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If you’re here, it’s probably because you saw these hot chocolate bombs all over social media and wanted to see what all the hype is about. OR your kids are begging you for them and after initially googling where to buy them, you landed on my blog because they’re 1) ridiculously expensive to buy and/ or 2) sold out EVERYWHERE!
WELL, whatever your reasoning for being here: LET’S MAKE HOT CHOCOLATE BOMBS!
I first learned about hot chocolate bombs on facebook when I kept seeing people in a local parenting group asking where they could buy them. I just ignored those posts until a few weeks later I learned from TikTok what these things are. I’m almost embarrassed to admit HOW MUCH I’ve learned from TikTok over the past year.
And when I stumbled upon dairy free hot chocolate mix AND vegan mini marshmallows on the same day, I decided that these Hot Chocolate Bombs with Marshmallows just HAD to happen asap.
What are hot chocolate bombs
In case you live under a rock and have no idea what I’m talking about, let me explain. Hot chocolate bombs are simple hot cocoa powder/ mix + mini marshmallows encased in a sphere of chocolate.
How do Hot Chocolate Bombs work: When hot liquid is poured on top of the “bomb”, the chocolate melts and the powder + marshmallows pop out. The result is a rich and creamy cup of hot cocoa.
There’s really not much too them and I think it’s a result of how bored we’ve all become stuck at home this year, BUT damn do kids love these things.
Hot Chocolate Bomb Molds
Good luck finding these things locally. I called around to a few places and they’re ALL SOLD OUT (at least as I’m writing this during winter 2020).
Here are some online options:
- THESE are the ones that I am using from Amazon.
- THESE are similar but a bit smaller (I think I would actually prefer this size)
- THESE are similar to the last ones.
- THESE are also similar (slightly smaller size I think) and are just $12 from Walmart
At this time, I have not attempted to make these without a mold.
How to make Hot Chocolate Bombs
These are pretty easy to make once you get your hands on a mold. They require just 3 simple ingredients:
- Good quality chocolate: I recommend a dark chocolate that has 65%+ cocoa. I know that not everyone loves dark chocolate though and this can be done with other kinds of chocolate.
- Hot chocolate mix: Whatever kind you have/ prefer is great! I found a dairy-free version at Target and that’s what I used.
- Mini marshmallows: these are technically optional but who doesn’t love a large handful of marshmallows in their hot chocolate!?
- OPTIONAL for topping: sprinkles, crushed peppermint, additional chocolate for drizzling and whatever else you can imagine topping your bombs with!
**Down below (right above the recipe card) I have a step-by-step VIDEO tutorial on how to make these so I suggest checking that out!**
Start out by melting your chocolate in a large bowl. We’re going to do this in small spurts in order to temper the chocolate. This will result in shinier chocolate bombs AND make it so that the chocolate doesn’t melt immediately upon being touched.
Once fully melted, you’ll simply spread the chocolate evenly around the molds and then place them in the fridge to set. I do this using a small spoon but it can also be done using a pastry brush for a more even bomb. See notes in the recipe card for how to use a brush.
Once the chocolate is set, fill half of the molds with hot chocolate mix + marshmallows. To seal the bombs together, I place the tops, edges down, into a warm skillet to ever so slightly melt the edges. I then immediately place it onto a bottom mold and gently press down to seal them together. As the chocolate re-hardens, it’ll seal the top to the bottom.
AND THAT’S IT!
This part is totally optional but I drizzled mine with a little extra chocolate + white chocolate (THIS is the vegan white chocolate that I used) and sprinkled them with crushed peppermint and sprinkles.
Admittedly a lot of work for hot chocolate ?? BUT kids love them and they’re super fun gifts ?
See how to make the Hot Chocolate Bombs in my stories HERE.
Hot Chocolate Bombs
Ingredients
- 9 ounces of good quality dark chocolate, you can also use milk chocolate- I like to use a vegan dark chocolate around 65%
- 6 tablespoons of hot chocolate mix of choice*
- Marshmallows of choice, about 1/2 cup
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate: Add your dark chocolate to a large bowl and microwave for 30 seconds (not more!). Give a stir and continue to microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring thoroughly each time, until fully melted. Doing this in short spurts and stirring in between will temper the chocolate and give the outsides a nice shinny look + help the chocolate not melt immediately upon being touched.
- Using a SPOON to spread the chocolate: Once melted, pour a scoopful of the chocolate into each mold cup and work it up around the edges. I push everything up and around the edges, making sure to come all the way up (you want it to *just* about spill over the sides). Then I spoon the chocolate around the bottom to ensure that there are no holes in mold at all and everything is covered. THEN I go up around the edges again since the chocolate kind of falls down a bit. Once more make sure that the whole mold is covered, adding a little extra chocolate as needed. Once all of the molds are covered in chocolate, place them in the fridge to set for at least 30 minutes (or the freezer for 10 minutes).
- Using a BRUSH to spread the chocolate: Instead of a spoon, you can also use a brush/ pastry brush to spread the chocolate. To do this, brush a thin layer of chocolate inside of the molds, ensuring to come all of the way up the sides. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes or until the chocolate is fully set. Remove and brush another layer of chocolate into each mold. Place back in the fridge to set for 30 minutes or the freezer for 10.
- Remove molds and fill: gently remove the chocolate rounds from the molds. To avoid getting finger prints all over the molds, consider wearing clean and dry rubber cloves. Fill HALF of the molds each with 1 tablespoon of hot chocolate mix and a handful of mini marshmallows (I put about 6 in each).
- Seal bombs together: Heal a skillet so that it’s hot to the touch and then remove from the heat. Gently place an empty chocolate cup (open side down) into the skillet for just a SECOND or long enough to very slightly melt the chocolate around the rim. Quickly and gently place the chocolate cup on top of another cup thats filled with the hot chocolate ingredients. Press gently on the top to seal and set aside. Continue until all of the bombs are sealed.
- Decorate: this is optional but to make them a little prettier, take additional melted chocolate and drizzle it over the top. Sprinkle on crushed peppermint, sprinkles etc. Place all of the bombs on a clean plate/ baking tray and chill in the fridge for 10 minutes or until all of the chocolate on top is full set.
- To serve: Pour 1/2 cup HOT milk of choice into a mug large enough to fit your bomb. Place the bomb into the hot milk and pour additional HOT milk on top until the cup is nearly full. If the bomb doesn’t pop open, give it a little stir and everything will be released!
- ENJOY! While these bombs can be left out at room temperature for a while, I recommend storing them in the fridge.
