History of the Salt Dough Ornaments:
There is something about salt dough ornaments that make you feel as if you traveled with the Ghost of Christmas Past back to the colonial era. In fact, this handmade ornament is another credit to German immigrants (see the Barn Quilt blog post) who brought the practice of salt dough ornaments to Pennsylvania.
Not only are these fun to make, the ornaments last many years if baked properly and they give off the aroma of cinnamon. Â Salt Dough ornaments make a perfect gift for teachers, friends, and neighbors and also can be used to decorate the exterior of a package.
There are several ways to make these ornaments. I like to use wood molds to create mine. I’ve also used tools to carve and stamp designs on the “cookie” before baking.
Tools You Will Need:
Wood Molds:
The ones I have are:
Cookie Sheet
Parchment Paper
Ribbon
For Children Style Ornaments:
Cookie Cutters
Ingredients:
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup of salt
1 1/2 cup of ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cup of water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Mix ingredients together using a mixer. On a floured surface knead the dough until the dough sticks together without being too sticky. If too dry add 1 tsp of water to dough until it sticks together. If it’s too sticky add a bit of flour.
Brush flour onto your wood molds and press dough into the mold. Scrape off excess from the back using a knife or a pastry scraper. Gently pry up one corner and allow gravity to drop the ornament into your hand.
Lay decorative side up on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Â Poke a hole through the ornament at the top using an embroidery needle. Make hole large enough for thin ribbon or twine (whatever you prefer to use as your hanger)
Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Flip ornament and bake on underside for 30 minutes. Allow to cool on cooling rack before threading ribbon or twine through the hole at the top. Tie.
Creative Ways to Gift Your Ornaments:
- Wrap them in tissue and place them in Christmas themed Chinese take- out boxes.
- Put them in waxed bags and tie with twine at the top.
- Use them as name tags for your gifts by carving an individual’s name in the underside of the ornament before baking.
Children’s Ornaments:
We must admit, the children’s version is not as pretty, but the kids had so much fun making them. Using cookie cutters versus the molds was a quick switcher-oo to keep them engaged as the molds proved frustrating for them. You’ll find kids love dough and glitter, so it was a win-win.
The same process above applies to the children’s version except these steps:
- Use cookie cutters instead of molds.
- Sprinkle or dip in glitter on both sides before baking.
- After cooling apply coats of Mod Podge to seal.
If you decide to make these ornaments, share your creations on The Hallelujah House Facebook group. Every Saturday we share our creative projects. We’d love to see yours.
Merry ornament making!
Note: This project was inspired by Miss Mustard Seed.Â
Article appears unedited by our resident editor Barby Molnar.
Tammy Carter Adams is the founder of The Hallelujah House and co-host of The Hallelujah House podcast. She resides in Central Florida with her husband Jay and their four children.
