Homemade Playdough

I recently taught a class about inexpensive family fun; I sent everyone home with a homemade playdough recipe and samples to play with at home.  This recipe comes from Mom, and it's the playdough we kids played with all those years.

I've tried several different recipes for homemade playdough, and many of them leave your hands salty and the dough dries out quickly. This recipe doesn't do that; it's still the best.  Enjoy!

Homemade Playdough

2  1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
2 Tablespoons alum (find this in the spice section)
3 Tablespoons of oil
2 cups boiling water 
food coloring

Mix flour, salt, alum and oil. Add water and knead to desired consistency.  Add food coloring.  Add more flour if dough is sticky (between 2-4 Tablespoons). Store in a sealed container, in the fridge.

John's "Man" Cookies

 

Step back chocolate chip! Sugar cookie -- tremble in fear! Brownies? You're going down!  John's "Man" Cookies are in the house! :-)

John loves oatmeal raisin cookies, but doesn't see them very often around our house, 'cause Katie and I aren't big fans. Well, one day he had enough. He took over the kitchen and made some big beefy oatmeal fellas -- not only with raisins, but chocolate chips *and* pecans too! These are rugged, chunky...and delicious!

John's Man Cookies

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup margarine or butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1  1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375°. Mix all ingredients except oats, flour, and raisins. Stir in oats, flour and raisins. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until light brown, about 10 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.