Make Your Own Delicious Smelling Pie Candles!

What better way to celebrate pie day then with an easy and fun project at home! I started learning how to make soaps and candles during the pandemic, and I became particularly interested in making things that replicated items we come across in real life.

In making these candles I tried to think of methods and materials that are accessible to anyone regardless of budget. For some steps I will show a budget friendly alternative method of getting the same result. The more affordable options are a bit more labor intensive, so I also present options for those not limited by a budget. This is a fun project that makes a great conversation piece or an even better gift! I can’t wait to see what you guys come up with!

If you don't have any candle making supplies at home I recommend starting out with a starter kit. You can shop around, but it should at minimum have a wax melting container, wax, wicks, wick holder, wick stickers and a thermometer. You can get something basic like this, or if you don't have access to a stove or don't want to be limited to working in your kitchen you can get one with a fancy wax melter like this.

Other things you will need for this project:

• Candle dyes (I recommend liquid instead of wax blocks) or the budget option crayons work great!
• Blueberry pie fragrance oil, Pumpkin pie fragrance oil, any other pie scents you wish to make
• Mini pie pans (you can use anything you want so long as its not flammable)
• Gloves
• Piping bag or plastic bag (optional)

To make the blueberry molds

• Frozen, freeze dried or fake blueberries (or berries of your choice)
• Mold putty

or if going the DIY route:

• 100% Silicone Caulk (make sure it says "Acetic Acid is released during cure on the label)
• Cornstarch
• Optional: food coloring
• wax paper

Or you can just buy one for less than $10

There are a few ways to go about this. The most expensive and technically difficult way would be to use a pourable silicone. This will pick up the most detail, and won't put much pressure on the object you are making a mold out of so you can use fresh fruit. There are plenty of guides on how to use a liquid silicone to make a mold so check those out if you want to go that route.

The next method is using either frozen or fake fruit and mold putty. I went with frozen because that was what I had on hand.

Pick out a few frozen berries of different sizes that look good to you. Mine had frost bite so I gave them a quick rinse and then set them back in the freezer while I got the putty ready.

Mold putty is easy and a lot of fun to use, you simply take equal parts of each color and mix them until well blended (one solid color without striations). Once it is well mixed you only have a couple of minutes so you want to work quickly. You don't have to race, but you need to use it right away. I like to smooth out the putty into a sort of rectangle and then I squished the frozen blueberries into the rectangle. Press the berries in as deep as you can and still be able to remove them from the putty with ease. Make sure you leave enough putty at the bottom, at least 1cm, and set your mold on something flat so it will sit flat when you add your wax. Only leave the blueberries in for a few minutes, if you leave them too long and they melt it could inhibit cure or mess with the detail picked up. I actually forgot with mine and the resulting condensed moisture was actually picked up by the putty like tiny air bubbles. After you very carefully take the berried out, set your putty aside for 25 the amount of time recommended in the instructions of your putty.

Budget Friendly Option:

For this option we are going to make some homemade silicone putty for just a couple of dollars. All you need is gloves, wax paper, a caulk gun, silicone, cornstarch and the berries. Do this outside or in a well ventilated area. Lay down the wax paper and put on your gloves. Spread 1/4-1/2 cup cornstarch on the wax paper (measurements are not at all precise), cut the tip off your silicone, pierce the foil inside the protects the silicone from air (Pro tip: most caulk guns have a place to cut the tip off the silicone container and a long needle to pierce the foil). Dispense a few squeezes onto the the pile of cornstarch you laid out on the wax paper, you don't need the whole tube. Pour some more cornstarch on top of the silicone and on your hands. Now you want to work the cornstarch into the silicone by folding and kneading it in as if you were making bread. Add more cornstarch any time it starts to get sticky and re-dust your hands with cornstarch frequently. Once you get it to a smooth, putty like consistency and is no longer sticky it's ready. Its ok if you find it to still be a little bit sticky, just keep your hands and the outside of the putty dusted with cornstarch so you can handle it. Form this into a rectangle and push in the frozen berries as deep as you can push them and still be able to remove easily. Make sure to leave enough silicone on the bottom and sides to support the cavity when you pour hot wax. After a few minutes remove the frozen berries and allow the mold to cure completely, it should be ready in 1 hour.

Depending on how many berry molds you have this is the most time consuming step. I started out with 6 but after a while made 7 more because of how slow going it was.

If you are using paraffin wax, cut it up into small pieces or use a cheese grater, this will help it melt much faster. If you are using something like soy wax that is already in flakes you can just scoop it into your wax melter. If you are using a melting machine fill it 1/2 way with wax and turn the heat up according to the instructions. If you are using a double boiler or wax melting pitcher add 1/2-1 cup wax and then heat it either by placing the pitcher directly on a hot plate (but be mindful of the temperature because it will burn much easier. I prefer a double boiler method where you place the pitcher in a pot of water that you are heating on the stove, it allows for more even distribution of heat and its much harder to burn.

