These Pumpkin Bubbling Bath Truffles are a treat to use. As they’re broken up under the faucet, they start to bubble and fill the water with luxurious pumpkin extract, cocoa butter, and shea butter. The mix of Cashmere and Pumpkin Spice Fragrance Oil will make the bath water smell just like fall.
The truffles, which feature products from the new Hygge Collection, are a treat to make too. Once the dry and wet ingredients are combined, you use an ice cream scoop to create the cute shape. Finally, sprinkle a little Gold Sparkle Mica on top with a Powder Sprayer or a Powder Duster.
The recipe makes about 18 truffles, which means you’ll have plenty to give to loved ones this holiday season. We like to package them in small plastic bags or jars so they stay intact.
Pumpkin Bubbling Bath Truffles
What You Need:
25 oz. Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)
7 oz. Citric Acid
4 oz. Cream of Tartar
15 oz. SLSA
1 tsp. Dark Red Brazilian Clay
4.5 oz. Cocoa Butter
6 oz. Shea Butter
0.5 oz. Pumpkin Extract
1 oz. Polysorbate 80
1 oz. Liquid Glycerin
0.4 oz. Pumpkin Spice Fragrance Oil
0.4 oz. Cashmere Fragrance Oil
Gold Sparkle Mica
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Find the supplies you need for this project below
- 25 oz. Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)
- 7 oz. Citric Acid
- 4 oz. Cream of Tartar
- 15 oz. SLSA
- 1 tsp. Dark Red Brazilian Clay
- 4.5 oz. Cocoa Butter
- 6 oz. Shea Butter
- 0.5 oz. Pumpkin Extract
- 1 oz. Polysorbate 80
- 1 oz. Liquid Glycerin
- 0.4 oz. Pumpkin Spice Fragrance Oil
- 0.4 oz. Cashmere Fragrance Oil
- Gold Sparkle Mica
- In a small heat-safe container, add 6 ounces of shea butter, 4.5 ounces of cocoa butter, 0.5 ounces of pumpkin extract, 1 ounce of glycerin, and 1 ounce of polysorbate 80. Place the container in the microwave and melt the butters using 30-60 bursts. The cocoa butter takes a little while to melt. Be careful when removing it from the microwave, as it may be very hot.
- Add 0.4 ounce of Cashmere and 0.4 ounce of Pumpkin Spice Fragrance Oils. Stir and set aside.
- Place a fine mesh sifter over a large container. Add 25 ounces of baking soda, 7 ounces of citric acid, and 4 ounces of cream of tartar. Push the ingredients through the sifter to get rid of chunks. Add dark red Brazilian clay. Use a whisk to mix the ingredients together.
- Very carefully, add 15 ounces of SLSA to the large container (do not put it through the sifter). Add the SLSA very last. SLSA is extremely fine and powdery, and it can become airborne very easily. You may want to wear a mask during this step to avoid breathing in any SLSA. While it isn’t dangerous, it is irritating and can make you cough if you breathe it in. Once all the ingredients have been added, slowly mix together the dry ingredients using a whisk.
- Add about ⅓ of the melted butter mixture. The hotter the liquid ingredients are when added, the softer the final “dough” will be. Adding the liquid when it’s hot reduces the need to microwave it later. Use your hands to incorporate the liquid and powder ingredients together. If you prefer, you could also use a stand or hand mixer for this step. Make sure to incorporate any powders that tend to hang out at the bottom of the bowl.
- Continue adding the liquid ingredients to the dry and mix together until fully incorporated. The final texture will be very similar to bread dough – soft, workable, and slightly sticky. The texture of the mixture depends on the temperature of the butters. The warmer the dough, the softer it will be.
- We found a dough temperature of about 85-100°F is a great moldable texture. If your dough is cooler than that, place the entire mixture into the microwave for 10-20 seconds to warm it.
- Use the ice cream scoop to scoop the mixture onto freezer paper. Wax paper or parchment paper will also work. Continue to create the scoops until all the mixture is gone.
- Sprinkle with top of each truffle with Gold Sparkle Mica. If you like a heavier application of sparkle, use the Powder Duster. Use the Powder Sprayer for a lighter dusting.
- Allow the truffles to harden and dry for about 3 days. If you live in a very humid area, it may take longer. The truffles will always be a little bit delicate, even when they have hardened.
- To use, fill the tub with hot water. Once it's about ¾ full, break up the truffle directly under the faucet to activate the bubbles. Enjoy.
I just made these but switched out the clay color to rose and fragrance for a floral blend EO. So far so good as they dry! The ice cream look is yummy. I’m eager to try one out in a few days once they are a bit harder. Would the only substitute for the cocoa butter be deodorized cocoa butter?
