How To Make Playdough with Kool-Aid

Playdough can provide hours of entertainment for kids and adults! Next time you find your store-bought dough has reached the end of its road, try making your own. It’s a simple, fun process, and a great way to introduce kids to the kitchen in a way they’ll be excited about!

You’ll be surprised to find that you probably already have most of the ingredients in your pantry with the possible exception of Kool-Aid (it seems Kool-Aid is used for everything these days besides drinking!). I tried the same recipe with both bleached and unbleached flour to see if one worked better than the other. I noticed a slight difference in consistency, and found the bleached flour (from the Dollar Store, holler!) to be significantly messier in the cooking stage but smoother in consistency when finished than the unbleached flour. While the unbleached flour worked, the consistency was somewhat like a pastry dough and less like the playdough we’re all used to. That said, any flour works, but I prefer bleached.

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup salt
• 1 package of Kool-Aid
• 2 tablespoons Cream of Tartar
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons oil (canola, vegetable, or olive are fine)

• stovetop
• saucepan
• mixing spoon
• measuring spoons

1. Add all dry ingredients to your saucepan and mix well.

2. Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and mix well.

3. Stir mixture over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. The ingredients will start to form into a dough ball, but it’s important to keep stirring and mashing it over medium heat for at least 3-5 minutes. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the pan to keep the dough from burning.

4. After your mixture forms into a ball remove from heat and let cool.

5. Once cool, knead the ball and incorporate any lumps – don’t worry, the color won’t come off on your hands!

This recipe will make approximately 1 lb. of dough and it will keep for a few months in an airtight bag or container. Have fun!

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