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Sugar Cookie Candle

This DIY sugar cookie candle is a natural soy candle infused with the delicious, sweet scent of frosted sugar cookies. The easy candle recipe is scented with essential oils and features an irresistible cookie aroma. If you love the smell of baked goods, this is the holiday candle for you!

sugar cookie scented candle

DIY sugar cookie candle

I love celebrating the season with festive candles and air fresheners. It’s a lovely way to spread holiday cheer and add a layer of fragrance to your home. And there are so many fun scents to choose from!

One of my favorite holiday scents is sugar cookies. I love the indulgent aroma, and it makes me feel so cozy. One whiff will bring back memories of my mom and me baking cookies and having fun in the kitchen.

This DIY sugar cookie candle celebrates that notion. The soy wax candle is scented with the delicious scent of sugar cookies, warm and sweet. If you love gourmand fragrances, then this cookie candle is for you!

Just don’t blame me if this easy craft project makes you crave actual cookies and puts you in the mood to do some holiday baking.

For more cookie-smelling ideas, try my sugar cookie body scrub, sugar cookie perfume, and this cookie-scented body lotion.

sugar cookie candle materials

Materials

Aren’t homemade candles that smell like gourmet treats the best? I love making my own sugar cookie candles because they use such simple materials! Refer to the how-to card below for exact measurements.

  • Soy wax is one of the essential materials for candles. I used Golden Brand’s 646 soy wax. This container candle wax holds a lot of fragrance, has an excellent hot and cold scent throw, and cures to a beautiful, creamy finish.
  • Wood wick:
  • Wick clip: A metal wick clip holds the wick in place and keeps the flame at a safe height above the container to halt overheating.
  • Essential oils infuse our vanilla cookie candle with a natural cookie scent. I’ll show you my base blend and a few scent variations in the next section.
  • Candle jar: You’ll need a container that is heatproof up to high temperatures. A small glass or ceramic jar would be a great choice. I opted for speckled ceramic jars with wood lids.

Tools

cookie scented candle

Sugar cookie candle scent

What does sugar cookie smell like?

Sugar cookie is a warm bakery scent that smells like freshly baked dough, laden with sugary vanilla notes, a spoon of butter, and subtle hints of spices.

Sugar cookie essential oil

The smell of cookies is a harmony of different aromas. Most prominent is vanilla, but there are a few notes that you can incorporate to create an authentic sugar cookie scent.

The following blend is based on one of my sugar cookie essential oil recipes I shared last year. The mixture is sweet with a strong vanilla aroma and uses oils you probably already have in your collection. Feel free to play with the ratios according to your preferences. You’ll need:

No sugar cookie would be complete without vanilla! The scent is available as vanilla oleoresin, vanilla absolute, or this botanical vanilla extract.

Copaiba oleoresin has a warm, slightly woodsy, and sweet scent. It creates a delicious baked note. Tangerine rounds out the scent with a sweet citrus note. Sweet orange and mandarin essential oil are good swap-ins in case you can’t find tangerine.

Cookie candle scent variations

Creating new scents is the perfect opportunity to express your creativity. To get you started, here are a few cookie candle scent ideas I came up with for this post. While some contain specialty oils, you should have no issue sourcing everything.

  • Shortbread: 100 drops vanilla + 30 drops butter C02 extract + 22 drops tonka bean
  • Chocolate Chip: 100 drops vanilla + 50 drops cocoa truffle blend + 36 drops copaiba oleoresin + 25 drops tonka bean
  • Lemon Drop: 115 drops vanilla + 40 drops copaiba + 40 drops lemon + 16 drops tonka bean
  • Spiced Cookie: 130 drops vanilla + 50 drops cinnamon bark + 22 drops sweet orange
  • Fudge Stripes: 120 drops vanilla + 66 drops tonka bean + 18 drops cinnamon bark
  • Gingerbread: 100 drops vanilla + 45 drops cinnamon bark + 22 drops ginger root CO2 + 18 drops sweet orange + 10 drops clove
  • Mocha Mint: 110 drops vanilla + 40 drops copaiba + 24 drops peppermint + 24 drops coffee

Cookie fragrance oil

If you want to create sugar cookie-scented candles but can’t justify the cost of buying 4 to 6 new essential oils, try a phthalate-free fragrance oil. Fragrance oils are made synthetically and are more affordable than essential oils.