You could try using deodorized cocoa butter as a replacement, but any other butter of comparable firmness would work just fine.
I love these, but I’m having a crisis…the first time I made these, I made mini size scoops and they hardened within a day…I tried making them again and again and they will not harden, nothing has changed with the weather, I’ve measured the ingredients all the same way each time and they are still a dough like texture I’ve tried putting them in a preheated 200 degree oven and that didnt work either…please help! I cant keep wasting ingredients like this
Hi Ashley, that is really odd. Have you tried using them in a room with a dehumidifier just to see if it could be moisture that is causing them to stay soft?
I want to use this recipe, but change the scent to Lavender e.o. How much do I use? Your calculator doesn’t offer truffles to choose from. Do I choose cp soap?
For bath truffles I would choose the “salts” option on the Fragrance Calculator.
Fragrance Calculator: https://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Fragrance-Calculator.aspx
When it asks for the “amount” what is it referring to?
Also, would you recommend this recipe as a ‘basic ‘ recipe and just alternate the fragrance oil?
Amount refers to the total weight of your recipe. We recommend this recipe as an Intermediate recipe so it’s about in the middle.
You can use any fragrance oil as a substitute. All of our FOs are skin safe.
Fragrance Oils: https://www.brambleberry.com/shop-by-product/ingredients/fragrance-oils
Make my first batch and they turned out perfect and they make your bath feel amazing! I have been asked to make more and this time I would like to try essential oils in place of the fragrance oil. How many drops or mls would be needed? Also, is the fragrance oil better to use than E/O’s? if so, why?
It depends on the specific Essential Oil. You can find out how much to use with our Fragrance Calculator.
https://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Fragrance-Calculator.aspx
Hi! Im very new to making bath bombs, and while some of them have turned out nice I keep having the same problem, my bath bombs stick to the moulds and when I take them out the break in half
My recipe is
3 parts bicarbonate of soda
1 part citric acid
Two teaspoons water or witch hazel
1 teaspoon coconut oil
I haven’t used polysprbate 80 or SLSA yet but hope to if I can fix this problem.
Hi Xena, you may try drying your bath bombs on some old scarves or some egg foam. When they expand in the mold they can be difficult to remove without breaking them on accident. Here’s a blog post we did with some great Q&A on bath bombs – check the comments section for more information too. https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/bath-bomb-questions-answers/
I made these the other week and followed the recipe exactly, I used a mixer to mix due to hand pain. It made well more than 18 and when I trested there we’re hardly any bubbles. First time making a truffle.
Are they supposed to be bubbly?
I wonder if I had too much air in mine with the mixer?
The key with truffles is to make sure that you break them up under the running bath water. If you add them straight to bath water, you won’t get much of a bubbly reaction.
Yes, I did break them under the water but hardly any bubbles.
That is pretty odd. How long has it been since you made them and were they in a airtight container?
I made this recipe twice, the first time, the truffle increased in size while drying out, the second batch stayed true to size. I followed the recipe excatly as instructed both times, the second time the dough may have been slightly cooler than the first. Did the swelling affect its performance in the water? Any tips? Otherwise, excellent recipe, easy tomake, fun to customize, and great result
It could be the humidity from the extra heat in your first batch caused the the truffles to start to fizz early and expand. They should still work well in the water but may not bubble quite as much.
No humidity, and there was no fizzle
Sounds like this might be a bit complicated to handle over the comments. If you can email [email protected] we would be happy to help troubleshoot.
What is better? Essential oils or fragrance oils for bath products.
Also would kaolin clay work the same?
You can definitely substitute the Kaolin Clay for the Dark Red Brazilian Clay, it will make a pretty slate gray color.
That depends on your personal preference. Essential oils are all natural whereas Fragrances tend to be blends of natural and synthetic ingredients. A lot of people use fragrances because you can get scents like Pumpkin, Chocolate and other Food type scents that are not possible as essential oils.
What is the size of the ice cream scoop or approximate weight of each of these truffles??
The truffles will be about 6 oz each.
If i used a simple recipe for bath bombs with cheaper things like baking soda, citric acid, Epsom salt, witch hazel, etc, will i be able to make truffles with it, or will they fall apart? I don’t have things like liquid glycerin, SLSA, red Brazilian clay etc.
You can use more basic ingredients to make a bath truffle. The part that sets a bath truffle apart from a bath bomb is the oils included to help it be more moisturizing. You can leave out the SLSA from this recipe, you just may need to adjust your dry / wet ingredients so the ratio stays similar. Also keep in mind the truffles will not bubble as much without that SLSA.
