How to Make Your Own Hot Chocolate Bombs (Easy Recipe)

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Hot Chocolate Bombs offer a unique twist on classic hot cocoa. Easy to make at home, these chocolate spheres, filled with cocoa and marshmallows, melt into rich, chocolatey hot chocolate. Perfect for relaxing at home or as a creative holiday gift.

What are Hot Chocolate Bombs?

DIY Hot Chocolate Bombs are made with spheres of chocolate on the outside and filled with hot cocoa powder and mini marshmallows on the inside.

When placed in a cup of steamed milk, they melt and dissolve to make the perfect steaming cup of creamy, chocolaty goodness.

Hot Cocoa Bombs make such an easy DIY gift!

Making the bombs is a simple process, and yields a decent sized batch, so I love to have these on hand all winter. They also make for a great homemade gift to give during the holiday season. Everyone loves them.

You can get super creative with how you decorate them by drizzling colored chocolate to give them a festive look.

If you are looking for a totally adorable Hot Chocolate Bomb gift packaging, check out my friend Cindy! She made a super cute easy printable you can download!

Also, check out our Valentine’s Day Hot Chocolate Bombs! They are super cute!!!

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Hot Chocolate Bombs Recipe Ingredients

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 tablespoons hot cocoa mix
¾ cup mini marshmallows
¼ cup white chocolate chips
Milk for serving (steamed)

Tools Needed to make DIY Hot Chocolate Bombs

Hot Cocoa Bombs Recipe Additions & Substitutions

Chocolate Chips: If you prefer a more creamy chocolate, you can use milk chocolate chips in place of the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Likewise, you could make this a white chocolate or dark chocolate hot chocolate by substituting white or dark chocolate chips.

Mini marshmallows: The addition of mini marshmallows inside of your bombs is completely optional. You could choose to leave them out and add marshmallows to the top of your mug of hot chocolate.

Milk: When serving your hot chocolate bombs you’ll need steamed milk. You can use any type of milk! 2% makes the creamiest and richest hot chocolate, but you could use low or nonfat milk as well. You can also use dairy free milks such as oat, almond, coconut, or soy milk.

How to Make Hot Chocolate Bombs

CHOP: chocolate chips very finely.
PLACE: 5 oz of chocolate in the microwave in 15-second increments.
STIR: when melted and check temp. It should be about 100-113 degrees.
ADD: remaining chocolate and stir all together until temp is about 85 degrees.
MICROWAVE: chocolate once more for 15 seconds on defrost setting to get to 90 degrees.
APPLY: 2 thin coats to the inside of each sphere in your candy mold using a brush or back of a spoon.
CLEAN: excess chocolate from the mold.
REFRIGERATE: until chocolate sets.
POP: the molded chocolate out.
FILL: one sphere half with cocoa powder and mini marshmallows (or any other fillings you desire).
HEAT: a small plate in the microwave.
PLACE: the empty sphere half onto the hot plate.
PRESS: together the two halves to seal together.
PUT: white chocolate chips in piping or Ziploc bag and microwave for 20-second increments.
DRIZZLE: white chocolate over spheres for decoration.

Getting Creative with Your Hot Chocolate Bombs

You can get super creative with these hot chocolate bombs. Some fun ideas are:

Colorful: Get colorful with the chocolate colors. Either buy already tinted chocolate or add a little food gel coloring to the white chocolate!

Toppings: After you drizzle the chocolate on top there are some delicious toppings you could add. Some of our favorites include crushed peppermint or candy canes, M&M’s, cinnamon and cayenne (to make a Mexican hot chocolate bomb), sprinkles (because sprinkles make everything better!)

Hot Cocoa Bombs Recipe Tips

Heating & Cooling: The heating and cooling instructions are very important to follow, as it will change the final outcome and prettiness of your bombs. The chocolate will mold into a beautiful, shiny, crisp chocolate shell if the instructions are followed correctly.

Chocolate Types: These heating and cooling instructions will be slightly different depending on the type of chocolate you are working with. If you’re using dipping chocolate or candy melts, it doesn’t require tempering, but it won’t taste as good!

Use Gloves: You can use gloves to limit the fingerprints on your chocolate!

How to use Hot Cocoa Bombs

To serve your hot chocolate bombs:

Place them in a mug.
Pour about 8 ounces of steamed milk over the chocolate bomb.
Stir well and enjoy!

These bombs make for a great Christmas gift. You can type up these instructions or write them on a little tag and attach it to a cute baggie that you put the bombs in. It’s such a simple homemade treat.

