Looking for how to make hot chocolate bombs easy at home and the best chocolate for hot cocoa bombs? You've found all the info you need! Hot chocolate bombs are chocolate balls that are filled marshmallows.
Pour steaming hot milk over to watch the chocolate crack open and marshmallows pop out! These DIY hot cocoa bombs are made with just two simple ingredients. Plus, they make a great gift for friends and family members during the holidays. Keep reading for instructions on how to make your own DIY hot chocolate bombs! Hot chocolate bombs release a flurry of marshmallows creating a decadent cup of hot cocoa when mixed with milk.
Looking for other fun drinks to make? Try these gingerbread latte pourovers or valentines day mocha lattes.
What's the best chocolate for hot cocoa bombs?
The best chocolate for hot cocoa bombs isn't actually chocolate at all - it's confectionery coating. Real chocolate is too rich and heavy tasting for your average hot cocoa drinker. Chocolate chips are not good for hot chocolate bombs because are meant to hold their shape under oven heat and don't melt well in hot milk.
When choosing a confectionery coating, you want to use a high quality one. I recommend these:
- Clasen Alpine Dark Confectionery Coating. This is my top choice because it is a WORKHORSE. In the candy industry, this coating is chosen time and time again because of its consistent high quality results, flavor, and texture. It is the gold standard in confectionery coatings. If you are making these to sell, this is what I recommend.
- ifi Provisions BelCoat dark confectionery coating. A great option that has a rich flavor. I love the pack out options for this coating because you don't have to purchase a ton. If you do choose this coating, code "onesweetmama" gives you a 15% discount.
- Ghirardelli dark confectionery coating. My third choice because this coating has slightly too high of a fat content in it and it can become oily and hard to work with. It does have a nice taste to it and is commercially available in most stores.
Picking a mold for hot cocoa bombs
The best mold for hot cocoa bombs will be made from a rigid plastic or polycarbonate material. The mold I use is from hobby lobby and often on sale for 50% off. It is the Sunny Side Up bakery brand and has 5 cavities per mold. It's currently not available online but should be available in store at Hobby Lobby. If you are looking to make these to sell, I highly recommend purchasing multiple of the molds when they are on sale.
Using cocoa in hot chocolate bombs
Both chocolate and chocolate compound are made from the same thing hot cocoa mix is.. cocoa and sugar. If making a standard cup of hot cocoa, you do not need to add this in. It will make your hot chocolate overly sweet.
How to seal hot chocolate bombs
Sealing the hot chocolate bomb is taking the two halves of the chocolate sphere and combining them together to make one piece. Seal them after you have placed marshmallows in one half.
Method 1: Dip one half the chocolate sphere in melted chocolate around the rim. Place on top of half containing marshmallows.
Method 2 (seen in video): Microwave an empty plate for 30-35 seconds. Carefully take plate out of microwave. Place 1 of the chocolate hemispheres on the microwaveable plate and let it sit for 5-10 seconds until chocolate begins to melt. Pick up and place on top of chocolate half filled with marshmallows.
Method 3: Using a candle warmer and parchment paper! Plug candle warmer in. Place parchment paper on top of candle warmer. Place ½ of chocolate piece on parchment paper until the edges begin to melt. Pick up and seal on top of chocolate half containing marshmallows.
How to package hot chocolate bombs to sell
I package my hot cocoa bombs individually in cello bags, tied with a twist tie. Then a holiday bow along with a hang tag that lists ingredients and instructions is placed over the twist tie.
Cello bags with twist ties (Amazon)
holiday bows (Amazon)
Hang tags - produced in Canva and printed from Uprinting.com
The biggest mistakes I see people make when making hot chocolate bombs
- Using a brush to "paint" the molds. Creating layers of chocolate produces a weak chocolate shell. It's also not necessary and a huge waste of time. The fill and spill method is better because it makes an even chocolate layer for the shell and saves a ton of time.
- Using silicone molds. Silicone molds are flimsy and hard to work with. They are also hard to get the chocolate out of without it cracking. A rigid plastic or polycarbonate mold is much easier to use.
- Refrigerating the hot cocoa bombs. DON'T DO THIS! You do NOT need to do this for shelf life! Both the chocolate, confectionery compound, and marshmallows are shelf stable items with long shelf lives. Once you seal your hot cocoa bomb as a sphere, and place it in a bag for packaging, it will last 3 months or longer at room temperature. I tested mine 6 months after making them , stored at room temperature, and they were still good.
- Putting hot cocoa mix inside of the hot chocolate bomb. Both chocolate and chocolate compound are made from the same thing hot cocoa mix is.. cocoa and sugar. If making a standard cup of hot cocoa, you do not need to add this in. It will make your hot chocolate overly sweet.
How long do how chocolate bombs last?
Once you seal your hot cocoa bomb as a sphere, and place it in a bag for packaging, it will last 3 months or longer at room temperature. I tested mine 6 months after making them , stored at room temperature, and they were still good. Do not store in refrigerator or freezer.
How many hot chocolate bombs does this make?
The yield for your hot cocoa bombs is dependent on the size of your chocolate sphere. Using hobby lobby mold and two pounds of chocolate confectionery coating yields 10 hot chocolate bombs. I put approximately 1 ounce of mini marshmallows inside of each hot chocolate bomb.
How to make hot chocolate bombs at home
Hot Chocolate Bombs
Equipment
- rigid plastic or polycarbonate chocolate sphere mold may also be named chocolate bowl mold , chocolate ball
- dough scraper
Ingredients
- 2 lbs dark chocolate confectionery coating
- 10 ounces mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Melt 2 pounds of dark chocolate confectionery coating in the microwave until fluid. Do not over heat. Melt 1 minute, stir, 30 seconds, stir, and add 30 second intervals stirring after each one until fluid.
- Pour confectionery coating into molds filling them to the top. Let molds sit for 30 seconds.
- Pour out chocolate candy coating back into bowl you melted it in.
- Scrape the mold using the dough scraper to create a clean edge around the mold.
- Place mold upside down on parchment paper and in the fridge until chocolate is set up. It will release cleanly when set.
- Repeat this process until all confectionery coating is used and shells are made.
- Fill ½ of the chocolate spheres with marshmallows.
- Seal chocolate spheres using preferred method above.
- Package as desired.
Video
@onesweeetmama Hot cocoa season is here! #christmascountdown #hotchocolate #holidaytiktok #cozylittlechristmas ♬ Christmas Is Coming - DM Production
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!