The benefit of fragrance oils is that they give off a stronger smell when you burn your candle. Just with essential oils, you can add 6% to 8% fragrance oil. For an 8-oz / 225 g candle, that would be 0.47 oz / 13.5 g of fragrance oil.

  • Sugar Cookie Fragrance Oil: This fragrance oil has a potent sweet scent and will make your whole house smell like a bakery. The 3.3 oz / 100 ml bottle size will go a long way.
  • Bakery Set: Besides sugar cookie, this collection includes other fragrance oils such as cupcake, pumpkin pie, snickerdoodle, gingerbread, and coffee cake.

Mix the cookie fragrance oil with other fragrance oils to make custom cookie fragrance blends. Almond, butterscotch, mocha, chai tea, coconut, chocolate mint, and gingerbread are great choices to create different cookie flavors.

how to make sugar cookie candles

How to make a sugar cookie candle

I love how easy it is to make your own homemade soy candles! You can create a delicious sugar cookie soy candle in 7 easy steps:

Step 1: Prep candle container

First, make sure the candle container is dry and clean. To assemble the wick, slice the wood wick into the wick holder. Make sure the wick is centered in the clip. Add a hot glue dot to the wick holder’s bottom and press it into the center of the candle container. Set aside.

Step 2: Melt wax

Fill the wax into a melting pot. Heat on the stove over medium heat until the wax is fully melted and reaches 185°F / 85°C. Then take it off the heat.

Step 3: Add scent

Add the essential oils and stir 30 to 40 times to combine everything.

Step 4: Pour candle

Wait until the wax cools to 135°F to 140°F / 57°C to 60°C. Then pour it into the prepared container, leaving a little space at the top.

Step 5: Let solidify

Make sure the wick is centered and allow the candle to cool until the soy wax turns opaque. This will take 25 to 40 minutes. Wax shrinks as it cools. If you notice unevenness or a sinkhole around the wick in the center of your candle, melt additional wax and add a thin second pour.

Step 6: Cure

Set the candle aside to cure overnight. If you have the time, let it cure for a couple of days. The wax binds with the essential oils during the curing process and creates a better scent performance.

Step 7: Trim wick

Before lightening the candle for the first time, trim the wick to 1/4 in / 6 mm above the top of the candle.

Candle color

Please note that natural vanilla oil tends to color the wax, giving the candle a cream or light amber color.

sugar cookie candle recipe

Candle making tips

You can easily perfect your sugar cookie candles by keeping these helpful tips in mind! The candle is going to smell so good, you want to burn it all the time.

  • Reuse + recycle: You can recycle glass and metal containers, such as heatproof glass ramekins and tea tins, or use jugs and pots from your kitchen. Mason jars, jam jars, and the like are also great container solutions.
  • Heatproof candle containers: When choosing a container, ensure it’s heatproof and non-toxic. You don’t want it to accidentally melt. Glass, ceramic, and metal are safe materials. Plastic or wood containers can catch fire and aren’t suitable for candles.
  • Don’t exceed the fragrance load: Soy wax is like a sponge and can only hold so much essential oils. If you add too much, the oils will seep through the wax and can clog the wick.
  • Pay attention to wax temperatures: The melting temperature is 180°F to 185°F / 82°C to 85°C. For the best scent throw, stir in the essential oils at this temperature range. The pouring temperature is 135°F / 57°C. If you don’t pour at this temperature, the candle might end up with an uneven, pitted surface.
  • Clean your equipment: Soy wax cleans off easily with warm water and dish soap. I like to fill my melting pot with boiling water to loosen any wax and then wash normally.
cookie candle label
vanilla sugar cookie candle

Storage instructions

How to store sugar cookie candle

When not in use, store your DIY sugar cookie candle in a dry, cool location, out of reach from direct sunlight and any heat sources. Keep the lid tightly closed and wrap the container in several layers of plastic wrap/cling film to preserve the scent.

