Hot Chocolate Play Dough – with Play Dough Marshmallows!

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It started snowing here in Canada this past week, rather unexpectedly. Some of the daycare kids didn’t even have mittens yet, so our outdoor time was bursts and spurts throughout the week, supplemented by time in the rec room.

For some winter sensory play, I thought making some hot chocolate play dough and a batch of our marshmallow play dough would be a fun and warming treat for the preschoolers.

The toddlers also played with the marshmallow play dough… and by playing I mean they mostly just tasted it!

HOT CHOCOLATE play dough - the perfect winter sensory play. This post shares two different ways to make hot chocolate play dough and a edible recipe for marshmallow play dough if you have toddlers joining you.

Hot Chocolate Play Dough Recipe

The preschoolers always have their tinker tray available to them, and I especially encourage it’s use with play dough. In addition to the kids’ kitchen cupboard they always have access to, I offered thick glass mugs, spoons, rolling pins, and shape cutters from the play kitchen.

I also had the kids help me make the chocolate play doughs using our fool-proof no-cook play dough recipe. (I started having Ella help me make the marshmallow play dough, but after she ate two spoonfuls of pure sugar, I quickly finished it up myself!)

A comparison of two different hot chocolate play dough recipes

We tried out two different chocolate play dough recipes for our play:

Chocolate Extract Play Dough:

  • Water
  • Vegetable Oil <– you can use melted coconut oil but if it’s cold where you are, it will make the play dough a bit tough at the start of playing (will soften with the heat of hands playing)
  • Flour
  • Salt
  • Cream of Tartar <– I buy the big container or from a bulk store as those little jars are so expensive! A bulk container will last us for months of play dough making – and can also be used for soft sugar cookies, snickerdoodle cookies, etc.
  • Chocolate Extract
  • Brown food coloring <– this set of food coloring has lasted me forever and I love that it creates highly saturated colors with just a drop

Cocoa Powder Play Dough:

  • Cocoa Powder
  • Water
  • Vegetable Oil <– you can use melted coconut oil but if it’s cold where you are, it will make the play dough a bit tough at the start of playing (will soften with the heat of hands playing)
  • Flour
  • Salt
  • Cream of Tartar <– I buy the big container or from a bulk store as those little jars are so expensive! A bulk container will last us for months of play dough making – and can also be used for soft sugar cookies, snickerdoodle cookies, etc.

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Simply mix all of the ingredients together and knead on a floured surface once it’s cool enough for you to handle. After two minutes of kneading, add in extra flour or oil as needed to get the right consistency. I find it usually takes at least 4 minutes of kneading to reach the perfect stage.

For a hot chocolate play dough, I preferred the colour and ease of the cocoa powder play dough. It came out a deep chocolate brown, whereas the chocolate extract play dough had that added step of trying to add in and knead the food colouring — I added several drops of the Wilton Gels Food Dye that I prefer to liquid food colouring, and it still never reached the deep brown that I was aiming for – plus it will dye hands or surfaces during the mixing stage. While both smelled delicious, the chocolate extract play dough won out in that category.

The kids will love "baking" with this easy hot chocolate play dough, which can be used in so many different ways!

My main focuses with this invitation was showing them how to make and shape the mini marshmallows (great fine motor skill) and delicate handling of the mugs. As far as I was concerned, any additional skills or focuses that the children brought to the invitation were just bonus after those two.

You could alternatively use this hot chocolate play dough to make some Valentine’s Day chocolates or a pretend cake – or even just make the chocolate scent secondary and use it for pretend wood or bricks! Letting the kids pick out accessories for playing can lead to amazing possibilities that you’ve never thought of.

Our hot chocolate play doughs both will last for up to two months, properly stored, but if multiple children are using it, I would throw out after one to two weeks.

 

Grab our free printable recipe for hot chocolate play dough:

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Yield: 3 cups play dough

Hot Chocolate Play Dough

Hot Chocolate Play Dough

HOT CHOCOLATE play dough - the perfect winter sensory play. This post shares two different ways to make hot chocolate play dough and a edible recipe for marshmallow play dough if you have toddlers joining you.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Active Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Estimated Cost $3

Materials

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 1 cup salt
  • 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
  • 2 tablespoons oil

Tools

  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Mixing bowl
  • Spatula

Instructions

    Simply mix all of the ingredients together and knead on a floured surface once it's cool enough for you to handle. After two minutes of kneading, add in extra flour or oil as needed to get the right consistency. I find it usually takes at least 4 minutes of kneading to reach the perfect stage.

Notes

To Make a Chocolate Extract Play Dough, you will need:

2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups boiling water
1 cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons oil
1-2 T chocolate extract
Copious amounts of brown food colouring (at least a teaspoon)

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Easy recipe for homemade hot chocolate play dough, the perfect winter play dough recipe

If you liked this play dough invitation, be sure to check out our play dough cookies for sensitive skin or our bubblegum play dough.

Or, for something a little bit different, why not some Frozen slime or hot chocolate cloud dough?

Oh yum! Hot chocolate play dough with play dough marshmallows - delicious sensory play!

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9 Comments

  1. If I pin the play dough pictures will the receipes be included? If not, I can I pin them. All the play dough receipes look great!

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