DIY Baking Soda Ornaments

Homemade Baking Soda Ornaments are easy to make, and help you create fun holiday memories!

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This post was first published on November 25, 2013. It has been updated and republished on December 6, 2020, with more helpful baking tips, new photos, and FAQs to help you troubleshoot. This post also contains affiliate links. Read my policy page to learn more.

We are in the thick of the holiday baking season, and I love it!

Are you in the holiday baking spirit, too? If so, be sure to try some of my favorite holiday cookie recipes. These are the Best Gingerbread Cookies for Decorating - soft and chewy, yet perfect for decorating with your favorite icing. If you're looking for fast holiday cookies to make without decorations, try my Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies. We make batches and batches of these each year and they are always a favorite!

For shortbread fans, these Chocolate-Dipped Peppermint Shortbread cookies are so easy and absolutely delicious. Plus they look adorable wrapped up to give as holiday gifts!

And these Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies look so fun and festive on any holiday table. These make beautiful holiday baking gifts as well!

If you want to add another fun baking project that will last longer than cookies, try my DIY Baking Soda Ornament project!

Baking Soda Ornaments

The kids and I had so much fun making these ornaments. You can probably tell, I let them pick out a few of the Star Wars cookie cutters to use in addition to our traditional Christmas cookie cutters. :)

Tips to Make Baking Soda Ornaments

While these baking soda ornaments are pretty easy to make, they are just like any other baking project. There are so many factors that can affect how these turn out.

Below, I try to address some common questions I have received about these homemade Christmas ornaments over the years. As well as some helpful tips in general to help you make the best baking soda ornaments!

• Use a light-colored aluminum baking sheet. This is true for all baking. Darker baking sheets can absorb and distribute heat faster than light-colored pans.
• Make sure your baking soda is fresh. While baking soda tends to have a long shelf life, it does lose its potency over time. I bake a lot, and switch out my baking soda once a month. While you don't need to do so that frequently, if you're using baking soda that is more than a couple months old, consider getting a new box for your next baking project.
• Make sure your kitchen temperature is average. Room temperature can affect the dough, just like any other baking project.
• Place your baking sheet in the center rack. This helps ensure even baking.
• You can use traditional holiday cookie cutters or any other cookie cutters you like, but just make sure if it's a push-spring cutter (like these Star Wars cookie cutters used here) that it has a pretty easy release.
• Try not to press too hard when making pattern impressions; it's easy to push straight through the dough.
• If you live at a higher altitude: you may need to decrease the baking soda amount, as the air dries out baked goods faster at higher elevations. Try using ¾ baking soda instead of the usual 1 cup for your first batch, and then adjust accordingly for any additional batches you make.

What's the best way to store baking soda ornaments?

Our ornaments have lasted seven years so far. That's a pretty long time for baking soda ornaments!

Here are some tips to help keep your own DIY holiday ornaments safe in storage through the years:

• Package your ornaments up carefully. Wrap each ornament carefully in tissue paper or wax paper. Then wrap with bubble wrap. Then, place inside a sturdy box and stuff additional tissue paper or bubble wrap on the bottom, top, and around the edges.
• Store in a temperature-controlled space. We store ours in the basement, where it doesn't get too hot or too cold.

What do you need to make baking soda ornaments?

You probably already have the necessary ingredients in your pantry right now. All you need to make one batch is:

½ cup cornstarch
1 cup baking soda
¾ cup water

Then you can use any cookie or pastry cutter you would like. This is SO EASY. Trust me: once you make these, you'll want to keep making more!

Exact measurements and detailed instructions can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post!

How do you make homemade ornaments?

• Combine the cornstarch, baking soda, and water in a medium or large pot over medium heat. Stir ingredients until the mixture starts to thicken, about 2-3 minutes. When the mixture begins to thicken into a smooth texture, remove from heat. Immediately form the dough into a ball and place into a glass bowl; cover with a damp cloth to allow the dough to cool slightly.
• Preheat oven to 175 degrees.
• After a few minutes, when dough is slightly cooled to the touch, place onto a rolling mat and knead the dough gently. Feel free to add more cornstarch if you feel the dough is too sticky to knead properly.
• Roll out the dough on the rolling mat (I use this nonstick silicone Silpat Roul'Pat) or onto a cutting board lightly dusted with cornstarch (to prevent sticking) to ¼ inch thick.
• Cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Very gently, lift the shapes out and transfer them onto a prepared baking sheet covered with a Silpat or parchment paper.

  

• Use a straw or a lollipop stick to poke a hole in the center top of each decoration.
• Bake at 175 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your oven. Turn the sheet 180 degrees halfway through baking time to ensure even baking. If edges start to curl up during baking, gently tap down until flat.

Exact measurements and detailed instructions can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post!

DIY Holiday Ornament Ideas

• You can add further decorations by painting the ornaments, adding glitter, ribbon - you name it!
• Turn these into personalized gift tags for gifts by using monogrammed cookie cutters and stringing around gifts with festive ribbon.

Hope you enjoy this easy and fun DIY holiday ornament tutorial!

What sort of fun shapes would you use for your DIY baking soda ornaments?

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This post was first published on November 25, 2013. It has been updated and republished on December 6, 2020, with more helpful baking tips, new photos, and FAQs to help you troubleshoot.