Wonderfully Easy and Soft Play Dough

I am so excited to share my favorite play dough recipe with you today!  This is incredibly fast and easy to make, seriously, 1 batch can be made in under 10 minutes! I also love how soft this dough is, and it doesn't have too much salt, dough with too much salt always makes the skin on my hands hurt and no one wants that when they just want to play and have fun! (see pictures below for a more detailed look at the play dough making process)

Here's what you'll need:

1 C. flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1/3 C. salt

1 C. water

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Food coloring

1. Add flour, cream of tartar, and salt to a medium sauce pan and stir to combine. Add water and oil, turn heat on to medium and stir until mixture begins to harden. Add your food coloring (8-10 drops) and quickly stir in.

2. Keep stirring until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove and let cool on wax paper. Once it's cool enough to handle knead for an additional 2-3 minutes to remove any lumps.

*Store in an airtight container or bag, can last for a few months.*

Note: I recommend buying the cream of tartar in bulk, it will definitely be cheaper in the long run.  Also, I have found that you really get the best results when using this ingredient.  After doing some research I discovered that cream of tartar affects the elasticity and texture of the dough, leaving it out will typically result in dry and crumbly play dough.

Here's what the beginning of your play dough will look like, notice the lumps? Lumps are perfectly fine at this point!

Add your food coloring...

There's your color! Keep stirring!

See how it's pulling away from the sides and gathering around the spoon? Time to remove it and let it cool!

Let it cool for a few minutes.

Knead it for 2-3 minutes and you're ready to go!  I love this camo/"Ninja Turtle" color we ended up with in this batch, it was a total accident but the boys loved it!

Now enjoy play time!  Be sure to store your play dough in an airtight container or bag when not in use.  If your dough does start to get a little dry you can knead in just a tiny bit of water.  Enjoy!

p.s. You can also create your own "calming play dough" by adding 4-8 drops of your favorite essential oil when kneading your cooled dough.