We love experimenting here in the Bramble Berry studio. If there are leftovers, there’s a good chance they’ll wind up in soap. We’ve made recipes with La Croix, coffee, kombucha, and more.

Bramble Berry CEO and Founder Anne-Marie has been trying all things DIY and sharing the results here. One of the first things she tried was making cheese. That process leaves you with a lot of whey, which is the watery part of milk that remains after curds are formed.

There are two types of whey. Sweet whey is the liquid that comes from making cheese with rennet, which includes cheddar and Swiss. Acid whey comes from cultured dairy products like sour cream or yogurt. Both are packed with protein, vitamins, and minerals, so we didn’t want it to go to waste.

We decided to replace the distilled water in cold process soap with sweet whey. Knowing that temperatures are important for milk products, we tested several options. The oils were around 105-110°F for all of the tests.

The temperatures shown below were taken after the lye was fully mixed in. For the 86°F bar, we placed frozen cubes of whey into a container, then placed that container in an ice bath while the lye was added. The 93°F bar had frozen whey but no ice bath. The 99°F and 110°F bars had refrigerated whey placed in a cold water bath with a few ice cubes. The 135°F bar was a slushy consistency with no water bath – basically we let the whey cubes sit at room temperature for a few hours before adding the lye.

As you can see, the natural sugar in whey scorches at higher temperatures. That causes a darker color and an unpleasant smell. After our experiments, we found the option we like most is freezing the whey and placing it in an ice bath. After the soap is in the mold, we put it in the freezer for 5-24 hours. That will give you the most neutral color to work with and the smell won’t be as bad. It’s the same method we recommend for milk.

As for the way the bars feel, we didn’t notice a huge difference between whey and distilled water. Whey does add a slightly creamy feeling and nice lather to the soap, but not as much as something like goat milk or cow milk. Basically, we enjoyed experimenting with an alternative liquid and we made sure none of the whey went to waste.

If you don’t want to use it in soap, you’re in luck – you can use it in smoothies, bread, salad dressing, etc. Find a list of 36 ways to use leftover whey in this Don’t Waste the Crumbs blog post.

How do you use leftover whey?

The post Using Whey in Cold Process Soap appeared first on Soap Queen.

Bramble Berry CEO and Founder Anne-Marie is passionate about creativity and believes it’s essential for everyone. That passion led her to start Bramble Berry Handcraft Provisions and Soap Queen. She’s able to inspire, cheerlead, coach, and lead our 60,000 customers – most of whom are small businesses that sell soap at farmers markets.

While soapmaking will always be her first love, she wants to learn everything she can about making things from scratch. That’s what her new website is all about. You can follow along with Anne-Marie’s creative journey as she tries everything DIY, including cheese, candles, bitters, and more. There are also personal updates and some business musings, including how she keeps healthy to harness and explore that creative energy.

Follow Anne-Marie
Website
Twitter: @ComeMakeWithMe
Instagram: @ComeMakeWithMe

Show us what you’re up to with the tag #ComeMakeWithMe.

The post Follow Anne-Marie’s Creative Journey appeared first on Soap Queen.

The combination of creamy and tart cheeses pairs beautifully with the sweet cranberries. You can use just about any kind of cream cheese and goat cheese, but I recommend splurging a bit on the sharp white cheddar. For this recipe, I used Flagship white cheddar which is slightly nutty and crumbly. The cheese ball is then rolled in roasted pecans for extra crunch and texture. The sweet, tangy and crunchy texture is seriously addicting! This recipe makes quite a lot of cheese, so I recommend serving it at a fairly large gathering.

What You’ll Need:
8 oz. Cream Cheese
8 oz. Sharp White Cheddar, finely grated (I used Flagship)
4 oz. Goat Cheese
2/3 cups Dried Cranberries
Approx. 1 cup Pecans, roasted and chopped

ONE: In a large bowl or stand mixer, mix together the cream cheese, goat cheese and grated cheddar until completely smooth. Mix in the cranberries.

TWO: Transfer the cheese onto plastic wrap or wax paper and use your hands to form a ball. Wrap up the cheese in the plastic wrap or wax paper and place into the fridge. Allow the cheese ball to harden for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.

THREE: Preheat oven to 350 ° F. Chop the pecans into small pieces, and place into the oven for about 10 minutes or until the pecans become slightly golden. Be careful not to burn them. Remove from the oven and allow to completely cool.

FOUR: Once the cheese ball is chilled and firm, remove the plastic wrap. Use your hands to press the pecans onto the outer surface of the cheese ball until completely covered. Chill until you are ready to serve.

What’s your favorite appetizer for parties? I can’t wait to serve this at Thanksgiving. =)

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Cranberry & Pecan Cheeseball

This Cranberry Cheeseball is the perfect combination of creamy cheese, sweet cranberries and crunchy pecans.

Course Appetiser

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• 8 oz. Cream Cheese
• 8 oz. Sharp White Cheddar finely grated
• 4 oz. Goat Cheese
• 2/3 cups Dried Cranberries
• Approx. 1 cup Pecans roasted and chopped

Instructions

• In a large bowl or stand mixer, mix together the cream cheese, goat cheese and grated cheddar until completely smooth. Mix in the cranberries.
• Transfer the cheese onto plastic wrap or wax paper and use your hands to form a ball. Wrap up the cheese in the plastic wrap or wax paper and place into the fridge. Allow the cheese ball to harden for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 ° F. Chop the pecans into small pieces, and place into the oven for about 10 minutes or until the pecans become slightly golden. Be careful not to burn them. Remove from the oven and allow to completely cool.
• Once the cheese ball is chilled and firm, remove the plastic wrap. Use your hands to press the pecans onto the outer surface of the cheese ball until completely covered. Chill until you are ready to serve.

The post Cranberry & Pecan Cheese Ball appeared first on Soap Queen.