These hot cocoa bombs have a fuss free prep and are made with thoughtful ingredients and all the fun!
Product links in this post are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything, and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” Please know I never personally recommend any product I wouldn’t use on my own family.
That winter chill!
We have had a couple of the first winter storms of the season, and my kids are *pumped* about it! They live for the snow. They are the reason I’ve made peace with the cold winters. As a self proclaimed beach bum, I live for our summers on Lake Michigan, but seeing these winter smiles has allowed me to embrace this season too.
A fun new winter kitchen project! Hot Cocoa Bombs!
I cannot tell you how many holiday seasons I’ve tried to find hot cocoa bombs for my kids’ stockings. I just really haven’t been able to find something that I feel good about in the ingredients department. Every year I end up saying to myself, “I’m just going to make them myself next year!” Well, this year was the year! And while they won’t be a “surprise” in the girls’ stockings because they enjoyed helping me make them, I can say without a doubt they will now be a Christmas tradition that stacks right up there with decorating cookies!
What you’ll need to make your hot cocoa bombs
- You’ll first need to grab a hot cocoa bomb silicone mold. Hobby stores will have these or you can get them online.
- A 12-ounce bag of your favorite chocolate chips. We have been using the Meijer organic semi-sweet. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate will work too. If you are dairy free, the Enjoy Life brand works well (that Meijer brand we use is dairy free as well!) Just watch the ingredient list for anything hidden that doesn’t need to be there!
- Cocoa powder to make the cocoa mix. This one is easy! Just any unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Coconut sugar to sweeten the cocoa mix. It has a lower glycemic index that plain sugar, which just makes for less of a sugar spike. It’s still tastes sweet, and it is still sugar, but it is definitely a better for you choice for an occasional treat like hot cocoa. You could also use turbinado sugar, maple sugar, or date sugar too.
- Mini marshmallows for the chocolate shell. You can make them yourself, or find a better ingredient brand such as these. If you make the marshmallows, chop them small and toss them in a little powdered sugar so they don’t stick together. I also recently found these Max Mallows which are more homemade, and even have collagen and MCT oil. You’ll have to chop these smaller to fit, OR you can just put one big on in each shell. (If you are Mid-West local, our Meijer had these!)
- Optional naturally dyed sprinkles for surprise! Personally, I’m not a fan of sprinkles in my hot cocoa, but I know this is a fun concept, especially for kids! I recently found some naturally dyed Christmas sprinkles at Trader Joes that were fun. Or you can find naturally dyed sprinkles online here.
The Method :: The chocolate dome shell for the hot cocoa bombs
A bag of your favorite chocolate chips. That’s all you need! The holidays come with enough fuss as it is. Let’s not complicate things! You’ll melt the chocolate chips over low heat in a sauce pan and paint the sides of the dome mold. Easy peasy! If you feel more comfortable using a double boiler to melt the chocolate, go for it. I’ve made these a good 5 times without, and the chocolate sets perfectly. I’m a big fan of less dishes and just using the sauce pan! Let the domes set while you make the hot cocoa mix next!
The Method :: Making the hot cocoa mix
Store bought hot cocoa mixes are tough. The ingredient lists can be frustrating! If you have a good brand that you love that also has a great ingredient list, you can use that just like you will this homemade version. To make your own hot cocoa mix, just use a coffee grinder or a small blender to blend cocoa powder, coconut sugar, and sea salt. Yes, that is it! It takes minutes and makes a great cup of hot cocoa! Keep your cocoa mix in a jar with a lid. You’ll use some of it for the hot cocoa bombs, but you will have some left too. You can either make more bombs, gift it, or store it away for that snow storm later this winter!
The Method :: Filling the hot cocoa bombs shells!
Once your chocolate shells have set, you’ll pop them out of the mold and fill half of them with all the goods for hot cocoa! A good 4-6 mini marshmallows and two teaspoons of the cocoa mix is the perfect amount.
The Method :: Sealing the hot cocoa bombs!
This part is going to feel scary, but I promise I haven’t broken a shell yet, and I haven’t had a bomb break yet either! I’m NOT a baker and I don’t like finicky kitchen projects, so I promise you can do this! Fuss free, remember?! Just warm a small, non-stick skillet over low heat. Take one of the empty domes and gently swirl the rim of it on the warm pan to melt the chocolate a bit. This will “glue” to the other half of the dome that has the marshmallows and cocoa mix! It works so well and is super fuss free! You can use the last of your melted chocolate chip chocolate to drizzle the tops of the hot cocoa bombs too.
It’s hot cocoa bomb time!
