I was pleased to find a creative outlet for container soy wax while making the Butterbeer candles last month and thought I might take it a step further for some fun fall and winter candles that would make cute gifts for the appropriate person.
The glass cups were happened upon in a dollar store last year and came in at about .60Canadian, making these candles very cost effective gifts. Glass is a good option because the candle can be seen as is burns and glows.
Wicks and Wax has been my go to supplier for about 25 years. They ship if you are having trouble sourcing anything. I have been specific with the brands and sizes as you may need to make some adjustments if your supplier handles a different line of products.
The wicks size will need to be bigger if your cups are wider. These were just over two and half inches in diameter.
You will need:
Container Soy Wax ( GW464 )
Wick (HTP-104 – 100)
Dye Chips ( Brown or yellow, red & blue to make your own shade of brown )
Candle Scent – Coffee, chocolate and peppermint or any combination of the three that suits your fancy
Red sand wax (optional as garnish if peppermint is used)
The first step is to decide if you would like marshmallows or whipped cream as the topping to your latte/hot chocolate. If whipped cream is your choice then move on to melting and colouring the soy container wax for the main body of the candle as whipping the soy wax is the final step.
If you would like marshmallows to top the cups, melt a small amount of soy wax and pour into a metal pie plate or something similar. You want the dish deep enough to be the depth needed for either mini marshmallows or regular sized one. Scenting this wax is an option but not a requirement. Be aware that if the scent has a colour, that hue will show up in the white soy wax. If the scent is clear the marshmallows will be closer to their regular white colour.
Let the wax cool until it is firm enough to handle and then form your marshmallows. I used mini canape cutters to get started and then gently pressed the pointy ends into the center to create mini marshmallows. Small cookies cutters worked for the larger marshmallows. Work efficiently as the soy wax will harden as it cools and the wax, once cut and removed from the pan will cool quickly without the insulating warmth.
Remember that people will only see the tops, they do not need to be perfect. Put aside marshmallows and let dry. You will need 9 – 12 minis or 4 -5 larger marshmallows for each cup. The numbers depend on the width of the cup. Once there are enough marshmallows, the unused soy wax can go back into the pot to be melted again, coloured and scented for use in the main candle.
The next set of choices is scent combinations and colour. Combine your scents in any way that works for you. There may also be something appropriately exciting at your supplier so check out what is available. (Pumpkin or caramel?) When measuring follow the suggested percentage on the label and remember that percentage is a total of all the scents being used, not of each scent. Too much oil and the wax will be softer and the wick too small for the amount of wax the flame will melt.
By all means choose brown dye. I tend towards making my own using primary colours so I can get the shades I would like but that is a longer and sometimes tedious process for small batches with little guarantee you will be able to duplicate the results.
Calculate the soy wax needed to fill your cups. Melt the wax and dye in a container, in a water bath, to around 160 degrees F. Stir well and test the colour by allowing a small amount to solidify. Dropping a spoonful of liquid wax into cold water works too. Once you have the right colour of hot chocolate or coffee, add the scent and again mix well. Scents can be heavier than wax and fall to the bottom so be sure to stir well.
Pour the dyed, scented wax into the cups to a level of 3/4’s to 7/8th full. A good pour temperature is around 145 degrees F. Place the wick in the center of the cup and if needed, support the wick with a knitting needle, chopstick or pencil. Make sure that the wick is long enough for the added height of the marshmallows or whipped topping
There is something else to consider. If you are working in a cold environment, something that is more likely to happen during the winter, the glass will be cooler and if the melted wax is too cool it can solidify very quickly, especially in small containers. This will create bubbles where the wax and cup meet and not give you a clean finished candle. One way to avoid this is to heat the containers first, either in an oven on low or with a microwave for a short period of time. That will bring the temperature of the glass and the temperature of the wax closer together and avoid this issue. If you are just of the cusp of having this issue and just have a small amount of wax solidifying, the warmth of the remaining liquid wax in the cup may be enough to melt what has solidified and resolve the issue.
Let the wax cool and begin to solidify. The colour will lighten, that is the nature of wax. Place the marshmallows on top and press gently in so that the wax attaches. Arrange them around the wick and sprinkle with the red sandwax if using peppermint scent in the candle. A light sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg are also options.
If you are finishing with a whipped topping, the base will need to be solid and just a little warm. Place melted soy wax in a container and whip the wax just as you would whipping cream. Once thick, spoon the mixture on top and allow to cool.
Mocha Latte/Hot Chocolate Candles from My Kitchen Wand
