These classic hot chocolate bombs are a pretty straight forward process, but it can take a bit of practice to get just right. We’ve got lots of tips and tricks in this post to try and help you have success the first time.
Basically you melt the chocolate, add it to silicone molds, fill them with hot cocoa powder, seal them up, and decorate as desired.
These hot cocoa bombs are such a fun and delicious way to enjoy a cup of hot cocoa. They’re also a great option to wrap up in some cellophane, or a cupcake box, and package as a gift.
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Tools You Need to Make Hot Chocolate Bombs:
- Silicone Mold – you can find a variety of molds in different shapes and sizes, but I recommend sticking with a round dome mold, at least for your first time. I’ve used one that is 2.5inches across, and one that is 2.7inches which helps them hold more cocoa mix and marshmallows than others.
- Kitchen Scale – if you’re using chocolate bars, you can skip the scale. But if you are using couverture chocolate (incase you also didn’t previously know: couverture chocolate is a very high qualify chocolate that contains more cocoa butter than typical baking chocolate – it gives tempered chocolate a really nice snap) then you’ll want a scale to measure out the exact right amount.
- Medium Microwave Safe Bowl – Any bowl will work as long as it is microwave safe, and holds the chocolate. Glass bowls usually work well.
- Rubber Spatula – I like to use one to stir the chocolate chips, and to help me scrape all the edges of the bowl.
- Kitchen Thermometer – I recommend a thermometer that reads the temperature quickly. It will help you to temper your chocolate, which keeps it nice and shiny, and without any white streaks in the chocolate.
- Spoon or Food Paintbrush – I just use a small spoon, but you just need something to help you spread the chocolate into the silicone molds.
- Food Prep Gloves – If you want to keep any finger prints and marks off your hot chocolate bombs, and keep them nice and shiny, use some gloves.
Ingredients You Need to Make Hot Chocolate Bombs:
- High Quality Chocolate – You can use finely chopped chocolate bars, or couverture chocolate. Melting wafers and chocolate chips have additional ingredients in them that make them less idea for the best flavor of your hot cocoa bombs. You want to use a chocolate that is between 55% and 80% cocoa. And the chocolate needs to have cocoa butter as one of the first ingredients.
- Hot Chocolate Powder – You can use cocoa from the packets, or from a can. You’ll want about 1oz or 3 Tablespoons per hot chocolate bomb.
- Mini Marshmallows – You can use dehydrated mini marshmallows, or regular mini marshmallows.
How to Make Hot Chocolate Bombs?
Making hot chocolate bombs is broken down into a few steps. Tempering your chocolate, spreading it around your silicone molds, filling them with hot chocolate powder, and sealing the bombs together.
How to temper chocolate for hot cocoa bombs?
Add your finely chopped chocolate to a medium sized bowl (make sure it is microwave safe) and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir as much as you can. Then microwave it in additional 15 second increments, stirring in between each, until the chocolate is almost completely melted. Then keep stirring until the heat of the melted chocolate melts the un-melted pieces. Check the temperature of your chocolate, you want it to be between 88 and 90 degrees.
If the temperature is too high, add in another ounce or two (depending how many molds you have explained later) of chopped chocolate as needed, until the temperature comes down below 90 degrees.
How to shape your Hot Chocolate Bomb Molds?
Spoon about 1 Tablespoon of melted chocolate into each mold. Use the back of a small spoon (or a food safe paint brush) to spread the chocolate around, making sure to bring it to the edges and to fill any exposed areas. Chill it in the fridge for 5 minutes.
The repeat with another spoonful of chocolate into each of the molds. Do this one mold at a time so the cold temperature doesn’t make the chocolate harden too quickly. So fill one mold with a spoonful of more chocolate, and spread it all around to get the chocolate thicker. Now set the mold in the freezer for 10 minutes until the chocolate is set.
How to fill the Hot Chocolate Bombs?
Melt a flat plate in the microwave for 2 minutes, then place 6 of the bomb halves onto the plate to soften their edges. Put them in cupcake liners, and fill them up with about 1 oz of hot cocoa mix per bomb. Top with as many mini marshmallows as you can/want for each.
How to Seal the Hot Chocolate Bombs?
Clean your plate and microwave it again. Now one at a time, take the top halves of your chocolate bombs and plate the edge onto the warm plate to melt.
Place the melted half on top of a filled half and press them together to help the chocolate seal. Let them sit for a few minutes to let the chocolate set.
How to Decorate Hot Chocolate Bombs?
Drizzle additional melted chocolate over the tops of each of the hot chocolate bombs. Top with sprinkles if desired.
More Tips for Making Hot Chocolate Bombs:
- If you only have 1 chocolate mold you will only melt 5-6 oz of your chocolate at a time. If you have 2 molds (enough for 12 half shells) you can melt 10 oz of chocolate to start, then add up to 2 oz of chocolate as needed to bring the chocolate back to temper. You don’t want the chocolate to sit too long, because we want to avoid reheating it.
- If you’re using semi sweet/dark chocolate you’ll want to heat the chocolate between 88 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’re using milk chocolate you’ll want to heat the chocolate between 86 and 88 degrees F. And if you’re using white chocolate you’ll want to heat it to be between 82 and 84 F.
- To test if your chocolate is tempered or not you can smear a small bit onto a piece of parchment paper. Stick it in the fridge for a couple minutes. It it’s shiny and snaps in half when you take it out then your chocolate is tempered. If it bends then it is not.
- If your molds don’t seal enough by melting the two edges of the hot chocolate bombs together you can pipe a thin line of chocolate around the rim of one of halves of the mold. You can then roll the melted chocolate that comes out the side in sprinkles, if desired.
