Want to learn how to make hot cocoa bombs? Let’s go to The Chalkboard!

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What Are Hot Cocoa Bombs?

The origin is unclear, but a hot cocoa bomb is a hollow sphere of chocolate that contains hot cocoa mix and marshmallows. You pour warm milk ontop to reveal the contents.

How Hot Cocoa Bombs Work

To enjoy the hot cocoa bomb, warm six ounces of milk in a saucepan over medium heat or in the microwave. You don’t want to scald the milk, so you a short time will do. The key is not to see any bubbles on the milk’s surface. Put your hot cocoa bomb in a mug and pour the milk over it. Boom, the contents will be revealed!

What Equipment Do You Need To Make Hot Cocoa Bombs?

Besides the mold, there isn’t any special equipment needed.

• Glass Measuring Cups or Bowls
• Spoons
• Pan
• Mold  – The only piece of special equipment you need to make these beauties is a chocolate mold. I bought this on Amazon for cheap. If you plan on making a bunch, it’s worth buying two. The diameter of a small mug is 2.75” so if you are purchasing a different mold, keep that in mind. You don’t want a bomb that won’t fit in a mug! 

What Are The Ingredients In Hot Cocoa Bombs?

Chocolate Melting Wafers 

Melting chocolate is the way to go, as they are super simple to use. To use chocolate bars meant for baking, you would need to temper it. Tempering is a technique where you raise and lower the temperature of the chocolate to stabilize it. You can certainly try this method, but it is a picky one, and for this application, the wafers are easy to manage. One of my favorite chefs, Sohla El-Waylly, has a great video to teach you all about it.

Many high-end chocolate makers have gotten in on producing wafers, including Ghirardelli, and taste delicious. 

Whatever you do, please do not use chocolate chips. They just don’t melt well. If you think about it, manufacturers put additives in so they don’t melt. 

Hot Chocolate Mix 

I like homemade whenever possible, but the mix was better here. If you want to make hot cocoa mix from scratch, use Alton Brown’s recipe. It’s great! 

In this case, the mix is just as good, if not better. You will use two tablespoons per hot cocoa bomb, so no need to buy the packets. If you do buy them, figure you will fill two bombs per pack. Also, you want the hot cocoa mix, not cocoa powder. The mix contains several ingredients that increase the flavor. 

If you want a more natural mix, simply use equal parts cocoa powder to sugar. I found that one tablespoon of cocoa powder mixed with one tablespoon of sugar worked. Some recipes use powdered sugar, but I found that combination too sweet.

What’s The Difference Between Hot Chocolate And Hot Cocoa?

Hot cocoa is usually sweeter. It contains cocoa powder, milk, and sugar. Hot chocolate leaves out the sugar and consists of shaved chocolate, milk, and vanilla. The best part of these hot cocoa bombs is that you get chocolate from the shells AND cocoa powder from the mix! Don’t worry; they aren’t too sweet. They are delicious!

How To Make Hot Cocoa Bombs

Melt The Chocolate

To make hot cocoa bombs, first, melt the chocolate. I like to place the melting wafers in a measuring cup and use the microwave to soften them. Cook them in 30-second intervals, stirring in between. If they come out solid, don’t be deceived. You will be surprised at the consistency change with a quick stir. I found that each batch took one minute to melt entirely.

Working one at a time, place one full tablespoon of chocolate at the bottom of the mold. Then using a regular spoon (not measuring), pull the chocolate up and along the sides. It is essential to get the chocolate up to the edge of the mold. Take a knife or a scraper and wipe away any excess hanging around on the top.

Place your mold in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes until cold. Now, this step is essential — do not skip. The sides of the ball can be fragile. To combat this, you want to do a second coat on the sides. Melt some more chocolate (½ cup for 4 worked for me) and do the same method, focusing on the mold’s sides. If you find that the mold’s cavities are too full, turn it upside down onto a piece of parchment paper to remove the excess. Again scrape the top with a bench scraper or knife to remove any large bits. Place this second coat in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. You want to make sure the chocolate is firm. 

Assemble the Cocoa Bombs

When it is time to assemble the chocolates, have your hot cocoa mix ready. Heat a frying pan over high heat. Take the mold out of the refrigerator and place a plate on top. Slowly turn the chocolates out onto the plate. Working quickly, place the chocolates in the pan for about five seconds to melt the edges. When you see a circle of chocolate, it is time to take it out. Fill one cavity with two tablespoons of hot cocoa mix and a tablespoon of marshmallows (or more if you wish). Melt the other side and press the two halves together. Run your finger along the seam to seal. Refrigerate again to set the chocolate.

Decorate!

They look great plain, or you can choose to decorate with a drizzle of melted dark chocolate. Melt dark chocolate wafers in the microwave until it is thin. I used ¼ cup for four cocoa bombs. I tried various ways to decorate and found the best way to do this was to use a fork. Dip it into the melted chocolate and quickly move it back and forth over the sphere. Decorating can be quite messy, so I suggest you lay down a parchment sheet that makes clean up a breeze.  

Package Them

To add some color and help them from rolling around, place the hot cocoa bombs in a cupcake wrapper. If you can manage to give them away, place each one in a clear bag and wrap with some ribbon. We’ve even created a handy gift tag that you can click here to download.

Store these at room temperature, but if it gets too warm, they will melt, so if you live in a warm climate, you may want to keep them in the fridge. 

Here’s the recipe.

What Do You Think?

Have you seen the hot cocoa bomb videos? Try this recipe and let me know how they work out in the comments below. I would love to hear!

Happy Gifting!

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