One of my favorite bloggers, Kimberly Michelle, hosted a homemade gift exchange via Elfster (a fun gift exchange site that arranges “Secret Santa” giveaways).
Elfster lets you ask anonymous questions to people in your gift exchange, so I was able to find out that my giftee, Amy, loves chocolate but is on a diet. I momentarily panicked because most things I make do not mesh with diets. Then I got creative and thought a little outside the box. I’m actually glad she is on a low-cal diet because it challenged me to get out of my comfort zone of decadent baked goods. Plus, I discovered a great (and super easy) homemade gift that I’m going to give out to friends this holiday season: sugar hand scrubs!
Sugar scrubs are an easy homemade gift that are especially great in the winter for dry, chapped hands. You can make them in a lot of different scents, so I added cocoa powder so that Amy could enjoy the scent of chocolate without actually consuming any extra calories.
Apply to wet hands and lightly rub in a circular motion. Let sit for a few minutes then rinse.
You end up with soft, moisturized hands!
I still wanted to make something edible (I am a food blogger, after all) so I went with a chocolate meringue kisses. These are fat free and low calorie, so Amy can eat them without too much guilt. I hope she enjoys my chocolate gifts. I can’t wait to see what I receive in the gift exchange!
Are you making any homemade gifts this year?
Recipes:
Chocolate Hand Scrub
Makes enough to fill 2 4-oz. jelly jars, plus a little extra that you can keep for yourself!
- 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder
- 1 cup of brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup of oil of your choice (I used olive oil)
Combine cocoa powder, brown sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl. Mix in oil gradually until it becomes a thick paste. Pour into a jar and attach a label and the directions from below.
To use: Apply to wet hands and rub in a circular motion, concentrating on dry or rough patches. Leave on for 3 minutes then thoroughly rinse with warm water.
Chocolate Meringue Kisses
Makes around 20 2-inch cookies
- 3 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3/4 cup granulated, superfine sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, sifted
More recipes you’ll love:
23 Comments on Chocolate Meringue Kisses
3Pingbacks & Trackbacks on Chocolate Meringue Kisses
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[…] Scrubs are great for dry, damaged skin. They make excellent exfoliates, removing the damaged layer and leaving you with soft, smooth skin, a perfect base for further pampering. And if you like chocolate, then you’ll love this good-enough-to-eat chocolate hand scrub. […]
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[…] boxes feature handmade chocolate sugar scrub, a burt’s bees chapstick, two ferrero rocher chocolates and a scroll from World Market to […]
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[…] via 52kitchenadventures.com […]
Heidi @ Food Doodles
December 17, 2011 at 1:04 pm (13 years ago)Mmmm, that scrub sounds awesome! But I really love meringues. I can’t believe I’ve never tried a chocolate one! Yours look so pretty – I’m going to bookmark the recipe to try sometime 🙂
Stephanie
December 18, 2011 at 9:28 am (13 years ago)@Heidi – Thanks! It’s so easy to make meringues look pretty. They hold any shape you make them in, so you just need a piping bag and a tip. Enjoy!
Beth Michelle
December 18, 2011 at 9:11 am (13 years ago)LOVE that scrub! And, diet or no diet, you can not go wrong with meringues, especially chocolate ones!
Stephanie
December 18, 2011 at 9:28 am (13 years ago)@Beth Michelle – I agree! Meringues are delicious anytime.
Casey
December 18, 2011 at 9:34 am (13 years ago)OMG those meringues are too cute! I love that you can get your chocolate fix while not consuming a jillion calories 🙂
Stephanie
December 18, 2011 at 9:37 am (13 years ago)@Casey – I love it too! It’s a nice alternative to giving cookies, fudge and other calorie-rich desserts at the holidays.
Casey
December 18, 2011 at 9:35 am (13 years ago)P.S. that scrub would be incredible for my hands, they are right up there with sand paper right about now
Stephanie
December 18, 2011 at 9:38 am (13 years ago)@Casey – mine too! I’ve been putting on lotion obsessively because my hands have been so dry. I kept some of the leftover scrub so I can start using it once a day. It’s so easy to make and you probably already have all the ingredients in your kitchen, so you should give it a try!
Sasha
December 18, 2011 at 1:07 pm (13 years ago)How long does your scrub last? Just curious if someone were not to use it too often when they should throw it out 🙂 Thanks so much for your great ideas!!
Stephanie
December 18, 2011 at 8:03 pm (13 years ago)@Sasha – I believe it should last several months, especially stored in a dark, cool place. I would say that once the oil goes rancid you should toss it (and you would definitely be able to smell that). Enjoy! 🙂
jules @ bananamondaes
December 19, 2011 at 2:21 pm (13 years ago)I keep seeing these meringue kisses on all the food sites and they keep luring me in. They are just so darn pretty.
Shanna
December 28, 2011 at 2:42 pm (13 years ago)I’ve never made meringues myself, but knowing how easy they are, I’m definitely going to try them now. Quick question, will regular sugar work if I don’t have super fine sugar?
Thanks for the recipe!!
Stephanie
December 28, 2011 at 3:43 pm (13 years ago)@Shanna – You could use regular sugar but superfine dissolves more quickly and is better for meringue. You can make superfine sugar by just processing regular sugar in a food processor for a few mins.
amy
February 6, 2012 at 10:53 am (13 years ago)thank you. I have made some like this and it works and smells great!
Stephanie
February 6, 2012 at 5:53 pm (13 years ago)@amy – great! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Chelsea
January 13, 2013 at 3:38 pm (12 years ago)I love DIY scrubs! Can’t wait to try it – sounds great (I love chocolate!!)
Christine
May 23, 2013 at 10:15 am (12 years ago)How far in advance can the meringues can these be made?
Rosalind L. Kempfer
July 7, 2014 at 7:43 am (10 years ago)I am so glad that one of the gifts ended up being some chocolate that she could actually eat. I couldn’t imagine using and smelling the chocolate cream and not getting at least a taste.
alexandra
September 4, 2015 at 7:53 am (9 years ago)Is it just for hands or I can use it for all my body?
Kristi
July 14, 2019 at 5:39 pm (5 years ago)What kind of cocoa powder did you use? I can’t find any that’s completely fat free, and my meringues turned into soup when I added it.