The secret to this recipe??
Two things: First, Cream of Tarter… it’s what helps the dough stay together. and Second, not a lot of salt… all that salt dries out your dough!
Ready to make it? Here we go:
Ingredients:
1 C Flour
1 C Water
1/4 C Salt
1 TBSP Vegetable Oil
2 tsp Cream of Tarter
Food Coloring (actual coloring or a kool-aid packet will do)
Sparkles (If you wanna be a fun mom!)
Sauce Pan and Wooden Spoon
Little helping hands.
Pour in all ingredients. (No particular order… each time is different for us.. and it always turns out the same.)
(I used the NEON food coloring… cause everything is better neon… but feel free to use a koolaid packet sitting in your cupboard.)
(I used the NEON food coloring… cause everything is better neon… but feel free to use a koolaid packet sitting in your cupboard.)
Stir until everything is mixed well.
Once the mixture is (mostly) clump free. Heat over MEDIUM heat.
Stir. Don’t stop stirring. After a few minutes it will start to clump up. (I’m magic! Purple to Green. hah. Different dough.. same step!)
Stir, Stir Stir.Just keep stirring until the Play Dough is formed. It will form one big clump.
Remove from heat, and knead by hand. (This is my favorite part! It’s so warm and squishy! hah) Note: I forgot to add sparkles in the mix at the beginning, so I just kneaded the sparkles in and it turned out just fine.
Once cooled it’s ready to go. Package it up for some party favors or stocking stuffers. (Baby food containers work GREAT! The rectangle ones are Gerber and the round ones are Parents Choice)
Or grab your cookie cutters, plastic scissors, rolling pin, etc.. and let your toddler go to town.
What a fun thing to do on a rainy day! Adelyn loves making it. She always thinks she’s baking a cake. hah. The dough is non toxic and edible (it has a bitter taste… you could always add some extract to give it a nice smell and taste… but I didn’t want to give her more incentive to eat the dough. hah)
It’s super fast and easy to make. And I promise… once you make it, you will never buy store bought Play Dough again!
# kristanlynn
xoxo
xoxo
UPDATE- answering your questions:
This recipe yields about a cup and half of dough.
I use this recipe for each color I make.
As far as how long it lasts, as long as it is stored right, it should last at leas up to 6 months. I'd suggest wrapping it in plastic wrap (or a Ziploc bag) and then putting it inside your sealed container... and it could last even longer. Every sealed container has air, and air can dry out and/or mold your dough, which is why I suggest wrapping in plastic wrap first.
I do not store ours in the fridge, but I guess you could if you'd like.















Awesome idea! I love that you added sparkles.
ReplyDeleteSO pretty!! Would LOVE it if you would share this project at my turquoise lovin' party going on right now!! http://www.sweetlittlegals.com/2011/09/turquoise-lovin-4.html
ReplyDeleteWe just made it! Lots of fun playing together this afternoon. Thanks for the recipe and easy to follow directions.
ReplyDeleteCheese Curds and Kimchi
You have officially been pinned! This is really cute...I'm gonna have to try it with my two kids...with cooler weather coming in, I'm sure we will be inside more. This is perfect for those boring spells that little ones go through. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWould love it if you would link this up to our Rockin' link party going on now at RoCa and Company. Here is the link: http://rocaandcompany.blogspot.com/2011/09/welcome-fall-and-you-rock-2.html Come and show off what you got. Hope to see you there...
Remember...YOU ROCK!!
Carmen @
RoCa and Company
www.rocaandcompany.blogspot.com
This is so cool. My grandmother used this recipe when I was a kid. I thought she made it up herself as she never measured anything. Thanks for posting
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness - we totally did this as kids! and these pictures are so fun. love it!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter's name is Adalynn too!!! Hooray. Love this!! I am doing this with my class of 4th graders as an activity to teach fractions. Thanks. :D
ReplyDeleteMy daughter's name is Adalynn too!!! Hooray. Love this!! I am doing this with my class of 4th graders as an activity to teach fractions. Thanks. :D
ReplyDeleteI'm so doing this with my goddaughters this weekend!
ReplyDeleteADORE this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing. I went ahead & made it--sparkles & all, & will be linking you when I blog my version over on The Creative Mama next week. THANK YOU! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing! I didn't had cream of tartar at home, so I used lemon juice as a replacement. It worked perfectly! Thank you so much for the great idea. Best wishes from Portugal!
ReplyDeleteThis is FABULOUS dough! We love it!
ReplyDeleteHow long does the dough last?
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see how you play with your daughter on the kitchen. It's fun 'cause my son have forbidden to go to the kitchen without me.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this. Beautifully done as well. Best Regards from Maastricht, The Netherlands
ReplyDeleteWe made a dough very similar to this one when my kids (and grandkid) were little and it was always one of their favorite activities. I think my recipe used a small amount of vegetable oil, too, which helped it stay soft. We added the food coloring as we were doing the kneading and it was fun to watch it gradually swirl into a solid color. I'm sure my next batch of grandkids will enjoy this, as well. Do I have to wait till then to make some??? LOL!
ReplyDeleteIf I make this now as a Christmas gift, will it still be soft to play with after Christmas? Do you know the shelf life?
