I LOVE Christmas!  Last year was really exciting since it was my first Christmas with a child.  This year, however, Lucas is starting to understand what’s going on and we are having so much fun!  We’ve been handing out candy canes, counting down the days until Christmas with a Advent Book Calendar and doing a bunch of arts and crafts projects. Another thing Lucas really loves is playdough!  Obsessed is a good way to describe his feelings toward it actually.  It was about time for me to make some new playdough so I decided to get in the Christmas spirit and make it a bit more festive!  Hence my Peppermint Christmas Playdough was born! This is seriously the BEST playdough recipe.  I’ve been using it for over a year now and our playdough lasts for months stored in an airtight container.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 2 TBSP vegetable oil
• 1 cup all purpose flour1/4 cup salt
• 2 TBSP cream of tarter (powder)
• Food coloring (I used 35 drops of each color)
• 6-10 drops Peppermint Essential Oil (I used 6 drops just b/c I was worried about Lucas eating the playdough!)

Combine the water and oil in a medium sauce pan. Mix in the flour, salt and cream of tarter. Once smooth, add in your peppermint oil and food coloring. Cook on the stove over medium heat for about 4 minutes while stirring pretty continuously with a wooden spoon.  The consistency will change from smooth to chunky to pretty gross to perfect playdough!

Yes, I know it looks a little gross here!

You’ll know it’s ready when it pulls away from the sides and forms a ball. Set it on the counter (or a cookie sheet or wax paper) to cool.  Once it’s cool enough to handle, kneed for a few minutes until smooth. This recipe will keep in an airtight container for months. Our Elf on the Shelf, Chippy, actually made this playdough for Lucas and left it (and a huge mess!) for him to find in the morning.