When you are ready to make the hot cocoa, warm up your liquid of choice. You can use whole milk, milk alternative, or half milk, half water. I use half coconut milk and half water since coconut milk is pretty thick. You will want to make the liquid super hot, bringing it to a simmer. The hotter the liquid, the more “explosive” the hot cocoa bomb will be! Use one cup of liquid per hot cocoa bomb. You can either pour the liquid in and drop the bomb in, or place the bomb in the mug, and pour the liquid over top.
Gift giving!
Hot cocoa bombs are the ultimate food gift at the holidays! It’s such a fun treat, and they look impressive! I’m a little late to the party this year, but next year, I’ve already got these super cutie little hot cocoa bomb gift boxes in my Amazon cart! It will keep the bombs from breaking, and it displays great! You can add a tag with instructions as well.
A few notes about making these with the kids
I know it is really tempting to just make these on your own. It feels like things could break or not go well with this one, doesn’t it?! I was nervous to let my 11 year old even help, but you know what? She did awesome! Not typically one who loves to make things in the kitchen, she is my super busy active bee who would rather be in a handstand than cook!
But she was SO into this. I think it’s the steps and the process. And making something trendy and fun too. This really is hard to mess up. Let them paint the chocolate. You can always re-melt anything that doesn’t work right. Maybe mom or your teens can pop them out of the molds, and then let the kids fill them up how they want! As far as sealing the domes, that will be another one of those older kid jobs too. My 11 year old did do a couple of them, but it was tricky, and you have to work quickly. I don’t like to rush them and make them anxious so it was just harder! And then, of course, let the kids package them up, make the tags, etc!
Hot Cocoa Bombs with Coconut Sugar!
Ingredients
- 1 12 ounce bag semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 24-30 mini marshmallows optional for inside the cocoa bomb
- optional naturally dyed sprinkles for inside the cocoa bomb
- 1 cup of hot liquid per cocoa bomb. Whole milk, milk alternative, or combo half milk half water
Instructions
- Line up your hot cocoa bomb molds on a sheet tray for easy transferring. My molds have 6 half domes per sheet and I use 2 of them. The 12 domes make 6 hot cocoa bombs. These bombs are 2.7 inches wide.
- Pour the bag of chocolate chips into a medium sauce pan over low heat. Stir with a rubber scraper until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth.
- Use a brush to smooth the melted chocolate all over the inside of the molds. I like to start at the bottom and pull the chocolate all the way up to the top of the mold. Make sure the layer is not super thin, watching for holes or transparent spaces, and also getting the chocolate all the way to the top of the mold. This will be the inside of the bomb – it DOES NOT have to look pretty! It's going to melt anyway! I fill up all 12 half dome molds with 1 bag of chocolate with some left for drizzling at the end.
- The chocolate needs to fully harden at this point. You can leave the chocolate on the counter to harden, or speed the process up to about 10-15 minutes in the fridge.
- While the chocolate sets, you can get your cocoa mix ready. Put the coconut sugar, cocoa powder, and sea salt in a coffee grinder or small blender and blend to combine and break up the sugar smaller so it dissolves quickly in the cocoa.
- Once the chocolate in the mold sets, gently pop them out of the molds onto a tray. Put 4-5 mini marshmallows into 6 of the half dome chocolates. Add 2 teaspoons of the cocoa mix over the top of the marshmallows. If you plan to use sprinkles, you can add those at this time too.
- Now you need to put the other half of the chocolate dome on top. Use a warm non-stick skillet to melt the rim of one of the empty domes – this melty chocolate on the rim will "glue" to one of the bottom domes with the cocoa mix/marshmallows to create the full bomb. Let the bombs set for a few minutes so the chocolate sets and the bomb stays together.
- You can use the leftover melty chocolate chips to drizzle the tops of the bombs. You could decorate the tops with naturally dyed sprinkles or naturally dyed sanding sugar too.
- To make the hot cocoa, each bomb will need 1 cup of liquid. Whole milk or milk alternative works. I like to use 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup coconut milk since coconut milk can be thick. Bring the liquid to a simmer – the hotter the liquid the more "explosive" the hot cocoa bomb will be! You can either set the hot cocoa bomb in the mug and pour the hot liquid over, or you can pour the liquid in, and set the hot cocoa bomb into the liquid. Use a spoon to gently stir the cocoa mix fully, and enjoy!
How do you prevent them from falling apart while sealing? Once my fingers touched the bombs they melt and fall apart instantly.
Hi Lauren! I’d say your shell must not be thick enough! Do a second coat of chocolate if it feels too thin – I layered the chocolate on pretty thick and they were quite sturdy!