Hot Chocolate Bombs Recipe storage

Store your hot chocolate bombs in an airtight container or bag in a cool, dry location for up to two weeks. You can also store them in the fridge or freezer to keep them cold and store them for a bit longer.

How to Make Hot Cocoa Bombs Recipe FAQs

Do you put hot chocolate bombs in water or milk?

Hot chocolate bombs are typically placed in a mug and hot milk is poured over them for the best flavor and creaminess, although hot water can also be used as a lighter alternative.

Why are my hot chocolate bombs not shiny?

If your hot chocolate bombs are not shiny, it could be due to the tempering process of the chocolate. Chocolate that hasn’t been properly tempered can set with a dull finish. For a shiny appearance, ensure the chocolate is melted and cooled to the correct temperatures specific to its type (dark, milk, or white chocolate). Also, moisture or fingerprints on molds can affect the shine, so use clean, dry, and preferably polished molds.

What is the best way to seal hot chocolate bombs?

The best way to seal hot chocolate bombs is by gently heating the edges of the two chocolate halves on a warm plate or pan just until they start to melt, then pressing them together to form a seal. Ensure the edges are smooth and even for a clean, secure seal. Some people use a bit of melted chocolate piped along the seam for extra reinforcement.

What is the best chocolate to use when making cocoa bombs?

You can choose between dark, milk, or white chocolate based on your flavor preference.

More Holiday Treats

5 from 1 vote

Hot Chocolate Bombs Recipe

Author — Jennifer Fishkind

Serves —

Create your own Hot Chocolate Bombs for a cozy and fun winter treat!

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Prep Time 1

Total Time 1

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Ingredients

▢ 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
▢ 4 tablespoons hot cocoa mix
▢ ¾ cup mini marshmallows
▢ ¼ cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

Chop chocolate chips as finely as possible, which will aid in more even melting.
Place 5 ounces of chopped chocolate (about ⅔ of the chocolate) in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on the defrost setting in 15 second increments, stirring between each. When most of the chocolate is melted, with a few pieces still solid, stop microwaving and stir to finish melting the chocolate. The temperature for semi-sweet chocolate should be between 100-113°F at this point and not hotter than 120°F.
Add the remaining chocolate pieces and stir until they are mostly melted and incorporated. Continue stirring the chocolate until it cools to about 85°F.
Place the chocolate back into the microwave on the defrost setting for 15 seconds once more. This should be enough time to heat the chocolate back up to 90° and make it fluid for molding.
Use a basting brush, paintbrush or the back of a spoon (a soup spoon works great!) to coat the inside of each sphere of the candy mold. Apply two thin coats or one thicker coat, between 1/16” and ⅛”.
Use a knife or straight edge to clean up any excess chocolate on the surface of the mold.
Place the mold in the refrigerator for 3-5 minutes until the chocolate sets.
Gently pop the molded chocolate from the silicone mold.
Spoon 1 ½” teaspoons of hot cocoa mix powder into one side of each sphere half. Add as many mini marshmallows as you can.
Heat an empty plate in the microwave for about a minute and place it next to your work space.
Place the empty half of each sphere, open side down onto the plate for just a couple seconds to melt the rim. Quickly press the melted rim against the rim of the other half to seal the sphere together.
You can alternately paint a bit of melted chocolate on the edge to glue the two sides together, but this leaves more of a visible line.
Place white chocolate chips in a piping bag or Ziploc bag. Microwave in 20 second increments, squishing the chocolate within the bag, until it is fully melted. Snip off a small corner of the bag (or the tip if using a piping bag).
Drizzle the white chocolate over the top of each hot chocolate sphere for decoration.

Serving:

To serve, place a hot chocolate bomb in a mug. Pour 8 oz. of steamed milk over the chocolate. Stir and drink up!

Jenn’s Notes

Storage: Store hot chocolate bombs in an airtight container or bag in a cool, dry location for up to two weeks.

Notes:

Heating and cooling instructions should temper the chocolate so that it molds into a shiny, crisp chocolate shell.
Temperatures for tempering the chocolate will be different for milk or white chocolate.
Candy melts or “dipping chocolate” does not require tempering, but it doesn’t taste as good.
Use gloves to limit fingerprints on the chocolate.

Nutrition Info

Next time you’re enjoying a cup of hot cocoa, I hope it’s with these delicious hot chocolate bombs. Simply add steamed milk and watch the bomb melt and dissolve. You will love this fun new way to enjoy this classic winter beverage!