Holiday Gift Idea for Kids’ Friends: Peppermint Play Dough

This holiday gift idea for your kid’s friends, homemade peppermint play dough (doh), is not only inexpensive, but such a fun project to do with your kids!

Peppermint Play Dough (Doh) Recipe

* 2 Cups White Flour

* Liquid Water Color or Food Coloring (as much as needed to get the color you want)

* 1/2 Cup Salt

* 3 Tablespoons Cream of Tartar (This was hard to find for me, I never saw it before, but it can be found in the area with the salt and looks like baking powder.)

* 2 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil

* 1 Tablespoon Peppermint Extract (Optional – but this is what makes it smell SO good!)

Ready, set, make!

1. Mix flour, salt and cream of tartar in a large bowl with a whisk.

2. Add 2 cups of water and your coloring of choice to get desired color.

3. Mix well with a wisk.

4. Add vegetable oil and peppermint extract.

5. Mix well with a wisk, then stir/smooth batter with a soft spoon or  spatula.

6. Pour batter into a large skillet or electric pan and cook on medium heat while stirring constantly. Continue stirring and turning until play dough is cooked, thick, and no longer shiny. Don’t be afraid, the pan will clean easily. It cooked for me in about 5 – 7 minutes.

7. Remove from heat and place on counter top. When it cools, knead it over and over until it is the consistency you like. Be careful, it will be HOT!

Peppermint Play Dough Holiday Gift for Kids

We divided our batch of peppermint play doh into small red and green balls, put in cellophane themed holiday bags, and then tied a Christmas cookie cutter to it for my daughter’s friends.

Make a cute little sticker gift tag using a festive Christmas font and it makes for such a darling little gift.  If you are needing to do gifts for a large number of little friends, this is a great option, plus it it cheap!

If you keep it in an air tight container, it will keep for a long time and doesn’t get as messy as other kinds.  Believe it or not, I got a text that my friend’s kids were still playing with their peppermint play doh almost a year later!

Do you have any inexpensive gift ideas for your kid’s friends?

[Recipe compliments of Miss Susie at  St. Andrews Parent/Child Program.]