Make your own sugar scrub stocking stuffers!

The holiday season is well upon us, and if you’re like many, you’re probably scrambling to find that perfect unique personal gift for your loved ones, friends and co-workers. With sheltering in place, now is a perfect time to bring out your inner craftiness while whittling down your gift list.

Sugar scrubs are easy and creative stocking stuffers.

We are providing two recipes below, and perhaps you can add your own flavor to make these special gifts truly personal. Local fabric and craft stores (e.g. Jo-Ann’s and Michaels and, of course, Amazon) are great places to find containers for the scrubs, and with curbside pick up you can avoid actually going into the stores. You can also personalize the container with a gift sticker; canning stickers work well. Small canning jars (e.g. Ball canning jars) make a good decorative package; you can wrap the lids with holiday fabric and top them with a label.

Candy Cane Sugar Scrub

Yield: Makes about 2 cups
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 large, regular-sized candy canes
• 1 cup white sugar (fine or coarse)
• 3/4 cup coconut oil (solid, but not super hard)
• 15 – 20 drops peppermint essential oil or 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Instructions:

1. Unwrap the candy canes, break them into large pieces, and put them in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse and blend until they’re ground up well. You don’t want large shards of candy cane. (If you don’t have a food processor, put them in a large zip top bag and smash them with a rolling pin, or you could try using your blender.)
2. Add the sugar, oil and peppermint oil/extract to the processor and pulse until the mixture sticks together and resembles wet sand. (Again, if you aren’t using a processor, transfer the candy cane powder to a large mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix by hand. You may want your coconut oil a bit softer, so you don’t have hard clumps in your scrub.
3. Transfer the sugar scrub to lidded glass jars or another type of lidded container. Store away from heat (not in the shower) if you want to maintain the creamy texture

Gingerbread Sugar Scrub

Yield: Makes 2 cups
Prep time: 10 minuites
Total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar (fine or coarse)
• 3/4 cup coconut oil (solid, but not rock hard)
•  2 Tablespoons molasses
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions

1. Put all the ingredients into the work bowl of a food processor (or a mixing bowl, if you don’t have a processor.)
2. Pulse (or mix) until the mixture sticks together and resembles wet sand.
3. Transfer to a lidded container and store away from heat and store in a container.

Have fun making your own sugar scrub stocking stuffers, and Happy Holidays!