How to Create Beautiful Salt Dough Ornaments
How to Create Beautiful Salt Dough Ornaments. October 5, 2021.
When it comes to Christmas decor perhaps the style that tugs most at our hearts is more rustic in nature. Certainly, there is plenty of gorgeous Christmas finery to admire throughout our communities, but it is the more homespun season that brings us back to what the season is all about: the baby King born in a humble manger among the animals in a stable. With the uncertainty of our world today it is the simple things that become more important to hang on to. Perhaps this is why the rustic-themed Christmas is so popular. As much as I adore the pageantry of the holidays there is deep satisfaction in the homespun parts that touches within. Making things for Christmas such as ornaments is a wonderful way to enjoy the simple aspect of the season. Today’s post is on how to create beautiful salt dough ornaments with pantry ingredients, and it is so simple.
Salt dough has been around for ages and there are many variations. My favorite versions have oil and cream of tartar in it. These two ingredients help create a smooth dough that bakes well and is perfect with cookie molds. And speaking of cookie molds I used gorgeous wooden springerle molds I bought a few years back. These highly detailed cookies molds create ornaments with crisp, clear pictures as seen below. If you don’t have these then use cookie stamps or cutters. This dough is very versatile and bakes up nicely. As a finishing touch the ornaments are brushed with a glossy modge podge for a shiny finish and protective coat. This step isn’t necessary, however. The finished ornaments can be painted, glittered, decorated, etc.
How to Create Beautiful Salt Dough Ornaments
Ingredients
- 1 cup salt
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 straw
- molds or stamps* * Fancy Flours has beautiful molds here– one of my favorite websites for decorative baking! The French bird mold I found here and here is the rose mold.
Instructions
- Combine first 5 ingredients into a dough a knead until smooth. If the dough is a bit tacky initially that is okay.
- Roll out dough on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. (Tip: I do not recommend using wax paper to roll out on- the dough sticks badly to the paper.)
- Flour the surface of the dough and press cookie mold firmly onto dough and use the desired cutter (circle or square, etc.) to cut out the shape as for example, I used a circle cutter for the rose. If your mold is one like the bird mold shown with a predetermined shape then fill the mold with dough and smack mold down to release dough.
- Using a straw, poke a hole in the top of ornament for string or ribbon.
- Cut out cookie and gently lift onto parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Bake at 325 degrees until cooked all the way through. They will be brown on bottom and starting to brown on edges. This may take a while- 1-2 hours depending on the thickness. Thicker ornaments may puff during baking.
- Let cool and decorate or glaze with clear gloss as desired.
Notes
Tips for best results:
- Flour your dough to allow for easy removal of mold. You may want to lightly dust the inside of your mold with flour as well.
- If your mold is very detailed it is important to press firmly on all parts of mold. I use the weight of my elbow to press down on each part of mold.
- Don’t roll dough too thick. The best imprints are dough rolled to about 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick. Keeping the dough thinner also helps to avoid puffing during baking. Also, keeping the dough thinner will give you a lighter ornament for hanging on the tree as opposed to a heavier one that will sag on the branch.
- Don’t overbake until brown (unless you want them brown). If you want them to stay creamy white then bake only until edges are browning.
- Some molds (like the bird one above) require the dough to be pressed into the mold carefully to get all the detail. After filling the mold with dough I smack the mold down firmly to allow the molded dough to release neatly.
- It is okay to practice for a bit to get the hang of it, so you create crisp images. The dough is forgiving and can be re-rolled.
Happy creating
No monies from affiliates. All opinions are my own.
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I made these for Christmas and they turned out great. I got into it and gave them to neighbors besides for myself. I plan to make more for Easter. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thank you for the feedback Maria! That is wonderful! This is one of my favorite craft projects and can be used for special gift tags as well!Thank you for stopping by and commenting.
Best, Anna