One way I’ve been coping with the stress of the pandemic — and all the time at home! — has been painting on pottery. A local shop offers to-go painting projects, and I’m hooked. Among my many projects were small hot chocolate mugs for kids. My son and a few of my favorite children received them. Others are already in the works for next year.
When I shared with a friend that I planned to add homemade hot chocolate mix as part of the gift drop off, she sent me a video. She had made hot chocolate bombs. It was the first I had heard of these, but apparently, they were the new hot thing. (thanks, interwebs!).
For National Hot Chocolate Day, I want to share how easy it is to make these. (And note: They don’t have to include dairy.)
Step 1: Make your mix.
Many store-bought hot chocolate mixes include powdered milk and are intended to be mixed with water. So, for those of us who are dairy-free, these are no bueno. Even if you can have dairy, though, I still think using fresh milk with a homemade mix is better. Before you make the molds themselves, prepare your mix. All you really need is sugar and cocoa powder. We did a 1:1 ratio for our personal tastes. If you like it sweeter, you might opt for a 2:1 ratio.
Step 2: Prepare chocolate for the molds.
First, you’ll need half-sphere molds on standby. I liked these hot chocolate bomb molds because they are super-flexible and the chocolate pops out easily.
For mine, I used Enjoy Life chocolates. That way, my dairy-allergic son could enjoy them, and we felt safe sharing them with other kiddos who have food allergies. I started by melting the chocolate. I use a makeshift double-boiler — placing a ceramic bowl on top of a pot of a boiling water and melting the chocolate slowly in the bowl.
Step 3: Make the chocolate spheres
Once the chocolate had melted, I spooned it (you can also use a brush if you’d rather) into the molds, setting them on a cookie sheet and then placing them in the freezer. After about 30 minutes, I added a second coat of chocolate to the molds and froze them again.
Step 4: Fill the hot chocolate bombs.
Now it’s time to finish the bombs! I waited a day (but I think another 30 minutes would be fine) to pop the chocolate out of the molds.
Then, I put a tablespoon of the chocolate mix into half of the half-spheres. You might also want to add a pinch of cinnamon or ancho chili powder — or a few marshmallows. (Kids love marshmallows!)
Step 5: Seal the hot chocolate bombs.
To seal the balls, I first microwaved a plate. Then, I took each of the empty half-spheres and touched them to the plate. That allowed them to melt a bit. Then, I placed each one on top of a filled half and placed the full bombs in the fridge.
Warning: These bombs are very delicate. I had a few break before we could use them properly.
Step 6: ENJOY!
Gently set the ball into a mug and then pour steaming hot milk of your choice (for us, almond) and stir.
These were a fun Christmas treat, and they can last all winter long!