So, here's the thing...I'm not a huge fan of making sugar cookies.
I remember when I was in High School my sister and I would always talk my mom into making Christmas cookies with us, she would join us for some of it, but when it came to breaking out the cookie cutters she would "mysteriously" disappear! (Of course she did enjoy eating them!) I never understood why she disliked it so much, until now, making sugar cookies just zaps all of the energy and often times joy out of me! I'm much more of a bar cookie kind of gal (incidentally you must try these, my mother-in-laws recipe)!
Last year we did make sugar cookies but I'm fairly certain it was only because my younger sister was visiting, otherwise I surely would have skipped it all together.
But, alas, what fun is it to have all sorts of fun cookie cutters and not use them? Cue salt dough ornaments... While it did take us a couple of weeks from start to finish (with painting, etc) to complete these, I think salt dough is much more my speed than sugar cookie dough.
We used this salt dough recipe to make. The kids loved helping to measure and mix, although it was a bit messy... For some reason, with the salt dough, I didn't get quite as bored with the whole rolling and cutting over and over again. I think it's because the dough stays the same consistency throughout instead of getting super soft like sugar cookie dough can.
So, we rolled and cut and rolled an cut some more... ...a little tip...
Don't have a cookie cutter in the shape you want? Simply use an exacto knife and cut around your desired shape... After our "cookies" were baked we set forth to decorate them. With a little bit of paint, glitter, glue, pom poms...
It took us a few days to get them all painted...
Which means that we had glitter all over the house for several days...
But the kids had so much fun each and every time painting them. We sat there and listened to Christmas music and painted and decorated...
And all of the effort put into these won't be gone in a flash like a real cookie, instead they will happily be gifted to friends and family!
Some ornaments like the reindeer, sheep and elves got a little extra adornment...like jingle bells...and a bit of colorful wool roving...
Salt dough ornaments...so many many possibilities...
Now, we've got lots and lots of gift toppers too!
So, what do you think salt dough or sugar cookie dough?
