Homemade scented baking soda ornaments
A carefree activity for adults and kids. Easy to make and affordable!
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 5 min
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 20 ornaments 1x
- Category: DIY
Ingredients
- 1 cup (270g) baking soda
- 1/2 cup (70g) cornstarch, more for kneading
- 3/4 cups (180ml) water
- lemon, orange or cinnamon essential oils (see notes)
Instructions
- Mix baking soda and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Add water and whisk until soda and starch are dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Add 5-10 drops of each oil. (The scent will be strong, but it all works out in the end.)
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 3-5 minutes or until thickened. As you stir, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. The mixture will first get bubbly before it gets thicker and you need to scrape the pot to get all of that combined.
- Once the mixture is thick like toothpaste, remove it from the stove. Transfer dough to a cool plate and allow it to cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes).
- Place dough on your work surface. Dust with cornstarch and knead the dough into a smooth ball. If it’s sticky or too wet add cornstarch, tablespoon by tablespoon and keep kneading until it’s less sticky. It should be pliable, but not sticky wet nor dry and crumbly.
- Add more cornstarch to your work surface and roll out the dough to no less than 1/4 inch (6mm) thin. Use a normal rolling pin for rolling. Only use an engraved rolling pin for a final decorative roll-out.
- Cut out desired shapes and transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut out holes (for hanging the ornaments) with a straw. Let ornaments air-dry overnight. Flip them over the next day and let them dry until they’re completely set, ideally another day. The longer you wait the better.
Notes
I like to use essential oils or food-grade oils that you would normally use in baking.
When rolling out your dough, roll it with a classic smooth rolling pin until you get it to the proper thickness. Then roll it just once with a decorative engraved rolling pin.
To avoid any possible cracking, I like to air dry my ornaments over a period of two days. I always get pretty ornaments this way.
To dry ornaments in the oven, set your oven to 175°F (80°C) and place ornaments on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dry your ornaments like this for 40 minutes, then flip them on the other side and dry for another 30-40 minutes. Check on your ornaments every so often, making sure they’re not cracking, browning or similar.
Keywords: holiday ornaments
