Pie shaped wax tarts are one of our newest products, and we’re excited for you to try them! This recipe is a fun and easy way to get started with pie shaped clamshell containers. Follow along as we make a festive set of pumpkin pie inspired wax tarts. These would make great gifts, and would also be fun and unique products to sell at your next craft event!
Skill level: Easy as pie 😉
Hands-On Time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 clamshell tarts
Supplies
- 8 Pie Shaped Clamshell Molds
- Face Mask
- Micro Scoop
- 3 oz Measuring Beaker
- Straight Edge Soap Cutter or other cutting tool
- Melting pot such as a Presto Pot, double boiler or Metal Pouring Pitcher
- Digital scale
- Rubber/silicone spatula for stirring
- Thermometer
- Optional: plate or tray for measuring wax
- Optional: heat gun
- Optional: nitrile gloves
- Optional: 2” round stickers for labeling your wax melts.
- Wax melter (for using final product)
Ingredients
- 20 oz of C55 Coconut Tart Wax
- 2 oz pumpkin fragrance oil of your choice, such as:
- 1g jar of Coco Brown Mica Powder
- 2g jar of Matte Orange or Electric Orange glitter
- 3 Gold Candle Dye Chips
- 1 Mahogany Candle Dye Chip
Project Overview
This project is super easy and fun to make. We’re simply going to melt the wax, color it with dye chips and pour it into the molds. Once the wax is set, we’ll sprinkle the tops with mica and glitter to make the tarts look just like a delicious pumpkin pie dusted with fresh spices. A heat gun is helpful if you’re having trouble making the glitter and mica adhere to the top – or if you’re struggling with dimples in your wax. We’ll go over some easy tips for remelting the tops of your wax once it’s in the clamshell mold to give it that polished finishing touch.
You Might Also Like: How to Make Wax Melts with Mica Powder
Choosing Your Ingredients
You can easily substitute any fragrance oil for this project. We have a huge selection of Kitchen & Bakery inspired fragrances if you want to experiment with other pie “flavors.” It’s also easy to swap out the dye chip color for anything you wish. We got a perfect pumpkin pie color by mixing gold and mahogany chips, but a similar effect can be achieved with colors such as Butterscotch, Maple, Orange or even Apricot.
As for glitter and mica, you can also use anything you like. We have a lot of brown mica powders to choose from. For the glitter, a matte color gave us the authentic look of pumpkin pie spice we were going for.
How to Make the Wax Melts
- Wearing gloves (if desired), weigh out 20 oz of C55 Tart Wax using a digital scale. You may wish to use a plate to keep your scale free from wax.
- If necessary, cut the wax into smaller pieces so it will fit better and melt more quickly in your melting pot.
- Heat the wax to 200° F, stirring until it melts completely.
- Once melted, add your dye chips. We used 3 Gold dye chips and 1 Mahogany dye chip to achieve our pumpkin pie color.
- Using your digital scale, weigh out 2 oz of fragrance oil. We recommend using our 3 oz measuring beaker for easy pouring. Be sure to tare the scale to zero before weighing your fragrance oil.
- Add fragrance oil to your melted wax and stir.
- Put on your dust mask, which is recommended when working with mica powders. Using a micro scoop, add 3-5 scoops of Coco Brown mica powder and 2-5 scoops of Electric Orange Glitter to the melting pot and stir.
- Turn the heat down on your melting pot and stir until the wax reaches approximately 140° We recommend temping the wax with a thermometer to make sure. Your wax should be no hotter than 160° F when you pour or it can melt the tart molds.
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Optional: Prepare your tart molds by sprinkling a very small amount of glitter and mica into the cavities. This will simply add some visual appeal to the bottom of your tarts once the wax is poured in.
- Once the wax reaches 140° F, pour carefully into the tart molds, filling each one to the top. Each mold holds about 2.5 to 3 oz of wax depending on how full you fill them.
- Let the tarts cool until they begin to set up on the bottom and sides.
Adding “Spice” to Your Wax Melts
Just before the tops set completely, dust the top of each tart with a small amount of mica powder and glitter (we recommend wearing a mask). The glitter and mica will sink if you sprinkle it on too early – but that’s okay. You’ll just have extra shiny wax melts!
Glitter and mica can be sprinkled on after the wax has set, but it might not completely adhere. If you don’t get the timing quite right, you can carefully re-melt the tops of your tarts with a heat gun. When doing so, aim the heat directly at the center and remove the heat as soon as you see the wax melting. You only need a very thin layer to melt. Do not point the heat at the sides or edge of the mold, as this can lead to warping, discoloration or even melting. As soon as a thin layer has re-melted, sprinkle the glitter and mica on right away.
You can also use this heat gun trick to smooth out any dimples that may appear in your wax. Dimples may or may not occur. It all depends on things like wax temperature, ambient room temp, drafts, etc. These dimples can easily be corrected as soon as the tops set – and we found that they don’t re-form.
If any divots occur while your tarts are curing, you can still try to correct them later on. Keep in mind that re-melting the tops will affect how your glitter/mica looks on top, and you may wish to re-sprinkle for a better look.
Finishing Your Wax Tarts
Let your wax melts cure for at least two weeks before using them. We recommend leaving the tops open until the wax has completely hardened. Moving the clamshells around too much or attempting to close them too early may result in cracks along the top and separation from the sides. To be extra safe, you can leave the tart molds open the whole time they’re curing.
For the finishing touch, make labels that say what your tarts are. Kraft paper stickers work well if you want to label your tarts by hand, but you can also design labels digitally and print them out for a more professional look.
Looking for more fun projects? Check out these cute wax melt ideas!
Pin this project on Pinterest!
NorthWood is not responsible for any projects you make with our supplies, recipes, or informational resources. You are responsible for testing your products for safety and compatibility.
1 comment
This was my first try at making wax melts. Super easy and they smelled great! Thanks for the recipe! Everyone loved them.