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 touch 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 include oil and cream of tartar. 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 cookie 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 Mod Podge for a shiny finish and protective coat. This step isn’t necessary, however. The finished ornaments can be painted, glittered, decorated, etc.

Ingredients

1 cup salt
1 cup water
2 cups flour
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 straw
molds or stamps *The French bird mold is here and here is the rose mold.

Instructions

Combine the first 5 ingredients into a dough and knead until smooth. If the dough is a bit tacky initially, that is okay.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. (Tip: I do not recommend using wax paper to roll out on, as the dough sticks badly to the paper.)
Flour the surface of the dough and press the cookie mold firmly onto the dough, and use the desired cutter (circle or square, etc.) to cut out the shape; 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 the mold down to release the dough.
Using a straw, poke a hole in the top of the ornament for a string or ribbon.
Cut out the cookie and gently lift it onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Bake at 325 degrees until cooked all the way through. They will be brown on the bottom and starting to brown on the 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 make it easy to remove from the 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 the mold. I use the weight of my elbow to press down on each part of the mold.
Don’t roll the 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 the edges are browning.
Some molds (like the bird one above) require the dough to be pressed into the mold carefully to get all the details. 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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How to Create Beautiful Salt Dough Ornaments