I've jumped on the hot cocoa bomb craze, and so glad I did. There was a lot to learn throughout this process so I thought I would help others who have wanted to give these a try but aren't sure where to start. This is not going to be your typical blog post from me, but more of a how to and some helpful tips and links on where to buy items.
I originally bought this mold off of Amazon, which is 2" in diameter, but I found them to be too small (these are medium size). They still make a great cup of hot cocoa but I couldn't add as much marshmallow or additional flavoring. I ended up purchasing this larger mold, which is 2.5" in diameter, and it's about the size of a cupcake. The following information is based on the large 2.5" diameter mold.
Hot Cocoa (milk or dark chocolate):
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup non-fat dry milk
Sift all ingredients together in a bowl, store in a container or ziplock bag until ready to use. Use dark chocolate cocoa if you want dark chocolate hot cocoa (seems obvious but just in case). This recipe makes about 8-10 servings. If you don't want to make your own, you can buy hot cocoa packets. I will share my white chocolate cocoa recipe at a later time, stay tuned.
Chocolate:
I typically use Ghirardelli melting wafers. You can find them in dark, milk, or white chocolate. A 10 oz bag is about 2 cups of wafers and makes about 6 large (2.5" diameter) bombs. I had difficulty finding the milk chocolate so I bought Merckens chocolate wafers off of Amazon, and they worked just as well. Melting wafers are great because you don't have to temper the chocolate or work quickly. If the melted wafers start to harden, I just zap them in the microwave for 15 seconds.
Toppings & flavors:
I bought a bag of micro dehydrated marshmallows. Others prefer to use the mini marshmallows you can find at the grocery store. You can use either marshmallow as a topping as well.
Decorations will depend on the season or occasion that you are makin these for. I bought some hearts for Valentine's Day from Wilton and just a mix of red, pink and white. I also use the micro marshmallows as decoration, and crushed cookies if I'm making a specific flavor. Be creative! You'll want to coat the cocoa bomb with melted chocolate so your decorations stick.
Assembly:
When making the spheres, I find that the edges tend to crack after just one coat so I reinforce with 1-2 additional coatings, but just where it cracks and along the edges. I use the back of a spoon to coat the mold with chocolate and brush off excess with a spatula. Refrigerate for about 5 minutes or until chocolate has set.
My standard recipe is 1 heaping tbsp of hot cocoa mix and 2 tbsp of micro marshmallows. This should just about fill half of your sphere. If I'm adding flavor, that is in addition to my standard recipe.
To assemble the sphere after you've filled the bottom half, warm a plate in the microwave for about 30 seconds until just warm. Place the empty sphere half seam side down onto the plate and move it around in circles gently. Once slightly melted, line it up with the other half. The melted chocolate should form a seal. I place them in the fridge just to set, but otherwise they can be sealed and stay at room temperature away from a heat source.
To Serve:
Place hot cocoa bomb in a mug, it's ok if it gets stuck in the middle. Pour 8-10 oz (about 1 cup or more) of hot milk of your choice over the bomb. The bomb should open and the contents will start to spill out. Mix with a spoon until combined. Enjoy and careful not to burn yourself!
Packaging:
Most standard cupcake packages should work! I bought single plastic cupcake holders and 6x6x4 bakery boxes that fit 4 bombs comfortably.
Hope this helps you get started on making hot cocoa bombs! I have some for sale on a rolling basis for $5/each or 4 for $16. Any more than 4 will be $4/bombs. I can also make custom orders, such as baby showers, and those will have different price points depending on the level of customization. Follow me on Instagram (@francipes) for my cocoa bomb sales or email inquires to francesca@francipes.com.
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