This is the weather that I thrive in. It’s not too cold, but the perfect temperature to be wrapped in a blanket, drinking hot chocolate all day.
However, there is a new trend, hot chocolate bombs which have been all over my TikTok feed. How hard could it really be? Before I knew about this, my normal hot chocolate recipe was to go all out with hot chocolate mix, vanilla powder, marshmallows and whipped cream with cinnamon on top.
The basic idea of a hot chocolate bomb is to get a large mold, put a thin layer of chocolate in it to make the shape and then fill it with hot chocolate ingredients and close the chocolate halves.
For the mold, I originally wanted a simple sphere, but I could not find it anywhere. With Amazon having two-week shipping, I went to Michaels. There I found an ornament-shaped mold which I loved. I am so excited for the holidays, making it perfect.
This was also my first attempt at melting chocolate using a water bath. That means to take a small pot and put it in a bigger pot which is filled with water on the stove.
The ingredients I used were chocolate melting wafers, chocolate morsels, hot chocolate mix, vanilla powder and marshmallows for the ornaments.
I melted the wafers; I started with a few then added more as the chocolate melted. A few layers of chocolate later, I left them in my freezer for an hour.
Each one shattered the moment that I took each one of them out. At least they tasted good!
Attempt #2:
This attempt never made it to the mold stage. I wanted to overcompensate for the lack of chocolate so I covered the surface of the small pot in the wafers. With that many wafers in the pot, it was impossible to melt and began to burn.
Attempt #3:
Third time’s the charm?
For the melting stage, I did the same as the first attempt, but I melted far more wafers. First, I added a few, but when those began to melt, I added more. I kept repeating that step until I felt like I covered the ornaments fully. I coated each of the molds at least five times.
For making two of the ornament halves, I used two parts wafers and one part morsels. Chocolate chips are meant to retain their shape so I thought maybe adding one part of chocolate morsels would help it leave the mold.
This time, it was only in the freezer for 30 minutes. As they left the mold, all of them came out, not whole, but in big pieces. The top of the ornament kept breaking off.
This batch I was able to get two halves out, which is one whole ornament.
I used the same methods as before but without any morsels. If my experimental batch turned out the same as the others, then the added chocolate likely had no effect.
This time, I wanted to ensure solidification. I did three coats of chocolate and I popped it into the freezer for one minute. Then, I added three more layers. 30 minutes later, I took them out. With only minor breaking, I was able to make all of them into ornaments.
Now, the filling is added to one chocolate half. I took one scoop of hot chocolate mix and one scoop of vanilla powder with a clump of marshmallows.
Next, I heated the edges of one ornament half on a pan and closed the side with the filling and the melted side together.
The ornament went into my most festive mug, which is inscribed: Dear Santa, I was framed. It then got destroyed by about eight ounces of hot milk, which was so satisfying to see. You have to stir all the chocolate in so that it does not settle at the bottom.
After it was mixed, I topped it with whipped cream and cinnamon.
My Review:
This is a fun version of hot chocolate. Now that I understand how to make hot chocolate bombs, I would like to make them again. It would be a good idea to make them in bulk so when you, your roommates or your family wants a cup, all they need to do is add their preferred liquid.
Hot chocolate bombs have, by no means, an easy recipe (I will not be disclosing the amount of chocolate I ate in my attempts). I struggled with the tiny ornament top the most. So, if you use a more solid shape, it would be a lot easier.
At the very least, this is a fun way to get out of your head and try something new!