"We're making bombs?!"
The 8-year-old may have been a little excited when I announced I was thinking about making hot cocoa bombs. And that was before he knew there was chocolate involved, so that was delightful and mildly concerning.
The adorable little winter treats have been everywhere this year. If you're confused, think a bath bomb, but with a beverage.
As we got ready for a weekend of Christmas tree decorating and talked about an impending snowstorm, it definitely felt like the hot cocoa season was upon us. Until I'd seen one of these, I was fine with regular old hot chocolate. Now that I had awareness, however, I had to try something with a little more pizazz.
And how hard could it be? There are countless videos on TikTok of people making and enjoying these delicious beverages.
So I loaded up on supplies and gave it my own go. Spoiler: It's much harder than it looks, but oh so totally worth it.
Hot cocoa bombs are the newest dessert trend, and with good reason. They look just as appealing as a cake pop, but they can be dropped in some hot milk to enjoy without feeling indulgent. And according to TikTok, they're pretty easy to make.
Once I was sure I was brave enough to try these, I did some research. I learned there are about a million different ways to make these. You can dress them up or down as much as you want, so keep toppings in mind when making your shopping list. I simply grabbed mini marshmallows, some chocolate chips to melt, hot cocoa mix, and the sphere molds.
First up is making the chocolate spheres. You want to melt the chocolate, which is a project unto itself. I absolutely cheated and melted by microwave. If you want to do the same, proceed with caution. Microwave for 10 to 20 seconds at a time, and stay right there, because chocolate burns easily. If you want to go the safer route, which does take longer, here are some chocolate-melting tips.
Once your chocolate is melted, use a paintbrush or the back of a spoon to apply the chocolate to the mold. You want to put a thick layer along the sides so that it doesn't break. I didn't know that the first time, so I broke the first sphere trying to pop it out of the mold. I redid that one and added a second layer to the others.
Most suggestions I read said to refrigerate the molds for at least 20 minutes. I suppose you could also freeze them in a pinch. When you take them out, gently try removing one and see what happens. You'll know right away if they're strong enough to make it out.
Next up, get your fillers. At bare minimum, this should include hot cocoa mix. Feel free to get creative with whatever you enjoy in your hot cocoa. From sprinkles to caramel to even more chocolate, we've seen it all.
Check your melted chocolate and see if it needs reheating before you take the next step. Once you know it's good, you're ready to complete the sphere.
I definitely got a little too excited and overfilled them, which made bringing the halves together a little messy. I adjusted accordingly before trying a second time.
Here's where a paintbrush or a non-shedding equivalent will come in handy. You want to apply enough chocolate to close the seams between the two sides. If you have enough chocolate, you could also try dipping the balls and then reinforcing the seam. Either way, it's going to get messy.
While painting the seam, I realized I was putting hot chocolate on only slightly cooler chocolate, which meant working fast because the other half was disappearing beneath my very brush.
I salvaged my spheres and got them in the fridge. Again, I'd leave them for at least 20 minutes before assessing if they're ready. You may want to leave them longer to get the full bomb experience.
My trusty assistants (who didn't assist in any of the actual bomb making, but I'll let it slide this time), appeared just in time to test it out. It was bombs away, and it was hilarious to watch. It took a minute for the chocolate to break up enough to let the marshmallows and hot cocoa mix out. Once it did, the drink bubbled and came to life.
Once everything melted, we grabbed a spoon to mix it altogether. The verdict? Almost like a regular hot chocolate, but (1) way more fun and (2) the tiniest bit richer. Maybe it's all in the experience, but either way it was a really great time.
