Hot Chocolate Bombs (aka Hot Cocoa Bombs) are so popular in the United States at the moment that I initially planned to buy them as gifts. I looked at several listings but most didn’t have the flavor combinations that I liked. I do not have a sweet tooth so I was not thrilled by the standard combination of hot cocoa mix and marshmallows. Furthermore, I like rich European-style Hot Chocolate drinks and good quality chocolate that contain cocoa butter instead of vegetable oils. In other words, chocolate that melts in your mouth and in your hands.

Inspired by youtube to make my own gourmet hot chocolate bombs

I decided to make my own gourmet Hot Chocolate Bombs after watching several YouTube videos that made it seem so easy. Nothing could be further from the truth! I had a hard time tempering chocolate couverture. I suppose it didn’t help that I’d never been particularly fond of baking nor had I ever worked with chocolate. I was disheartened after my first attempt resulted in chocolate spheres that were nowhere as glossy nor as pretty as the ones I saw on YouTube. I contemplated giving up but I had already told quite a few friends about my plan to make Hot Chocolate Bombs and had bought over 20 pounds (nine kilograms) of Callebaut and Valrhona chocolate couverture for the project. I watched several more videos on how to temper chocolate before trying again. It was quite a painful learning experience for me. I soon realized that the readings on both of my instant-read thermometers differed by one to two degrees Celsius (about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit). Unfortunately, a difference of 1 degree Celsius was all that was needed to break the chocolate’s temper resulting in dull chocolate shells. I stopped using the thermometers.

hot chocolate bomb Ingredients

I filled my Hot Chocolate Bombs with unsweetened Valrhona Cocoa Powder as it was my favorite hot cocoa powder when I was in Singapore. I added nuts such as roasted hazelnuts, salted pistachio, and almonds for an added crunch. Not a fan of artificial flavorings, colorings, or high fructose corn syrup, I picked YumEarth’s Peppermint Candy Canes for their organic and natural ingredients.

decorating with organic rose petals

I decorated my Hot Chocolate Bombs with organic rose petals and a sparing amount of gold and pearlescent sprinkles. As some of my friends know, I like to add rose petals to my desserts like this Vegan Baklava Tart and Summer Berries Pavlova. I like adding rose petals to tea too and one of my favorite blends is Fortnum & Mason’s Rose Pouchong.

Packaging my hot chocolate bombs

Since 2020 had been an awful year, I wanted to present these edible gifts in cute packages that I hoped would bring a smile to my friends’ faces. I wrote ingredient tags so they’d know if the contents within the Hot Chocolate Bombs suited their taste.

Cute Edible gifts

I’m glad many of my friends seemed thrilled to receive their Hot Chocolate Bombs. They didn’t mind the imperfections as much as I did and some told me that they’re glad that my bombs aren’t as sweet as the store-bought versions.

Hot Chocolate Bomb Videos

A few of my friends sent videos of their Hot Chocolate Bombs melting in the hot milk. I chuckled as I listened to them getting excited as the marshmallows popped out of the chocolate shells. Here are my videos that I hope you’ll enjoy!

My thoughts about the Hot chocolate bomb project

This project was difficult especially since I’m still trying to rein in my perfectionist streak. I had to learn to accept minor imperfections such as little holes caused by air bubbles. It was too tiring to keep redoing the chocolate spheres and I wouldn’t have enough Hot Chocolate Bombs ready by Christmas to give these treats away so that they may provide warm comfort on a wintry day. I’m adding “It looks easy on YouTube!” to my list of famous last words and chalking it up as part of the 2020 experience.

Here’s hoping that 2021 will be better for everyone! Stay tuned for my next project!