3 Fun Ways to Make Hot Chocolate Bombs
Anyone can enjoy this fun winter project — even if you don't have chocolate molds.
Social media has been (pardon the pun) "exploding" with chocolate lately! Yes, we're talking about hot chocolate bombs also known as hot cocoa bombs. This new way of enjoying hot chocolate isn’t only stunning, it invokes all the feels — a little bit of extra excitement and a fun family activity for the cold winter months. While you can certainly buy HCBs, they're also easy to make. I tested out a few conventional and unconventional ways of making them. Read on to learn how to make hot cocoa bombs yourself. A word to the wise: Making hot chocolate bombs, no matter what method, is like making pancakes. The first couple are usually the roughest. With a little practice, I promise you will get the knack of it.
What You'll Need to Make Hot Chocolate Bombs
Relatively inexpensive, these molds are easily found on online or at a bakery supply store, and produce a nice result. I’ve found that silicone molds are easier to use than acrylic molds, which you might see a professional use with tempered chocolate for the shiniest result. But silicone molds are more foolproof for the home baker — you’ll find the chocolate releases much easier. Don't want to buy one? Read on to find out how you can make HCB with items you already have.
You’ll use this to brush the melted chocolate into your spheres and also for decorating.
A Skillet or Other Shallow Pan
When you’re ready to place the two halves of your HCB together, you’ll use a pan to to gently heat the edges, ensuring a successful, precise seal.
You’ll need these to decorate.
Protective Gloves (optional)
We know not everyone has these lying around their kitchen, but they’ll help you avoid smudging your hard work.
An Instant-Read Thermometer (optional)
If you decide be bold and go the route of tempering your chocolate (instead of using melting wafers), you’ll need to be able to accurately read the temperature — more on that in a second.
Good-Quality Chocolate Bars or Melting Wafers
No chocolate chips or morsels here, please — they can have additives that will negatively affect the texture and stability of your HCB (basically, it just won’t work) . You’ll need to use chocolate melting wafers or a chocolate bar.
If you’re a beginner chocolatier, I recommend sticking with chocolate melting wafers (note that these are different from candy melts, which might not be chocolate at all — skip those). These lovely little rounds were invented to be melted, and when hardened, act as if your chocolate has been tempered. More confident cooks can try their hands at chopping and tempering chocolate bars. Tempering chocolate creates structure, shine and snap — all wonderful qualities for molded chocolate.
Semisweet chocolate, dark chocolate and milk chocolate are going to be your best friends in producing stable spheres. I prefer using white chocolate strictly for decoration, but white chocolate bombs can turn out just as lovely and delicious.
Hot Chocolate Mix, Mini Marshmallows and Sprinkles
Use your favorite pre-made mix or make your own homemade version with good-quality cocoa powder (such as Dutch process cocoa), sugar and a pinch of salt.
Start by Melting the Chocolate
We’re going to assume that most people reading this won’t temper their own chocolate — but here’s how to do it, if you want to. For the rest of us, melt your chocolate wafers according to the package directions — you’ll likely microwave them gently or melt them in a double-boiler on your stove. Then you’re ready to get building!
How to Make Hot Chocolate Bombs Using The Silicone Mold Method
Here's our tried-and-true method for making beautiful Hot cocoa bombs.
1. Thoroughly clean and dry the molds. The chocolate will lose its luster and can crack if the molds are not clean and dry.
2. Paint the molds. Using a small silicone pastry brush, the back of a small spoon, or even a clean paint brush, apply the melted chocolate evenly to the mold. Allow the chocolate to harden completely in the refrigerator for 5 minutes. Apply a second coat and allow to harden.
3. Remove the chocolate spheres. Gently releases the edges of the chocolate from the mold and smoothly push the sphere free. Do not over handle your domes; they will quickly begin to melt and smudge. Place them back in the fridge for a few minutes if you think they're getting too warm.
4. Create a sharp edge. Delicately place each sphere’s edge on a gently warmed surface. (I warmed a cake pan. You may use a skillet as well.) With a light circular motion, melt it slightly, creating a clean edge. Do not overheat the pan and do not push down on the spheres too hard!
5. Fill half of your spheres. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of cocoa mix and a smattering of mini marshmallows into half the chocolate spheres (you'll use the other half to close them into complete spheres.)
6. Seal the halves together. Once more, gently warm the edge of the empty half-sphere on your warm cake pan or skillet. Swiftly fuse the half-spheres together. Ta da! A hot chocolate bomb!
7. Decorate. Have fun! Go wild. Melt chocolate wafers or bars, as we did before, and pour the chocolate into a piping bag or zip-top bag. Snip the slightest bit off a corner of the bag, and you are ready to pipe. Embellish your works of art with different colored and textured sprinkles, sugars, and confectionary dusts.
How to Make DIY Aluminum Foil Molds for Hot Cocoa Bombs
Craving a hot chocolate bomb after a fun day out in the snow, but you don't have a silicone mold? Try using this ingenious foil method.
1. Create a sturdy piece of foil. Take a piece of foil and fold it in half and then in half again to create a sturdy piece.
2. Wrap the foil around a small ball. Gently form the foil around a tennis ball, ping pong ball, plastic Christmas ball ornament, or any ball that’s no bigger than 2 1/2 inches. (You want it to fit into your mug!).
3. Trim the foil mold. Remove the foil from the ball and delicately cut the excess foil at its equator, creating a smooth, even edge. Now you have a foil mold that can exactly like its silicone and acrylic buddies.
4. Make more foil molds. Make an even amount of foil molds and you are all set to apply the melted chocolate just as you would the silicone mold method.
How to Make Hot Chocolate Bombs with Ice Cubes
This is an even more unconventional way to create a hot chocolate bomb. This method works well and the sky's the limit when it comes to ice shapes you can form. The chocolate finish on this method is a bit more rustic than the ultra-clean and shiny finish you achieve with the silicone molds, but it still is effective.
1. Freeze water in a small bowl. A few hours before you plan on making your hot chocolate bombs, pour water into any small 2 to 2 1/2-inch bowl, place a small spoon or teaspoon in the water and freeze it for 2-3 hours until solid. I used these cute plastic heart shaped bowls. I recommend making at least two of these ice molds so you can work in batches. In between uses, keep the mold in the freezer because ice … well, you know.
2. Release the ice cube "mold" from the bowl. When your ice mold is completely frozen, using the heat from your hand, gently allow the ice to release from the bowl.
3. Dip the ice cube in melted chocolate. You now have a half-sphere or ice form that you will dip into your bowl of melted chocolate, coating the ice evenly. The ice will harden the chocolate in a minute or two.
4. Shimmy the chocolate off the ice. Then, with the palm of your hand, ever so gently, shimmy the chocolate free.
5. Dry the ice between uses. The ice mold can be used several times, just be sure to "dry" the ice with a paper towel in between uses.
How to Make Variations of Hot Chocolate Bombs
Ready to get even more creative with your hot chocolate bombs? Here are some fun little variations you can play with.
- Add extracts. Add a few drops of your favorite extract (like peppermint, mint, orange, raspberry or vanilla) to the chocolate before you melt it for an extra boost of flavor.
- Make a caramel center. Add your favorite caramel to the center for a dulce de leche-inspired variation.
- Color white chocolate. Color melted white chocolate with a few drops of food coloring.
- Sprinkle with mints. Crush up candy canes or peppermints, and sprinkle them on top and inside your bombs for a surprising minty burst.
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