ReplyDeleteYep! This is the one we've had since I was in preschool and my mom swore it was the best back then, even when all these people swore theirs was the best. She would try theirs and say, "Nope! Mine is still the best!" ;)
ReplyDeleteI love this recipe! I use it here in New Zealand too! However, I will have to add a juice/cordial sachet next time, for the smell effect. I have never done that before. I can remember my mother using the same (base) recipe for my brother and I when were small. I used it for my boys when they were little (as teenagers they still secretly like helping me kneed the dough once it is made...lol) and now that I teach 5 year olds, they love it too! :) I agree with you - It is the best recipe around! :)
ReplyDeletePerfection!!!! Just made it. It was SO easy! Kids are having a ball! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis is perfect! I tried another recipe for Cloud Dough that was just flour and oil. My kids were disappointed that it didn't come together well, so I used your recipe and made them play dough instead using the same flour. It turned out perfectly and I have very happy kids now. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI made this recipe for my nieces & newphews, only we used scented infused teas and extracts to make fun smelling play dough. You can also use kool-aid too for color AND scent!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! I made three batches last night and my son played for six hours and the dough never dried out. I've tried three different recipes for dough and this one is definitely the best.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe!! we just made a few batches it is perfect! and so easy!!
ReplyDeleteThis dough is the bomb! So easy to make, and after I finished kneading it, my hands didn't have that yucky "play-doh" smell that I hate. It's so soft and squishy. Never buying that stuff again!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid, we used to make a similar recipe, but we would bake your dough after playing with it. That was really fun, because we got to help make the dough, play with it and make figures and after they were baked, we could paint and decorate them and play with them :) lots of fun!
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome! We had a great time making this today and linked back to you on my site! Here it is if you want to take a look. http://www.marthaonabudget.com/2012/02/so-much-for-wordless-wednesday-i-saw.html
ReplyDeleteThis was fun & the kids loved it -- but the next day it was all gooey and sticky. I stored it in baby food containers in the cupboard.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHow much does this yield? Should I use the recipe once for every color I want?
ReplyDeleteThe recipe makes about a cup and a half of play dough. You'd need to make a batch for each color you want. It only takes 5 minutes and the pan is virtually clean when you get to the end of the stirring step. (Just needs a rinse and wipe to make the next batch)
DeleteJust made it this morning and I love it. I used Kool Aide packets for the coloring and scent. Fun, I did not have sparkles but next time I will add them.
ReplyDeleteI found this on Pinterest, and we made some today. Only 5 minutes to home made play dough? Awesome! We used orange kool-aid, and now the house smells great!
ReplyDeleteAwesome!!! Just finished making this for my boys and they love it. Didn't have vegetable oil so I used EVO and it works great!!! Think i'm going to make this for party favors for my sons birthday in May!!!
ReplyDeleteWe make our own play doh at our preschool/kindergarten. I can't wait to try this recipe! Also, after kneading, the oil in the dough makes your hands nice and soft....bonus! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI have been using this same recipe for DECADES and love the kool-aid idea. I think a non-stick pan is essential and since I don't use them for daily cooking, I picked one up at a garage sale that I use just for this purpose. It is totally worth the $3 that I spent!
ReplyDeleteI use baby oil instead of vegetable oil..it smells so nice.
ReplyDeleteI'm converted! I will never buy Play Doh again! My 2-year-old son and I just made a batch. He's still at the table playing with it. It's so soft and pliable. I also like that I just made one color so I don't have to worry about him mixing them up, which is usually the sign that the store bought ones are on their way out the door.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. Your directions and pictures helped me know just what to do and what to expect. And kneading it while it's warm? Loved it!
Just made this today and had a blast! Here was our experience! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dragonflymother.blogspot.com/2012/03/play-dough-fun.html
Do you store it in the fridge? I found your instructions and made some last week. Today, I noticed that they had all developed mold. :( Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteHi, just wanted to let you know, I found this post of yours on another blog that seems to have ripped off a WHOLE stack of other ppl's DIY tutorials, and not credited anything. Just thought I would let you know. You can find it here: http://interests11.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/best-play-dough-recipe.html
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Candy
Hi, does this dough has expiery date?
ReplyDeleteWhere do you get your sparkles you used? :)
ReplyDeletemy email is blabrown042707@att.net
DeleteI used to make my own playdough as a kid-- SO much fun!!
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to know what to buy for the sparkles. Glitter? This looks like a fun idea I will do with my granddaughters! :)
ReplyDeleteconnieschell@gmail.com - I need to know what to use for the sparkles....glitter?
ReplyDeletebest play dough ever. we made some back in february and it's been soft, aromatic, and mold-free. i didn't refrigerate it at all either. thank you for such a great recipe!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. My son just went into nursery at our church and he got to play with playdough and he LOVES it. This was so simple, can't wait till he can play with the batch I just made. Need to get more salt so I can make more colors!
ReplyDeleteJust blogged this! We tried it today and loved it! Thanks for the great play dough recipe!
ReplyDeleteLove it. Just made it this morning and put it in a blog post. What a little nugget of ammo for a mom to carry in her arsenal :)
ReplyDeletehttp://greyblogmama.blogspot.com/2012/05/adventures-in-playdough.html
what beautiful colors :) i love the pink and green combination! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletehttp://theflyinelephant.blogspot.com/
I have been in the child care business since 1988 and this right here is the BEST play dough I have ever made! Thanks so much for sharing!! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm obsessed with this playdough recipe! Thank you so much for sharing! I reposted at www.homemadetoast.blogspot.com .
ReplyDeleteOk, I've read through all the comments. This seems to truly be the BEST play-dough recipe, but the most important questions are not being answered. 1. How long does it last? 2. Does it need to be stored in the refrigerator? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHI! Thanks for commenting, the very first paragraph says that as long as this dough is stored in an air tight container, it will last up to 6 months (or longer). I'm not sure why there is so much confusion on shelf life or how to store it, cause it's right there in the post, but I guess I should add an update with it highlighted or something. I'll go do that now =]
DeleteI do not refrigerate ours, but I guess you could if you'd like.
Thanks so much for commenting! Hope you enjoy making it! xoxo