These salt dough handprints painted as Santa Claus are the ideal Christmas craft for your kids! Wrap them up and give them to Grandma and Grandpa as an EASY homemade Christmas gift.
Author: Nikki Gladd
Ingredients
1cupflour
½cupsalt
¼cupwater(more or less)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. (Skip this step if air-drying.)
Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Slowly stir in the water until a dough forms. You might not need all of the water, or maybe a little more. This can vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen. The consistency of the dough should be thick and not too wet and slimy. More like clay. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead a few times with your hands, until soft and pliable, adding more flour as necessary.
Divide the dough into two halves. (You might be able to get three portions if doing three very small children's hands.) Roll each portion into a round disc no less than ½-inch thick. You want it thick enough so the handprint will show. Press the child's hand into the dough and then carefully transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 3-4 hours, or until dry, flipping once halfway. Alternatively, you can air dry them. I placed mine on a flatten paper bag and air dried for a few days, turning once halfway.
Once dry, paint the handprints as you wish (or as Santa Claus like we did!) Once the paint was dried, I used a black Sharpie marker to draw the eyes and mouth, then glued a cotton ball to the ends of the hat.