The Joy of Hot Cocoa Bombs: A Winter Wonderland
As the winter season approaches, there's nothing quite like curling up with a warm cup of hot cocoa to get us in the mood. And for those who love the magic of childhood memories, making hot cocoa bombs is a must-try activity. In this article, we'll explore the delightful world of hot cocoa bombs and how to make them at home.
Creating Hot Cocoa Bombs
The process of making hot cocoa bombs is quite simple, yet it requires some finesse. We start by melting some chocolate and mixing it with hot cocoa powder in a small bowl. This creates a delicious and rich mixture that will soon be exploding into our mugs. Next, we add some tiny marshmallows, crushed candy canes, and other festive toppings to create the perfect hot cocoa bomb.
To make the bombs, we take a hemisphere-shaped mold and fill it with the chocolate and hot cocoa mixture. We then rotate the mold gently to get the edge cleaned off, making sure it's nice and flat. Two teaspoons of hot cocoa powder are added to each bomb, followed by some marshmallows. The bombs are then rubbed on top to seal them and place them in a cupcake liner for decoration.
Adding a Personal Touch
One of the best things about making hot cocoa bombs is that we can customize them to our hearts' content. We can add different flavors like peppermint or hazelnut, use various types of chocolate, or even add some festive sprinkles on top. For this recipe, we're using peppermint extract and crushed candy canes to give the bombs a fun and refreshing twist.
The Art of Decorating
After filling the cupcake liners with hot cocoa bombs, we get to decorate them with a little bit of creativity. We use holly leaves or other festive decorations to make the bombs look like they belong in a winter wonderland. This not only adds a touch of whimsy but also hides any imperfections that might be present.
The Moment of Truth
Now it's time to see our hard work come together and make those hot cocoa bombs explode into a delicious, chocolatey treat. We pour scalded milk into the mug, making sure it's large enough to accommodate the diameter of the bomb. The moment we lower the bomb into the milk, the marshmallows start melting, releasing a burst of hot cocoa flavor that will leave us wanting more.
Tasting the Magic
The first taste is always the most magical part of making hot cocoa bombs. As we stir the mixture and get all the flavors to combine, the aroma fills the air, transporting us back to our childhood memories of sipping on rich, chocolatey goodness. The texture of the marshmallows adds a delightful crunch, while the peppermint flavor provides a refreshing twist.
The Joy of Consumable Gifts
One of the most wonderful things about hot cocoa bombs is that they make for the perfect consumable gifts. We can wrap them in festive packaging and give them to loved ones as a token of our love and appreciation. And because they're made with love and care, they become something truly special – a reminder that it's the thought that counts, not just the gift itself.
Conclusion
Making hot cocoa bombs is a delightful winter activity that brings us joy, nostalgia, and the simple pleasure of sipping on delicious chocolatey goodness. Whether you're making them for yourself or as a gift for someone special, these little treats are sure to put a smile on your face. So go ahead, get creative, and make some hot cocoa bombs today!
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en(festive music)- Greetings my beautiful lovelies.It's Emmy. How are you?It's great to see you, and welcome back.Today, I'm going to bemaking hot cocoa bombs.These are little chocolate spheresthat contain hot cocoa powderand maybe some marshmallows,maybe some crushed candy cane.You place them into your empty mug,pour hot coffee, pour hot milk,whatever you are inclinedto pour on top of it.And it will melt your sphere of chocolate,unloading its contents,making for a lovely, eventful,and exciting cup of cocoa.Well, at least it looks exciting.That kind of (splutters) happens.And then, and then, you know,(imitates gulping) you know, hot cocoa.So I first learned aboutthis a few months ago.I didn't want to do the recipeuntil it got a little bit colderand it felt more like hot cocoa season.But this has been around for a few years.Apparently, you can buythese hot cocoa bombs.And when I researchedthis three months ago,there were just a coupleof YouTube videos,including Jira Williams' video,which I'll put a link down below.I'm going to be basingmine loosely on hers.Although now there are tons of videoson how to make homemade hot cocoa bombs.I really want to make these myselfbecause I want that experienceof the (imitates explosion)of the contents into my hot chocolate.Yes. Yes.So you're going to needsome kind of hemisphere moldbecause we're going tomake a sphere after all.And the most popular one I've seen used,and the one Jira are uses in her videois this silicone red mold.I happen to have the same exact mold.I used it to make my raindrop cakeyears and years and years ago.I'll put a link down below to that videoin case you missed it.Next, we're gonna needsome compound chocolate.And I think it's importantto use compound chocolateor baking melts,because you don't need to temper this.You're going to get a nice,beautiful, shiny effectusing compound chocolaterather than using real chocolate.Real chocolate is prettyfinicky in my experience.And you have to have itat the right temperatureto ensure that you have theright kind of chocolate crystalsin your chocolateso that you have a shiny and crisp result.You want a beautiful looking cocoa bomb.Well, with compound chocolate,you don't really need to do that,because it is a compound chocolate.It is not pure chocolate.There are other additives,fats that are added,to get that crisp texture and that sheen.But what you're sacrificing is flavor.You're not going to havethat really greatintense chocolate flavor.But we're not making somekind of fancy dessertthat we're charging anexorbitant price for.We're making hot cocoa bombs.I think these would be greatgifts to make for