Chocolate Truffle Hedgehogs

50g butter/hard margarine

50g cocoa powder

100g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

Press all the ingredients together with the back of a spoon, this takes a while but eventually the mixture comes together and gradually changes colour. Then add the flavouring. Roll a small amount of the mixture into a ball and then pinch a nose shape in one side of the ball. Flatten the bottom of the ball by gently pressing down onto a flat surface. Using chocolate buttons cut into quarters push the rounded end of the buttons into the truffle leaving the spiky ends protruding to give the effect of spines. Small broken bits of chocolate can be used for eyes and the end of the nose.

Place in the fridge to cool. (Preferably overnight).

Gingerbread Playdough

1 cup flour

½ cup salt

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 cup water

1 tsp vegetable oil

Cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, etc.

Mix the dry ingredients. Play with the spices till you get the scent you want and the colour. Mix water and oil together first and then add them to the dry ingredients and stir. In a pot, cook the mixture for two to three minutes, stirring frequently. The dough will start to pull away from the sides of the pan and clump together. Take dough out of the pan and knead the dough until it becomes soft and smooth. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Playdough

2 cups water

½ cup salt

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 tbsp. cream of tartar

1/3 cup cocoa

3 cups flour

Bring the water and salt to the boil.

Stir in remaining ingredients.

Allow to cool slightly.

Knead until smooth.

Cloud Playdough

8 cups plain flour

1 cup baby oil

Mix until both ingredients are combined.

Bubble Playdough

1 cup corn flour

¼ cup washing up liquid

Just mix to create tough but

malleable dough that can be cleaned

up easily and it smells great.

Elastic Playdough

1 ½ kilos of white self-raising flour

500ml water

Knead ingredients together until smooth and stretchy.

Microwave Playdough

200g plain flour

100g salt

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tbsp. oil

300ml water

Food colouring (add to water)

Put all ingredients into a bowl suitable for the microwave. Cook at full power of 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir well. Put back in microwave and cook for a further 1 - 1½ minutes. Remove from microwave and scrape out with a wooden spoon and leave to cool. Knead well, adding food colouring at this point. Store in a polythene bag to remain soft.

Cooked Playdough

200g plain flour

100g salt

1 tbsp. cooking oil

2 tsp cream of tartar

300ml water

Food colouring

Mix flour, salt and cream of tartar together in a big saucepan. Add water gradually to remove lumps (Food colouring can be added to water or left to the end when you knead the dough). Put the pan over a low to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly (It is hard work!). The mixture will suddenly begin to thicken. Continue stirring until the dough becomes very stiff. Remove pan from the heat. Scrape out dough on to a smooth surface. Soak pan immediately. Knead but take care – dough will be very hot in the centre.

Basic Playdough

2 cups plain flour
1 cup salt
1 tbsp. cooking oil

Add water gradually to dough consistently.

This dough can also be used for modelling and then placed in a very low oven to dry for at least 12 hours.

This dough is firm, pliable and smooth. May need a little flour to stop it sticking.