticks to the counter, add a little more flour.
Cut the Dough
- Preheat the oven to 200° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or two, depending on how many and the size of the ornaments you make).
- Use cookie cutters to cut the dough. I also used stamps for an added decorative touch.
- Poke a hole in the top of each ornament for the string. You can use a straw, toothpick, or any other tool you have lying around. Just make sure the hole is large enough for the twine to slip through.
Bake the Ornaments
- Gently transfer the ornaments to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the ornaments for 30 minutes at 200° F. Then, flip them over and bake for another 30 minutes.Continue turning them every 30 minutes until they are dry, hard to the touch, and no longer pliable. The time depends on your oven and the thickness of the ornaments. Mine usually take about 2 hours. Check on them regularly.
Cool and Decorate
- Transfer the ornaments to a wire cooling rack and let them cool to room temperature.
- Once they are completely cool, it's time have fun! Decorate them with puffy paint, glitter, watercolors, acrylic paint, gemstones...anything you can imagine.
Air-Dry Option
- If you prefer ornaments that are white on both sides, you can air-dry them instead of baking them. Just keep in mind (especially if you have little ones waiting to decorate) that this can take a few days.To air-dry salt dough ornaments, place them on a cookie sheet. Turn them every 12 hours or so until they are completely dry.
Video
Notes
- The number of ornaments you can make from this recipe depends on the size. I used standard-size cookie cutters and made 24. But if you make small ornaments, this recipe can yield much more.
- This recipe is easy to half or double, so you can make as much or as little as you want!
- If the hole you poked is too small for the twine, use a small knife to carve a bigger hole. This happened to me once, but it was really easy to widen the hole.
- The ornaments can take a few hours to bake. So if you have kids anxiously waiting, plan ahead. Make the ornaments in advance (that’s what I did for our ornament party), or plan plenty of activities for the wait.
- Make sure the dough isn’t too dry or too wet. It should come together with no dry ingredients in the bowl. And it should be smooth, not crumbly, wet, or sticky.
- Overbaking salt dough ornaments can cause them to turn brown and possibly crack. Check them every 30 minutes.
- Rough edges and imperfections create a rustic, handmade look. But if you want a cleaner aesthetic, tidy up the edges with a knife or mildly abrasive sandpaper.
