Great Cakes Soapworks » Christmas Gifts

On the Curing Rack: Christmas Soaps!

Amy Warden — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:29:35 +0000

I’ve started making my second wave of Christmas soaps this week. I’ve already made Peppermint, Winter Wonderland, and Brown Sugar & Pecan which will be available this weekend. These next three soaps will have to cure for awhile longer:

Cherries & Chestnuts Soap by Great Cakes Soapworks

Cherries & Chestnuts is one of my absolute favorite fragrances! It’s very cherry – not almond – with just a hint of chestnut in the background. The sad news is that I used up the very last of it – and I bought it from a supplier who is no longer in business. So…there will be just seven bars available.

Figgy Pudding Soap by Great Cakes Soapworks

Next up is Figgy Pudding! I have yet to have anyone bring me a figgy pudding when I’m out Christmas caroling, but if it smelled anything like this soap, it would be devoured rather quickly! Yum! Yum! The fragrance is pure fig and cream, with just a hint of spice. I used patagonia purple mica in the bottom layer, which turned a nice brick red color when it hit the soap. The middle layer has a rustic crackled look from the titanium dioxide, plus some vanilla bean specks. And finally, the top layer is what the soap looks like when you don’t add anything but the fragrance to it!

Frankincense & Myrrh Soap by Great Cakes Soapworks

If ever there was a soap that reflected the true meaning of Christmas, it’s Frankincense & Myrrh. Even the gold is represented by a thin line of gold mica between the layers, and the gold “Merry Christmas” stamp. Purple swirls to represent the royalty of the King of Kings. Loaded with creamy goat’s milk. Yes, this soap has a special place in my heart.

All three of these soaps should be fully cured and ready by Saturday, December 10th. I will be at the Sunnyside Elementary Holiday Mart that day – and I understand Santa is going to show up on a fire truck! Won’t that be fun?

Thinking About Presents

Amy Warden — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:32:24 +0000

Well, the kiddos are out on “Winter Break,” and there are only four days until Christmas. I have finished two pairs of beaded socks for each of my girls, and still haven’t found the one sock that somehow got misplaced. My older daughter also requested LEG WARMERS for Christmas, so I have knitted what appears to be something out of a time machine for her as well.

I have an awesome book for my in-laws. My father-in-law has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s – in addition to the post-polio syndrome. His body has gotten extremely weak in the last five years or so, but of course his mind is still completely sharp. It takes him a LONG time to eat, so my mother-in-law has started reading books out loud after she has finished her meal and is waiting on him. The book I bought for them is called Once an Arafat Man by Tass Saada. The author is the father of our church’s worship pastor, and he came to sign books last Sunday at Grace Church. He gave his testimony several months ago – an amazing story of how he used to be a sniper for Yasser Arafat, and God changed his heart. He’s a Christian now and doing amazing things in Israel. Reminds me of a Saul-turned-Paul story. I’m hoping to read the book before I give it to my in-laws. But if that doesn’t happen, I’ll just have to buy my own copy.

Christmas Sale Ends Friday

Amy Warden — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:04:58 +0000

Just a few days left to get the best discounts of the year at Great Cakes Soapworks! Get 10% off any online order over $20, and 20% off any online order $40. No vouchers or codes to enter; the shopping cart will automatically figure your discount. Our Christmas Sale is only available through Friday, December 19. This is also the last day that your order is guaranteed to arrive via U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail before Christmas (U.S. orders only!).

One more thing: that last batch of Peppermint soap will be available on Friday as well. There are just 17 bars left in this batch that haven’t been pre-sold or spoken for!

Baking Christmas Cookies

Amy Warden — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 02:13:03 +0000

I was pretty excited to try some of the great recipes that were submitted for the Christmas cookie recipe contest. I wanted to try Abby’s Andes Mint Cookies, but I couldn’t find boxes of Andes Mints anywhere in Walmart last night. They have the Andes Mint pieces in the baking aisle, but not the full size mints.

Double Chocolate Snowquakes

So I tried Megan’s Double Chocolate Snowquakes. I didn’t quite have enough cocoa powder, so I had to borrow 1/4 cup from my neighbor. These were very easy, and not as time consuming as I thought they might be. Like the recipe says, you do have to keep the dough chilled – it’s quite sticky! The only thing I wish I had done differently was to use less salt since I used salted butter and the recipe calls for unsalted. They aren’t ruined by any means, but they would be that much better with a touch less salt. (My husband says they are fine! Don’t change a thing!)

Fruit-filled Sugar Cookies

I also tried Heidi’s Fruit-Filled Cookies. I cheated a little and used the sugar cutout recipe that I already had, and used cherry pie filling for the fruit. I used a simple biscuit cutter and had a little trouble with a couple of them because the dough wanted to break when I folded the dough over the cherry. Perhaps if I had used the sugar cookie dough in the recipe, it might have worked better! I put a little powdered sugar in my sieve and dusted the tops. They look awesome!