Could I use mica to color these truffles? I want to make a variety with different colors.
Sure, we use the Gold Sparkle Mica in this recipe with no issues. Feel free to add any colors you would like.
Question- I would like to use the Lovespell recipe, but scoop the mixture (like this recipe) instead of roll it out. Do you see an issue with that? Thank you
What can I use in place of the SLSA and Cream of Tar Tar? I sadly do not have those on hand!
SLSA is used for increased bubbles, you can use SLS if you have any on hand. Cream of Tartar is used as a binding agent to make the bomb harder and stronger, some people think that corn starch will perform the same, though you may want to try a little kaolin clay for added stability. You can still make a bath bomb without them as well, if you’d prefer just to cut them from the recipe.
Where can I find the spray top that was shown in the video to spray the gold mica?
That spray bottle can be found here: https://www.brambleberry.com/powder-sprayer-p6797.aspx
Thanks 🙂
Could I use these truffles in between 2 bath bombs? Would they stick together?
You know I am not sure if they are going to be soft enough to stick the two sides together and they might fall apart. This recipe might be more of what you would want: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/bath-fizzies/french-macaron-bath-bombs/
Thank you. I sent have the foaming bath whip, you think I could use an alternative?
How long do you recommend drying in a humid environment?
If the truffle is still soft when you pick it up, and isn’t sturdy enough to hold its shape, let it sit for a while longer. 3-5 days should be enough.
Perfect Thank you
If I forgot to order the pumpkin extract, can I make these without?
You can make this recipe without the Pumpkin Extract. If you have another extract you’d like to use you can substitute them or just omit the extract all together.
How delicate are these? I’d like to make them for a dchool Holiday Shop but I need to make sure they’ll make it home in one piece!
They’re strong enough to hold their shape after that 3 day drying period, but you can break them with your hands easily. Package them with care, and avoid dropping them if possible.
I made these today and they turned out just like the pictures you have! I am really pleased to be able to offer a bath bomb without the hassle of making bombs in molds.
I will be omitting the SLSA from now on, though…it’s just way too expensive to be offering to customers (I would have to charge $9 just to cover my costs!)
Then that’s a completely different product.
Hello, I would like to make these that do not have the potassium Cocoate, Could I use liquid soap base? And also would it take away from the product? Thank you
This recipe doesn’t utilize potassium cocoate. No need to add soap base to it, these truffles will perform well as-is.
Hello,
I’m very new to this and would like to make a small batch of these to test out. How can I cut this recipe down to only make a few ?
If depends on how many you would like to make. The original recipe makes about 18 so depending on how many you want you would divide that amount by 18 to get the percentage of the recipe (for example if you wanted 9 you would divide 9 by 18 to get 0.5) and then you would multiply all the pieces of the recipe by that number to get the total amount of ingredients you want to use.
Let’s say I only want to make 4? What would it be then? I’m sorry I’m TERRIBLE with math , not sure if my calculations would be correct lol
Since the original recipe makes 18 you would divide 4 by 18 to get 0.22. You then multiply 0.22 with each ingredient for your new recipe amounts.
Jasmine, your “math twin” here, thank you for asking that question!
Is there something other than the polsorbate 80 (like sunflower letcthicin) I could use? Also is the SLSA something I can find an slternative to. I have some cancer survivors and those are both no-no. Thanks!
We have not found a product other than Polysorbate 80 that will help powdered colorants in bath bombs disperse into the bath water. There isn’t a substitute for the SLSA but you can just omit that ingredient. Keep in mind that you will want to adjust your dry ingredients (Citric Acid and Sodium Bicarbonate) to help make up for the SLSA so they are not too soft. Your truffles will also be less bubbly without that ingredient.
P.S. How would you package these?
I would recommend a cellophane bag or something similar for packaging. It will help keep them more airtight without crushing them like a shrink wrap could.
these sound perfect! They also look more forgiving to make than bath fizzy bombs which make me crazy. I’m going to order the SLSA and get started! Thank you for the tutorial :))
Hello, these truffles are beautiful. I want to include them as part of a Christmas gift but don’t want to make them too soon but also want to stay ahead of the game LOL. How long will these truffles keep.
Thank you
We recommend using them within 6 months for the best bubbles if also kept airtight. Though they would be safe to use for up to a year.
Would these start to brown due to the vanilla content in Pumpkin Spice?
Yes, over time you will notice that they darken up a little, though the effect is not as dramatic in a bath truffle as it would be in soap.