How to Make Hot Chocolate Bombs
After the many food trends of the past months, hot chocolate bombs are making a comeback. This popular sweet drink is already a crowd favorite, but with social media amping up homemade food recipes, many are looking to make their own instead of buying pre-packed ones or being served in cafes.
They come in many fun and delicious varieties and are easy to make as well. You can even add them to your list of great Valentine’s day gifts for the upcoming occasion.
Hot Chocolate Bombs
Photo Credit: Food Network
For those unfamiliar with this drink, hot chocolate bombs are chocolate orbs filled with stuff such as cocoa mix, marshmallows, sprinkles, crushed candy canes, powdered milk, and other edible ingredients to your liking.
All you have to do is dump the ball of chocolate goodness into a mug of hot or warm milk and watch as the melted outer layer reveals all of the deliciousness inside.
It’s a fancy hot cocoa mix that adds a bit of flair to the usual add-stir-serve recipe. The best part is you can make it as simple or as garish as you want if you’re making it from scratch in your kitchen.
Recipes for hot chocolate bombs are fairly easy to follow and don’t require much time or effort to enjoy.
Why Are They Popular?
Food trends have been deemed as such mostly because of their popularity on many social media platforms. Much like the most popular ones in recent months, hot cocoa bombs have amassed a huge following, garnering millions of users using the hashtag #HotChocolateBombs. Its popularity is also great thanks to its sugary goodness that is loved by people of all ages.
There are hundreds of video tutorials, step by step blogs, and quick recipes all over the internet. These include many varieties of what’s inside the chocolate shells. Some use the simplest ingredients for beginners, while others have encouraged trying out new and unique recipes.
What Are They Great For?
Some might think the festive drink should be reserved for special occasions, and perhaps you would prefer that as well. However, hot chocolate bombs are pretty much great at any time of the day, no matter the weather, season, or festivities. You can adjust the drink’s temperature depending on your preference.
They are great as a breakfast drink, partnered with toast or pastries. You can have them midday, perhaps while reading or relaxing by the front porch. They also taste wonderful as a late-night refreshment, with the warmth settling in the belly and could help you rest better as a result. Children, adults, and older citizens love this popular beverage, and little wonder at that, too.
Steps On How to Make Them at Home
There are many ways to go about making your own homemade hot chocolate bombs. You can most likely scrounge up ingredients in the pantry and refrigerator with no problem.
However, one important tool to make it perfect is the mold that will shape the melted chocolate into little balls of sugary bombs. Here is a quick and easy recipe you might want to check out.
Ingredients:
- Good quality chocolate bars; milk chocolate or dark chocolate will do depending on your preference; chocolate chips can be a substitute but might not be a very good one
- Ingredients for filling; mini marshmallows, hot chocolate mix, sprinkles, crushed peanuts, and others
- Food thermometer
- Chocolate molds; silicone sphere molds, or acrylic molds should do
- ¼” pastry brush for applying melted chocolate to silicone molds
- Piping bag (optional)
- Microwave or double boiler for melting
Directions:
- Chop up chocolate bars for easier and more even melting. Finer pieces make it faster to melt, so be sure to chop them up well—place them in a microwaveable or heat-safe container.
- Pop in the chocolates in the microwave for 30 seconds. Take out and stir, then put back in for another 15 seconds. Temper the chocolate and make sure it is not above 90ºF.
- Take out the pastry brush, place two coats on the silicon mold or simply pour the melted mixture straight into the acrylic mold. Make a layer that is just-so in thickness, not so thick but not too thin either.
- Let the chocolate on the molds set until they harden. Carefully remove the chocolate and place on wax paper or a dry, clean surface.
- Prepare fillings and fill up one half of the orb. Put in as little or as much as you want.
- Take another half and cover the one with the fillings. Seal the two halves with melted chocolate using a piping bag or a brush.
- (Optional) Dip the finished hot chocolate spheres in sprinkles, crushed peanuts, honey, wafers, or any other toppings you prefer.
What to Consider
While enjoying a good cup of hot chocolate bombs to jump-start your workday or after a long tiring day is never a crime, there are still a few things to consider before you hop onto this food trend.
Much like most edibles out there, preference comes into great play whether or not a food or beverage is for you. Consider these factors before planning to make your hot cocoa treat from scratch.
Temperature Before Drinking
In the middle of summer? With this drink’s nature of needing hot or warm milk to work, you probably won’t feel very refreshed if you drink this in the sweltering heat. If you otherwise don’t mind, then go for warm milk instead, just heated enough to melt the chocolate shell. You can even opt to add in some ice after the chocolate and milk has been mixed.
It depends on your taste, but most folks seem to prefer drinking hot cocoa over the fire when the temperature outside drops. It’s a good beverage to heat the belly and keep your hands toasty warm while holding a steaming mug.
Dietary Restrictions
Chocolate allergies exist. Some may not even realize it until they’ve had a certain type of chocolate or overeaten the sugary treats and started having adverse reactions.
In this case, if you have no known allergy to eating chocolates, you’ll probably be fine after drinking it.
There is also the matter of how much sugar is present in this little recipe. If you have a diet restriction that includes limiting sugar intake, you might want to skip this one or at least reserve it for special occasions.
As an alternative, you can also opt for more natural ingredients such as dark cocoa, palm sugar, raw honey, and skip the marshmallows and sprinkles.
Types of Chocolate
In cooking up any recipe, you want to make sure you are using high-quality ingredients to make the final product delicious and look the part.
Using great quality chocolate bars in making your hot chocolate bombs is worth spending a few more bucks at your local groceries. Your drink will also only taste as good as the cocoa powder mixed with it.
Final Thoughts
Hot drink recipes always seem to make rounds on the internet and are served in many cafes during the colder seasons.
Some also like hot beverages in the mornings, so drinks like hot chocolate bombs are pretty much an all-year-round popular choice. If this is your first time hearing about this sweet deliciousness, try it out and see if the hype lives up to itself.
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