If anyone else tries a recipe from the contest, please let us know how you liked it!

Winners and My Top 5 Christmas Cookie Recipes

Amy Warden — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:48:51 +0000

We just finished up a contest to see who has the best Christmas cookie recipe. All of the recipes are excellent, and I wish they could have all won – and I’m not just saying that. The top 5 winners will receive four soaps of their choice from Great Cakes Soapworks. There was a tie for both 2nd and 3rd place, so we ended up with exactly 5 winners! They are:

Caramelita Bars, submitted by Janie C.
Andes Mint Cookies, submitted by Abby R.
Russian Tea Cakes, submitted by Susan G.
Grandma Rose’s Fruit-Filled Sugar Cutouts, submitted by Heidi B.
and…
Chocolate Chip Cookies, submitted by Lisa J.

Thanks to all the participants!

And now, if you still need more ideas, here are my top 5 Christmas cookie recipes:

#5: Christmas Cut Out Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 tsp. water
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
2 ½ – 3 cups flour
Directions:
Cream together margarine, sugar and vanilla. Beat egg and water into mixture, then add baking powder, salt and flour. Divide dough into two pieces, form into logs, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill for one hour. Roll out dough onto floured surface and cut out your favorite Christmas shapes. Bake at 375 for 6 to 8 minutes, or until slightly golden. Do not over bake! Remove from pan and allow to cool before frosting or decorating.

#4: Chewy Brownie Cookies
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups firmly packed brown sugar
2/3 cup shortening
1 T. water
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 ½ cups flour
1/3 cup powdered baking cocoa
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Combine brown sugar, shortening, water and vanilla. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer. Beat eggs into creamed mixture. Add dry ingredients and mix at low speed just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are set. Do not overbake! Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to foil lined countertop or table to cool completely.

#3: Scotch Shortbread
Ingredients:
1 pound soft butter
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
4 ½ cups flour
Directions:
Cream butter, sugar, and extract. Add flour gradually. Spread into greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 300 degrees for one hour. Leave in pan until hardened, but cut into squares while still warm.

#2 Ginger Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
¾ c. shortening
1 c. sugar
¼ c. light molasses
1 egg
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. ginger
2 cups flour
Directions:
Cream sugar and shortening, add molasses, egg, salt, soda, salt, and spices. Add flour and mix only until flour is completely incorporated. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour. Make balls of dough about 1 ½ to 2 inches in diameter, dip in white sugar, and place sugar side up on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

#1 Pecan Pie Bars
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup butter
½ cup sugar
3 cups flour
½ tsp. salt
Filling:
¼ cup butter
4 eggs
1 ½ cups light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 ½ cups coarsely chopped pecans
Directions, starting with the crust:
Beat butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy. Blend in flour and salt at low speed. Mixture should resemble coarse crumbs. Press dough firmly into greased 1” jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
Filling: Melt the butter and set aside. Beat together eggs, corn syrup, and sugar, then add melted butter and vanilla. Stir in pecans. Pour mixture evenly over hot crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes until filling is firm. Cool and cut into bars. Makes 5 dozen.

On the Curing Rack: Peppermint Soap #2

Amy Warden — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:10:30 +0000

You may have heard that I sold out of the Peppermint Soap rather quickly on Saturday between the Scarborough Elementary Holiday Mart and an online order. Yesterday I made this batch, and it turned out quite nice. The red swirls in a white soap base are reminiscent of peppermint candies, and the scent is too, of course! My whole house smells like peppermint at the moment. Great on its own, but I told my husband that it didn’t really go well with the sausage and eggs with cheese he made us for breakfast.

This Peppermint Soap will be available for your gift giving pleasure on December 9.

Handmade Christmas Gifts

Amy Warden — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:16:41 +0000

Christmas seems to sneak up on me every year. I get ideas for gifts sometimes months in advance, but then I have a hard time making myself work on them or buy them ahead of time. Handmade gifts are especially near and dear to my heart. This is how I got started making soap! If you haven’t heard my story, it was back in November of 2002 that I made my first batch as a Christmas gift for my two best friends at the time. I got hooked, and the rest, as they say, is history.

One year, I made miniature Christmas trees out of those prickly pods from the sweet gum tree, a string of white lights, and some chicken wire. I spray painted the pods gold (in my basement without ventilation as my husband likes to remind me!) and hot glued them to the chicken wire that my husband shaped into a cone which was about 18 inches tall. I think I must have poked the lights through last, although that detail is rather fuzzy right now. When I was finished, I wished I had made one for myself!

This year is no different. My project of choice is crocheted beaded socks for my girls. I got my inspiration from the neighbor girl who has several pairs. I think her mom buys them off ebay. Sure enough, after doing several searches online, I found a pattern. Not that I’m really following it. I chose some “fuzzy” yarn to attach the beads which really covers my mistakes rather nicely. My friend Summer offered to buy some from me for her daughter. Maybe I should be taking orders!

What gifts do you like to make for Christmas? Or where do you like to shop for handmade gifts?