- If your chocolate still won’t melt after following the instructions, you can microwave it for 5 additional seconds.
- You can also melt your chocolate by using a double boiler. Follow the same instructions for watching the temperature of the chocolate, and keeping it between 88 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
How to Make Hot Cocoa with Hot Chocolate Bombs?
Drop one hot chocolate bomb into a large mug and pour 8 ounces of steaming hot milk over the top. Stir it all together as the hot chocolate bomb melts, making sure to mix the cocoa mix, marshmallows, and melted chocolate into the milk. Add more marshmallows or whipped cream if desired.
How to store Hot Chocolate Bombs?
These hot chocolate bombs can be stored at room temperature (make sure your room isn’t too warm) in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Hot Chocolate Bomb Variations:
- Oreos – add some crushed up Oreos inside the bombs, and sprinkle them on top if desired.
- Peppermint- add some crushed up peppermint candies, or candy canes inside the bombs, and sprinkle them on top too.
- Smores – add some crushed graham cracker pieces inside the bombs, alond with the mini marshmallows.
- Mocha – add in a couple teaspoons of instant coffee or espresso powder inside the bombs.
- Cosmic Brownie – add in a piece of a cosmic brownie, and some chocolate rainbow chips inside the bomb.
- Salted Caramel – add a pinch of salt and a square soft caramel to the inside of the bomb.
- Chocolate Peanut Butter – add about 1 TBS of peanut butter chips inside the bombs. You can drizzle some melted peanut butter chips on the outside too.
You can of course add different flavors of hot chocolate mix to the inside of your bombs as well, mint chocolate, chocolate raspberry, hazlenut, etc.
If you have any questions, let me know and I will try to answer them to the best of my knowledge.
These hot chocolate bombs are new amazing, delicious, and fun way to have a rich cup of hot cocoa.
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Hot Chocolate Bombs
Ingredients
For the Hot Chocolate Bombs:
- 12 oz finely chopped high quality chocolate bars (or couverture chocolate, divided)
- 6 oz hot chocolate mix (6 packets between .85 and 1.25oz or from a can)
- 1/2 cup mini marshmallows (approximately, add as many as you can fit/want into each mold)
- sprinkles (optional)
For making the Hot Chocolate:
- 8 oz whole milk (per mug/serving)
Instructions
- Add 5 oz of your chocolate to a medium, microwave safe bowl, and microwave for 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir. (If you have enough molds to make all 12 domes at once then you can melt 10 oz of your chocolate to start, and add up to 2 additional oz as needed below when tempering)
- Continue to microwave in 15 second increments, stirring fully between each, and scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, until almost completely melted.
- Continue to stir so that the heat of the melted chocolate continues to melt the unmelted chocolate pieces. Check the temperature of the chocolate with an instant read thermometer, to make sure the chocolate reads between 88 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit (for semi sweet chocolate). If the temperature goes over 90 degrees, stir in an additional ounce of chopped chocolate until that is melted, and brings the temperature back down below 90 degrees.
- Spoon about 1 Tablespoon of melted chocolate into each of the molds. Use the back of a small spoon to spread it around, making sure to get all the way to the top of the rim, and not leave any exposed areas in the mold.
- Place the mold on a small baking sheet and refrigerate for 5 minutes.
- Remove the molds from the refrigerator and spoon another spoonful into each of the molds, one at a time. (Don't add chocolate to each of the molds at once because of their cold temperature it will harden too quickly). Use the back of the spoon to spread a second layer of chocolate around each mold, making sure to build up the edges around the rim. (You want the edges thicker so they don't crack).
- Place the mold on the baking sheet into the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the freezer and carefully remove the domes from the molds. (Use food safe gloves to keep them fingerprint free).
- Repeat the steps if you just have 1 one mold of 6 (You need 12 half domes total).
- Once all the shells have been made, microwave a small flat plate for 2 minutes. Place 6 of the domes on the plate, one at a time. Spin them around with a gloved hand to smooth the edges of the mold down. Then place them rounded side down in a cupcake pan, or cupcake liner. Wipe the plate clean.
- Fill the 6 domes with the hot cocoa mix, and then mini marshmallows.
- Reheat the plate for another 2 minutes in the microwave. Then repeat placing the 6 domes onto the plate, one at a time, onto the hot plate, spinning around as the chocolate melts.
- Place them on top of the cocoa filled halves and gently press them together to seal.
- Let the hot chocolate bombs set for a few minutes. Then drizzle the top with melted chocolate. Top with sprinkles, if desired.
For making the Hot Chocolate:
- Heat the milk in a small sauce pan over medium heat until the edges start to bubble.
- Add a hot chocolate bomb to a large mug, and pour 8 ounces of steaming milk over the top of the hot chocolate bomb.
- Stir until the melted chocolate, hot chocolate mix, and milk are fully combined.
Video
Nutrition
Terri says
I made them using flavored almond bark and Nestlé‘s hot chocolate with marshmallows. They were so sweet I almost gagged. Even my seven-year-old grandson wouldn’t eat them he said they were too sweet. I think it was the Nestlé‘s hot chocolate mix. I don’t like chocolate so that’s why I was using the vanilla almond bark
Aimee says
Almond bark is also much sweeter than a semi sweet chocolate would be. Sorry you didn’t enjoy them!
Mary says
I love all your recipes They’re easy and simple to do. Great channel
Terri says
How do you keep the shell from melting when you drizzle more chocolate into it?
Aimee says
The chocolate shouldn’t be hot enough to melt the balls, but you can make sure they’re set before drizzling, and the light drizzle shouldn’t cause issues.
Giftbasketworldwide says
Thank you for sharing this delightful recipe. I can hardly wait to try it.