Recipe(tried): Inedible Baker's Clay Dough for Bren/England

Hi Bren:-) Is this what you are looking for? This recipe is for making ornaments etc. They are not edible but have nothing in them that would hurt anyone if they did try to eat one. It is only additional things that you would treat them with that would make them inedible such as shellacking them when you finish. I expect that you could even glue a pin backing on them, thus creating pins.

Inedible Baker's Clay Dough

4 c. unsifted flour
1 c. salt
1 1/2 c. water

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mixing with a wooden spoon. Knead for 4 to 6 minutes. Design forms as you would with clay using your creativity. (You could probably also use cookie cutters.) Remember to add a ring to the top or make a hole in the cookie if you wish to hang it on a tree. Use corn kernels, lentils, black-eyed peas, alphabet soup (macaroni), decorative spices like cloves and peppercorns and licorice to decorate the cookies. Above all, use your imagination.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 1 hour but check occasionally because the cookies might take less time to cook depending on their thickness. When cool, brush with a yellow egg glaze and press feathers or any additional decoration you desire. These cookies should be shellacked if you want to keep them for several years. (I think you can find spray shellack or something similar in an art store.)

As I remember when we made these one Christmas, we painted them; let them dry, then shellacked them or used some type of protective spray on them so they would be kind of shiny and last. We also discovered that a garlic press created wonderful strands for hair or a beard (Santa or Father Christmas). Good luck with your creations:-)!!