people,and compound chocolate is gonnabe the simplest way to go.So what we're gonna do is take one poundof compound chocolate.This is also called almond bark,or you can use candy melts,and you're going to melt it.You can do this in a microwave-safe bowl,and place it in the microwavefor 30-second intervals,stirring in-between, untilit gets nice and liquidy,or you can do what I didand place the chocolateinto a heat-safe bowland place it over some boiling water.So once you have about 95%of the chocolate melted,turn off the heat and justallow the rest of the heatthat's in the chocolate tomelt the remaining chocolate.We don't want the chocolate to be too hot.If it's too hot, your hemisphereis going to be too thin.So take about two tablespoonsof your warm chocolateand place it into your hemisphere mold.And then use the bowl of the spoonto coax the chocolate along the walls.We really want to make sure we get enoughon the edge of the mold,because that's going tobe the thinnest part.And we want that reallykind of to be built up.Tilt this and rotate it around.You can also flip it upsidedown to tap out any excess.Then we're gonna placeit in the refrigeratorfor at least five minutesor until it sets up.Compound chocolate setsup very, very quickly.So this is the stage we're at right now.Let me go grab my molds.So here are my chocolate hemispheres,and they've set up, and theylook shiny on the inside.And I'm hoping that they're gonna be shinyon the other side as well.Now we're going to verycarefully extricate theseout of the mold.So just gently pull this out.So I do have some crackinghere, which is fine, I guess.Oof, very shiny though. Look at that.These are cracking morethan I want them to.And right around the edges,we're going to do justa little reinforcing.These molds have cooled,so the chocolate shouldsolidify pretty easily.So let's try to get these out once again.Perfect. There we have it.Lovely. Look how shiny that is.If they crack a littlebit, it's all right.You can either remelt it or just use it,and just like, it's fine.For the kids, as KevinMcCallister would say.Now we've got to glue them together.So, I'm just going to warmup a non-stick pan....(flames roar)on low for just a few minutes --just so it's just barely warm.So now we're gonna fill the cocoa bombs.So I've got some minitiny marshmallows here.These are the kind that you used to getin the Swiss Miss bags:the little tiny, tinydehydrated marshmallows.And I also have some hot cocoa mix,and I also have some crushedcandy canes here as well.Now we're gonna take our hemisphereand put it on the skillet.Just rotate a little bit, justto get the edge cleaned off.Okay, that'll make it nice and flat.Two teaspoons of hot cocoapowder and add some marshmallows.I'm going to add a bunch of marshmallows.And do the same thing.Rub it on here andplace this right on top.And that's going to beour cocoa bomb there.There you have it, my lovelies.There is a hot cocoa bomb.I can't wait to place this intomy mug with some hot water.All righty, let's make another one.Do the same thing.Cocoa powder, and putmarshmallows in this one too.And so this one, I'm goingto add some peppermints.(candy clinks)Whoopsies.This is one mini candycane that I've crushed up.There's the peppermint version.To dress this up a little bit,I'm going to take a littleof this hot chocolateand drizzle it right on top.Dun-dun-dun-dun.(joyous Christmas music)All righty, my beautiful lovelies,look at my hot cocoa bombs.Aren't they adorable?So I went ahead and placed themin these little cupcake liners.It makes them a little bitmore professional looking.It also hides any imperfections,which I definitely have.I add a little bit ofholly for decoration,and these are so stinking cute.All righty, let's go ahead and seeif we can make our hot cocoa bombs bomb.So over here, I've got some milkcoming up to the scald here.I'm gonna pour it into this pitcherso it makes it easier to pour.Now, it's important to makesure your mug is large enoughto accommodate the diameterof your hot cocoa bomb.Because if it doesn't fit,then you can't do this right.I'm gonna opt for the peppermint.So I'm gonna take this spoon,kind of use that to help it.There we go. Lower it into the mug.Now for the moment of truth, here we go.Hot milk over our hot cocoa bomb.(festive music)(hums expectantly)(milk trickles)(gasps)Oh yes.Yes! (laughs)That burst of all the marshmallows, yes!That's what I'm talking about, yeah!So now we're going to stir this upand get all of thathot cocoa and chocolateto mix into the milkand the peppermint too.Oh my gosh, I can't waitto do this with my kids.They're gonna love it.This means it's officially holiday season.Cheers! (slurps)(laughs)That tastes like childhood.Something about the flavorof instant hot chocolatetransports you to age seven.So good.You've got those strangedehydrated marshmallows on topthat are crunchy and have kindof a frosting flavor to them.It doesn't taste like real chocolate.It tastes like instant hot cocoa powder.And of course it doesbecause we have a combinationof compound chocolate and hot cocoa mix.The hot chocolate itself is very richbecause we used hot wholemilk rather than hot water.And there's a little bitof peppermint in there.I think I would use more peppermint flavorto make this more pepperminty,but just a little kiss of mint in thereis really quite nice.Mm-hmm.I think these would make really fun giftsjust for the experience ofthe exploding chocolate bomb,and who doesn't love hot chocolate?Also, I am a huge fan ofconsumable gift giving.I love the fact of givingsomething that can be consumed,enjoyed, filled with love, andnot fill up someone's space.Just love that.All righty, my lovelies.That's how you make hot cocoa bombs.Thanks so much for watching.I hope you enjoyed that one.I hope you learned something.Please share this video with your friends.Follow me on social media.Like this video, subscribe,and I shall see you in the next one.Toodle-oo! Take care! Byeee!(elegant violin music)(festive music)Toodle-oo! Take care!Byeee. (burps) I don't know.Hot cocoa, it shouldn'tmake me burp, but it does.\n"
