These are fun dough cookies that are not meant to be eaten! Made with a flour and salt base these cookies will last you a long time. I use my cookies to decorate the tree at Christmas. But you don't have to make them into ornaments. This "recipe" is for a basic wafer type cookie that looks unbelievably real. Enjoy!

Step 1: Mixing the Goods

Ingredients for the Dough

4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 - 2 cups water
extra flour for kneading

In your mixing bowl add the flour, salt and water. Start with 1 1/2 cups of water then add as needed. I ended up using 1 3/4 cup for this mix. You can always add more if you need it. I mix the dough for about 3 minutes or until it begins to form in the bowl.

Step 2: Stop.. Knead and Roll

Spread about 1/4 cup of flour onto your working surface and place the mound of dough onto the flour. Knead the dough enough to make it form but don't over do it to the point of cracking the dough. Wet your hands from time to time if it feels like its starting to dry out. Section the dough and start rolling it out to no more than an 1/8 inch (unless you have all day to sit by the oven). Put a wet paper towel over the sections of dough you aren't using to keep them pliable!

Step 3: Cut Em Out

Take a cookie cutter or biscuit cutter and start marking the cookies out of the dough. After you have cut out the cookies poke a hole using a straw through the tops of the cookie (if you are going to use them for ornaments). Then gently lift them with a spatula and place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Step 4: Bake

Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for approximately 2 to 3 hours. Check the cookies in about 30 minutes. If they are too thin they may start to curl up. To solve this problem, place parchment paper on top of the cookies and put another cookie sheet or a casserole dish on top. I like to flip the cookies also!

Step 5: Paint Your Cookie

I chose to make a wafer sandwich cookie (does that really exist?!) because I rolled out my dough very thin. I decided to paint my cookies a nice golden brown. I mixed gold and brown acrylic paint together to get the color I wanted. After painting I sprayed the cookies with a sealant and let them dry.

While the cookies were drying I decided to make a filling. I wanted a filling that looked realistic but would last without breaking down. That's why I chose to use joint compound. I love joint compound so I always have a small container of ready mixed compound. If you don't have a container of ready mixed you can always start from the dry mix and add water but try not to make it too thin. I added white paint to the joint compund to make it resemble filling. Too much paint will result in too thin of a mixture...so use wisely!

Put the joint compound on top of one of your cookies and let it sit for approximately five minutes. You don't want to add the other cookie too soon or else it will spread out the joint compound.

Step 6: Making the Cookie

Once the joint compound has set...add the other cookie on top. Let dry for 12 - 24 hours and then it will be ready to hang. You can try any cookie you like. Just remember to make a hole at the top which will allow you to use it as an ornament if you like.