Once the wax is melted down you can start experimenting with the color. This was the hardest part because it's hard to tell when the wax is melted what it will look like when it's cooled adding white to the color. One way to test your color as you go is to put a few drops on wax paper or a plate and let it cool down. You can then adjust as needed. To get a realistic blueberry color I ended up using dark blue, black, violet, purple and a touch of red. I was very pleased with the final color.

Carefully pour your melted blue wax into your berry mold and allow to cool completely before removing. Repeat this process until you have a pile of blueberries enough to cover the top or your pie. Don't worry that there is a flat side to your berries, this actually works in your favor later. You can move on to other steps like preparing the crust as while you continue to making more blueberries to help move things along.

You are going to need some fresh, not colored wax for this part. If you only have one way to melt wax you will have to wait until you've made enough blueberries to move on. If this is the case you can also make the berries a day in advance. I used a small double boiler for the berries and my big wax melter for the pie crust. If you are using the same one that held the blueberry wax make sure to wipe out all the residual blue wax, this is easiest to do when it is still hot and melted.

You need quite a bit of wax for this, as it will be the bulk of your candle, so start melting it down right away. I start in 1/2 cup scoops and add as it melts. If you want to be precise you can calculate the volume of your pie tin but I just eyeball it. Once your wax is melted you can start experimenting with the color. One piece of advice is to be conservative, you can always add more color but you can't take it away. For the crust I used some mica powders in various tans and browns and a few drops of brown liquid dye. Remember to test it by letting drops cool down on wax paper or a plate.

This is also the step where you want to add your fragrance. The recommendation is to use 3-10% of oil to wax volume. I go with 5% for ease of math. So if, for example you have 20oz of melted wax, 5% of that would be 1oz of fragrance oil. You can just add it directly into your melted wax.

Once you are happy with the color its time to secure the wicks. I used two wicks for a 5" pie, but I think three is actually better for a candle this size. You can secure the wicks to the muffin tin using either wick stickers of some of the melted pie crust wax to secure them to the tin. I went with the wax instead of the stickers, I think it worked out just fine.

I experimented with the best way to form the crust, first I tried letting the wax cool until it was soft but not hard and squishing it in, almost like a gram cracker crust. That didn't work so I tried pipetting the edges and sides. I liked the way this looked but it was taking forever for the hot wax in the middle of the pie to cool, so I went with a hybrid approach: I coated the rim and walls, letting the excess drip back into the wax melting pot. Once I was happy with the sides I filled the middle of the pie with the crumbled pie crust until it was about 1/4 inch from the top of the pan and let that cool.

It's finally coming together and starting to look (and smell) like a pie! You need a way to get the blueberries to stick to the pie, since both have cooled and are hard. To do this I used melted wax (pie crust wax) as a sort of glue. A small plastic pipette was perfect, but a 5 or 10cc syringe would work as well, or even just a small spoon, anything that you can use to apply small amounts of melted wax to the pie.

Starting with the outside, largest circumference I would pipette a small amount of wax and then stick a blueberry to the pie. I did this going around the entire circumference and then would start the next circle closer to the center, etc. There were a few places where a lot of the crust was showing through so I added a few berries to those spots which actually gave it a more natural appearance.

When you make a berry pie you have that delicious gelatinous glaze holding the contents of the pie together. I wanted the glaze to be similar in color to the berries but a but more translucent as well as more of purple/reddish color so I used the same colors but less concentrated and replaced the black with purple and red. Once I was happy with the color I again used the pipette to apply the wax. I filled in any spots where pie crust was showing through as well as covered some of the berries in the wax which had a bit more of a glossy finish compared to the berried make in the molds.

Once you are happy with your pie you can go ahead and trim the wick down to 1/4" and your pie is ready! Almost good enough to eat!

Once you have the basics down you can experiment with all sorts of flavors and styles of pie as well as play with the size. I decided to do pumpkin pie next, it was much quicker since I only had to pour one solid color. I sprinkled real nutmeg and cinnamon on top when the wax had formed a crust but was not all the way hard. To make the whip cream I literally whipped some white colored wax as it started to harden. My idea was to pipette a pretty dollop in the middle of the pie but I don't have piping bags or tips so I went with more of a spooned blob look.

I also made a teeny tartlet using the same process. I think I'm going to try a fruit tart next! What kind of pie do you want to make? Please share photos if you make one, I can't wait to see what you come up with!