This is a playdough recipe that reminds me of the kind my mother used to make. If stored snugly in airtight plastic bags, it can stay soft and squishy for up to three months! Be careful that this dough does not get eaten by human nor animal.
In a non-metal bowl, soak:
- 3/4 cup Epsom Salts
- 2 cups lukewarm water
- 4 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
Stir until it dissolves
In a large pot, stir together:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons Grapeseed Oil (My favourite for this use, because Grapeseed oil rarely goes rancid)
- The contents of the bowl
If you are only making one colour, add a bright food colouring at this time, otherwise, wait. You can also decide to add no colour at all.
Stir constantly while cooking over medium heat. Keep cooking and stirring until contents pull together into a large ball. Remove ball from heat and place in a bowl. After it cools a little bit, knead it with your hands until the dough feels smooth.
At this point you can create multiple colours if you want to. Divide the dough into as many balls as you have colours. With a finger, create a dent in the top centre of each ball and aim a few drops of food colouring into that dent. As an option, you can also ad a few drops of a gentle essential oil. I like to match an oil with a colour:
- Blue: Peppermint
- Green: Clary Sage
- Yellow: Lemon
- Orange: Orange
- Red: Rose
- Purple: Lavender
Knead it until the colour is blended through evenly. Play with it with cookie cutters or just little hands. When finished, store air tight in plastic.