Best Caramel Apple Play Dough- Ever!

I've made several homemade play doughs with my kids and hands down, this recipe is the best. It was easy to make and the consistency came out perfect! It's actually hard to believe, but I managed to make this with out any I Guess Im Due moments! This is for the books...

Caramel Apple Pie Play Dough

(courtesy of www.mamapapabubba.com)

Ingredients:
1 cup of ‘just apples’ apple sauce (I used natural applesauce)
1/2 cup of water
2 tablespoons of coconut oil {or other favorite oil}- I used canola
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
1/2 packet of Duncan Hines apple pie Frosting Creations (I couldn't find this so I replaced it with 1 Tbs of Apple Pie Seasoning)
1/2 packet of Duncan Hines caramel Frosting Creations
red gel food coloring (skipped this- I liked the natural caramel color it created)
2 cups of plain flour
1/2 cup of salt
2 tablespoons of cream of tartar

Directions:
Add first set of ingredients to a large pot and heat on the stove {stirring regularly} until just bubbling. Remove from heat and add in dry ingredients. Stir until combined and dump mixture out on the counter. Allow to cool for 5 or 10 minutes. Knead dough until soft and fully cooled (it may feel sticky in the beginning, but resist the urge to add flour – that stickiness vanished completely for us once the dough was no longer warm). Store in an airtight bag or container when not in use.

We used fun tools like: pie tins, cookie cutters, baking sheets, rolling pins, bowls, and pizza cutters. The options are endless!

The kids LOVED this activity. I think they've asked to make their apple pies just about everyday. And since the house smells like sweet fall every time we take out the play dough, I don't mind picking up the mess after they're done!