Baking came to me late, somewhere in my mid-twenties I think, when I and my now hubs moved to Seattle together. Chocolate chip cookies and banana bread were obvious staples, but after we bought our first house I wanted to christen the kitchen with a major culinary attempt (for me): lasagna and tiramisu. These were from scratch and not-so-sadly neither have been revisited. They were tasty, I think, but the time they took this novice to create was terrible.
I wasn’t deterred, though, and still enjoy baking today – although my tastesbuds and visual appetite crave more sweet than savory. I’ll take the challenge of a rainbow unicorn cake over dinner any night of the week. Even the most imperfect pastries are just cuter. 🤷🏽♀️
Spontaneity is in my soul, and random acts of baking simply make me happy. I’ve only recently realized it’s one of my love languages – most often showered on my children because they clearly inherited my sweet teeth. I think they therefore have more appreciation for my creations than my savory-spicy-loving spouse.
I usually like to attempt a new-to-me treat around this time every year. Last Christmas it was eggnog logs my friend addicted me to gifted the year before. Do you know there is ZERO eggnog harmed in that recipe?! Anyway, in this the year of the bummer, I jumped on the hot chocolate bandwagon at bedtime-thirty and tried my hand at cocoa bombs. 🍫💣
It seems like these things exploded on the scene this year (in my social circles at least), adding a bit of jazz hands to a traditional seasonal treat and a fun way to present it. Yes, please!
I did need to order and patiently wait for the silicone molds that right now are as in demand as a roll of TP in early 2020. There’s also such a thing as an acrylic mold, but since I had to look that up to know what it was, I deemed it unnecessary. You do you!
With my 2-inch silicone mold finally in hand, I used a makeshift double boiler to melt down a bar of bakers dark chocolate, a full Hershey’s bar, plus three minis left over from Halloween and tossed in two handfuls of chocolate chips. Probably completely unnecessary, but I mentioned spontaneous, right? If using a microwave, heat in 15-second increments until almost melted, stirring in between each set until smooth.
Once your chocolate’s melted, begin scooping dallops of that tasty sauce into the mold. I did try using a paint brush to smooth the chocolate along the sides, but honestly I found the back of a small spoon easier and better at leaving a thicker layer inside the molds.
Note two layers helps guard against the chocolate cracking when you pop/peel them out of the mold. Refrigerate for 5 minutes between layers to help the chocolate set up. Also build up that top edge on the second layer so it’s easier to “glue” the halves together!
TIP: Using gloves would help reduce the residual fingerprints while handling the cocoa bombs. You can also just decorate the outside more liberally to cover blemishes. 🤪
The options are endless for your choice of hot chocolate mix. Gourmet to organic. I may even try my hand at a diy version eventually, but for now I grabbed a container of Swiss Miss because it was the largest the store offered and my kids are drinking cocoa on the daily right now. I measured about a half tablespoon into my cups; you could go more in larger spheres and more flavor.
Then it was on to the fun of bonus ingredients! Marshmallows are a must, so I ordered a mini dehydrated vanilla version that reminded me of my childhood favorite, Lucky Charms. I also wanted to avoid the eventual sticky blobs my mallows turn into while stored. TIP: A friend said storing them in a freezer helps!
You can leave it at that, or add seasonal sprinkles, candy cane pieces, chocolate chips, caramel bits … you name it as long as you don’t mind it floating in your cocoa!
Next warm a plate with hot water, dry it with a paper towel, then run the empty halves over the plate to smooth the edges and help seal them to their filled counterparts by pressing together gently.
Steam or heat about a cup of milk. Place the cocoa bomb in a cup and pour the hot milk over the sphere. The heated milk will help melt the chocolate shell to reveal the marshmallows.
Stir and enjoy!
Ingredients
Makes 6 bombs, using 2-inch mold
• 1 cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate for melting. More if using spheres larger than 2 inches
• 3-6 Tbsp hot chocolate mix
• 1/2 cup mini marshmallows (regular or dehydrated minis also work!)
• 1/2 cup sprinkles or bonus ingredients (candy cane pieces, chocolate chips, etc.)
Equipment
• Silicon Sphere Mold (I used 2 inch mold)
• Cupcake liners (not necessary but helpful to hold the finished product)
Instructions
1. Melt chocolate in a double boiler, or simply a bowl over a simmering pot of water. Turn off heat but keep bowl over pot to maintain melted texture. *If using a microwave, heat in 15-second intervals and stir between each. Once mostly melted you should be able to stir enough to melt the rest.
2. Paint 1-2 tsp of chocolate inside the molds using a spoon or paintbrush. Refrigerate for 5 minutes.
3. Paint a second layer in the molds. Build up the edge. Refrigerate again for 5 minutes.
4. Peel mold away from each sphere and fill half with 1/2 tablespoon hot chocolate mix and 6-7 mini marshmallows, and optional sprinkles.
5. Warm a plate and twist the edge of the empty halves along the plate. Press gently to a filled half to seal.
6. Repeat with remaining shells. Refrigerate for 5 minutes to set.
7. Drizzle with melted chocolate and decorate with sprinkles, mallows – go crazy!
8. Add 1 cocoa bomb to a mug and pour 8-10 ounces of hot milk over top. Stir until melted.
Random Acts of Reality 