Better than Salt Dough Ornament Recipe (2024)

Today I’ll show that making your own better than salt dough ornaments is as easy as 1 – 2 – 3! Get ready to get crafty!

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As a kid, I remember making salt dough ornaments. As a matter of fact, I still have the tiny little handprint ornament that I made. I thought it would be so much fun to recreate this childhood memory of mine with Eli and Emmy this year. Problem is, I didn’t have enough salt for salt dough. Solution? Better than Salt Dough Ornaments!

All you need is a couple cups of baking soda, a cup of cornstarch, and some water to create these darling little ornaments. We had so much fun stamping, rolling, and cutting. The memories made are some I’ll always cherish. That’s the best part about anything homemade. There are so many really great memories made doing it!

I used regular old twine to hang mine on the tree, but I love the idea of using ribbon! If I would have had some red ribbon on hand, I would have used it for sure.

How to Make Better than Salt Dough Ornaments…

• 2 cups baking soda
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cups water

Instructions

• In a medium saucepot, combine baking soda and cornstarch. Stir in cool water and mix completely.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. After 5 – 7 minutes the mixture will begin to brown slightly. It should begin bubbling. Continue stirring for a few minutes as it thickens.
• Transfer to a glass bowl, and cover lightly with a damp cloth.
• Let cool for at least on hour.
• Once cool, knead the dough until smooth. Roll out to desire thickness. Use more cornstarch if needed to keep dough from sticking.
• Stamp, or press the dough if desired. Cut with cutters. (Make sure to add a hole for hanging. A drinking straw works great for this!)
• Let cool completely for 24 hours.

A few tips for making better than salt dough ornaments…

• When you first mix the ingredients in the sauce pan, it is thin and watery. Don’t add more dry ingredients to thicken it up…trust me. It thickens FAST.
• I like to let mine cool about an hour and a half before I knead it. If you want too long it starts to dry out, and doesn’t come together very well.
• Don’t forget to make a hole to hang the ornaments. Don’t ask me how many times I did…ha! If you do happen to forget a dot of hot glue and some ribbon will work for hanging.
• I’ve seen these “ornaments” used as gift tags, and I think that is a darling idea! You could customize and personalize until your heart’s content.
• You can stamp the dough before you cut them to add some interest to them. Get creative with what you use as a stamp. I used pine branches, pieces off a wreath, and some berry sprigs to stamp mine.

They were really so easy to make. The hardest part is waiting for them to dry. I’ve seen someone say that they put theirs in the oven at 175F for an hour. I’ve never tried it, but it sounds like it would work. If you try it, let me know!

As always, thank you so much for stopping by, and spending just a tiny part of your day here with me. I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know!

Here’s an image to pin for later…

Here’s an image to pin for later…