Can You Make Hot Chocolate Bombs Without A Special Mold?
When the holidays roll around, what gift is cuter and more delicious than homemade hot chocolate bombs? Even in the new year, these tasty little concoctions make for the perfect wintertime dessert — just pop them in a cup of hot milk and watch a mug of hot chocolate appear before your eyes! Popular on Pinterest and TikTok alike, these trendy treats are easily customizable, and you can fill them with hot cocoa mix, mini marshmallows, sprinkles, or whatever you like to make your ideal mug of hot chocolate. According to Eater, homemade creations have included Oreos and unicorn decorations, while Neiman Marcus sold a snowman-shaped hot chocolate bomb for $32 in 2020. Hershey's also got in on the game, releasing its first hot chocolate bombs in 2022, with mini marshmallows and cinnamon chip fillings.
The traditional method for making them requires a little equipment. The New York Times explains that most hot chocolate bombs use a silicone mold to nail down the spherical shape, a pastry brush to evenly spread the melted chocolate, and a thermometer to ensure a smooth shell. If you haven't committed to the art of hot chocolate bomb-making just yet, however, you may not want to invest in extra tools. Luckily, there is another way to make these goodies with an item you likely already own.
The easiest way uses parchment cupcake liners
Let's just get this out of the way; if your heart is set on perfectly round balls, you'll need a mold to get the shape just right. But if you want hot chocolate bombs that are just as tasty (and still pretty), but don't mind being flexible with their shape, parchment cupcake liners are the way to go. According to The Kitchn, you can make hot chocolate bombs by coating the bottom and sides of cupcake liners with chocolate, then adding the filling after letting the chocolate set. Finally, you seal in the cocoa mixture with more tempered chocolate. The bombs might be more Reese's peanut butter cup shaped than spherical, but you can still decorate the tops with anything you'd like.
To jazz up your cupcake-liner hot chocolate bombs even more, Sid's Sea Palm Cooking suggests making a stiff meringue topping to make them look like they've got a dollop of whipped cream. Finish them off with some crushed peppermint candies or sprinkles, and your bombs will look like cupcakes. Other alternatives to a silicone mold include creating a mold out of foil, or using ice cubes to shape the chocolate, according to The Food Network. While these should work if you're willing to get creative, cupcake liners are the easiest way for beginners to get their feet wet in the world of hot chocolate bombs.