Play doh cookies are a fun activity that you can eat. While I know the word "playdoh" often associated with the taste of salt, I assure you these colored shortbread cookies are far from that colored dough you buy in yellow containers.
When I was in middle school I went to a party where one of the activities was making playdoh cookies and baking them for a snack. I thought it was so much fun that I carried the memory into adulthood and have been sharing this fun cookie recipe with my kids over the past few years.
They LOVE taking the colorful cookie dough and making fun designs and shapes. While they often end up blending the colors together to create weird swirls of purple or brown, it's always a blast watching their creations come to life.
My favorite part of this recipe is that its a pretty typical shortbread cookie dough, meaning that it isn't too sweet. A simple glaze or sprinkling of sugar on top would be great but who really needs their kids eating THAT much sugar? Not to mention any sweet topping would cover their artistic play doh cookie creations.
If your kids love to play with Playdoh, check out my Edible Ripe Banana Playdough, Simple Coffee Playdough Recipe, and Edible No Cook Pumpkin Playdough.
Why This Recipe Works
- It's more fun than regular playdoh. With regular playdough, you shape, destroy, and put away. With this colored cookie dough, you get to shape, bake, and eat. Sensory project and snack in one!
- They're customizable. Swap out the colors for any colors of your choice. Build your own artistic creations and watch them turn into something truly yummy.
- They're unique. This recipe is great because it's so unique and fun. Not many recipes let you play with your food, but this one is perfect for those that like exploring their foods.
🥘 Ingredients
Flour- The gluten structure and base of this recipe is all purpose flour.
Baking powder- To help the cookies puff up slightly as they bake, you'll need some baking powder.
Sugar- This will make the cookies sweeter and more tender.
Butter- For added moisture and richness, use butter. You can use salted or unsalted butter, depending on what you have on hand.
Egg- Adding in an egg will make the cookies taste richer and help them to hold together better.
Milk- For added moisture, you'll need a little milk.
Vanilla- A flavor enhancer.
Food Coloring- Use food coloring in your desired colors. I prefer to use gel food coloring because it's more vibrant.
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make play doh cookies with these simple step-by-step instructions:
Cream your butter and sugars in a bowl until light and fluffy.
Add in the egg, milk, and vanilla. Mix again.
Add in the flour and baking powder, mixing slowly until combined.
Divide the dough and color it.
Hand it over to kids with clean hands and let them go to town with making fun shapes.
Place them on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 8-12 minutes depending on their thickness.
Let cool on the sheet before transferring to a wire rack.
Serve and enjoy.
🍴 Recipe Tips
I've made this exact playdough cookies recipe several times over the years and my results often vary. The weather, temperature, elevation, and level of butter softness always seem to play a minor role in changing the overall dough consistency.
If you find your dough is too wet to shape and play you have 2 good options. 1- chill the dough before playing, but note that it will soften as it warms up in your kid's hands or 2- add more flour.
I often opt for the second one, and if by chance I add too much flour and the dough becomes shaggy, adding a tablespoon of water at a time helps bring it back together.
Another important thing to note is that this recipe for playdough is not meant to be eaten in dough form. There is raw egg.
If you'd like edible playdoh you can check out coffee playdough, ripe banana playdough, or my pudding playdough- all of which are safe for consumption and playing.
💭 FAQs
Believe it or not, you can't build too crazy of a shape, but round balls or something a little more flat will work fine. Baking time will vary. But, these cookies don't puff up while baking and do hold their shape very well.
I've done this recipe using both and have to say that gel wins hands down. It gives a much more vibrant color without making the dough any wetter.
Absolutely. Just go ahead and make it. Divide the dough into balls and color each one. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
More recipes kids will love!
- Hidden Heart Bundt Cake
- PBJ on a Stick
- 21 Unicorn Recipes for a Party
- Easy Baked Rainbow Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
📖 Recipe
Play Doh Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 cup All purpose flour ($0.32)
- ½ Tablespoon Baking powder ($0.02)
- 1 cup Granulated sugar ($0.22)
- 2 sticks Butter, softened ($1.50)
- 1 large egg ($0.08)
- 2 Tablespoons Milk ($0.02)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract ($0.02)
- Food coloring ($0.04)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, or in the bowl of your stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
- Add in the egg, milk, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
- Add in the flour and the baking powder and mix again.
- Divide the dough into separeate bowls and add a few drops of food coloring into each bowl (about 3 drops depending on how vibrant you want the colors).
- Shape the dough into fun shapes and then place them on a baking sheet. Allow a few inches around the cookies to them to expand as they sometimes do.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes depending on how thick the cookies are. Cool and then enjoy.
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