How long do DIY sugar cookie candles last?

The cookie candle will keep well for 1 to 1.5 years. After that, the scent may begin to fade, and the wax’s quality might change.

sugar cookie candle

Sugar Cookie Candle Recipe

Yield: 1 x 8-oz candle
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Difficulty: easy

This DIY sugar cookie candle is a natural soy candle infused with the delicious, sweet scent of frosted sugar cookies. The easy candle recipe is scented with essential oils and features an irresistible cookie aroma. If you love the smell of baked goods, this is the holiday candle for you!

Materials

Instructions

    1. Prep candle container. First, make sure the candle container is dry and clean. To assemble the wick, slice the wood wick into the wick holder. Make sure the wick is centered in the clip. Add a hot glue dot to the wick holder's bottom and press it into the center of the candle container. Set aside.
    2. Melt wax. Fill the wax into a melting pot. Heat on the stove over medium heat until the wax is fully melted and reaches 185°F / 85°C. Then take it off the heat.
    3. Add scent. Add the essential oils and stir 30 to 40 times to combine everything.
    4. Pour candle. Wait until the wax cools to 135°F to 140°F / 57°C to 60°C. Then pour it into the prepared container, leaving a little space at the top.
    5. Let solidify. Make sure the wick is centered and allow the candle to cool until the soy wax turns opaque. This will take 25 to 40 minutes. Wax shrinks as it cools. If you notice unevenness or a sinkhole around the wick in the center of your candle, melt additional wax and add a thin second pour.
    6. Cure. Set the candle aside to cure overnight. If you have the time, let it cure for a couple of days. The wax binds with the essential oils during the curing process and creates a better scent performance.
    7. Trim wick. Before lightening the candle for the first time, trim the wick to 1/4 in / 6 mm above the top of the candle.
      Candle color: Please note that natural vanilla oil tends to color the wax, giving the candle a cream or light amber color.

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best sugar cookie candle

FAQ

Yes! I didn’t color my sugar cookie candle, but if you’d like to, you’ll need soy candle dye. It comes either in liquid form or in wax chips that you melt with the soy wax. Food colors, mica powder, and crayons are not suitable to color soy wax.

Could I use a cotton wick?

Of course! I recommend pre-waxed cotton wicks with metal sustainers. The wick size depends on the diameter of your candle containers.

The diameter of most jars and ramekins is approximately 2.75 in / 7 cm. For them, these pre-waxed Wedo ECO wicks in size 8 are ideal. I’ve been using these wicks in many of my candle recipes and love that they are all-natural and self-trim as they burn.

What is the best soy wax for DIY candles?

Many types of soy waxes are available, and it can feel overwhelming to choose one. Some types of soy wax are intended for pillar candles, while others are geared towards wax tarts. And some soy wax brands deliver disappointing results.

After making soy candles for many years, I always come back to Golden Brand Wax 464. It’s specifically formulated for container candles, holds a lot of scent, and gives a clean burn.

And what about a different type of candle wax?

Sure! Feel free to substitute soy wax with coconut wax or rapeseed wax. Be sure to source appropriate wicks and check the manufacturer’s recommendations for melting and pouring temperatures. I don’t recommend beeswax for this candle recipe.

Christmas cookie candle
  • Natural candle: This candle-making tutorial makes delicious smelling sugar cookie candles with natural materials.
  • Simple: Sugar cookie scented candles are so easy to make!
  • Non-toxic: The candle is scented with essential oils, which is excellent for those who react sensitively to synthetic perfumes and fragrances.
  • Handmade gift: DIY cookie candles make cute holiday gifts for your family, friends, neighbors, and teachers.

More festive candle recipes

If you’re interested in more holiday candles, I have some more candle recipes for you! They range from wintery to festive to gourmand. So, get your melting pitcher ready, you’ll want to try all of these!

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