Handmade Christmas #6 is a bit on the unusual side. I love to cook. When I first learned how, wooden spoons were a staple utensil. Well-made wooden spoons could hold up even under the abuse a child learning to cook can dish out.
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Some of the spoons that I still currently use are almost as old as I am. Unfortunately, they have a tendency to dry out and become brittle. Some even splinter. My heart has been broken a number of times when I have had to toss a broken one in the fireplace.
Last year, my brother requested a quality set of bamboo utensils for Christmas. Almost immediately my mind flashed with all those that I had in my drawer, and lamented that he might go through the same things I did.
And then I came across something called ‘Spoon Butter’. There are any number of recipes out there for them, but my one issue with most were that some of the oils used might not be as healthy as I preferred, considering they were to be used on cooking utensils. So I played around, and finally came up with this one:
Wooden Spoon Butter
Ingredients:
1 cup of Avocado Oil
1/3 cup of Beeswax
Directions:
Add oil and beeswax to a quart canning jar. Set the jar in a pan and fill the pan with enough water to come half way up the jar.
Turn the burner on low. Allow all of the beeswax to melt, then stir to completely blend. Pour the butter into decorative jars and allow to completely harden. Secure with lids. This recipe makes 4 to 6 jars, depending on the size.
That’s all there is to making spoon butter. The only thing left is how to use it:
Clean and completely dry your boards or spoons. Using a clean, soft cloth or paper towel, apply the oil in an even layer over the wood. Leave the oil to soak in for several hours or overnight.
Remove the excess with a paper towel. If the board or your spoons feel oily or sticky, buff off any remaining oil with a clean dry cloth.
A Note or Two
You can use solid beeswax for this recipe, but I have found that using the ‘Pastilles’ makes for a quicker melting process. They can be found here at Amazon: Beeswax Pellets
For my jars, I used half-pint wide mouth jars from the Ball Collection Elite Design series, but you can use any decorative jar you choose.
Now, for the gift idea: Print out the directions for how to use the butter on an index card or other paper. Punch a hole in one corner. Thread one end of a piece of ribbon or raffia through the hole. Tie a wooden spoon and the directions to the lid of the spoon butter. Done!
As you finish a project, be sure to post a photo in the Comments website so everyone can enjoy! Be sure to include your name so you can get full credit for your creativity!!!
Don’t Miss the rest of the posts in the Handmade Christmas Series!
Handmade Christmas #1 – Psalms 91 Throws
Handmade Christmas #2 – Crochet Hats & Scarves
Handmade Christmas #3 – Knitted Kitchen Fun
Handmade Christmas #4 – Crochet Pot Scrubbers
Handmade Christmas #5 – Embroidered Dish Towels
Handmade Christmas #7 – Fresh Baked Trays
Handmade Christmas #8 – Gift Baskets
I just love this! It’s a salve for spoons! 🙂 I’m going to make some, because my cutting boards and wooden spoons need some TLC!
Thank you, Heidi! I hope you like it!!
What a great idea! My Dad carves wooden spoons when he gets bored. 🙂 Then he gifts them to whomever would like one. I need to try this butter to give him. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Lisa! This would be a great thing for him. Maybe even give a jar to whomever he gifts his spoons to!
What a great recipe, I will give it a try, I have a lot of wood cutting boards and spoons and so forth, always looking for a good way to keep them in condition.
Hope you like it! Let me know what you think!!
What a lovely and really unusual present – love it 🙂
Thank you, Rosie!
Love this idea for wooden spoons. Going to make this for myself first. Yep being selfish here. Does it have to be avocado oil only?
I’m guilty of just that – I kept some for myself, before gifting them! No. You can also use other oils, such as sunflower or mineral. It just needs to be food-safe oil. I chose Avocado because it is relatively inexpensive, easily obtainable, and one of the better food-grade oils to use in products such as this. Let me know how yours turns out!
Hi Julie,
This is a very interesting article and something I had never knew before. I have been using wooden spoons for the last 5 years but I did not known that you could spruce them up with spoon butter. I have to save this and use it on my wooden cutting boards and wooden spoons. Tweeting. Have a healthy, happy & blessed Christmas and New Year!
Thank you for tweeting this, Marla. And yes, it is great for any wooden utensil you use in the kitchen. It really does make a difference. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, as well!