Leopard Print Hot Cocoa Bombs + VIDEO

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I love this Leopard Print Hot Cocoa Bomb Recipe. It’s so easy and fun – and the finished hot cocoa bomb is BEAUTIFUL! Let’s talk EVERYTHING hot cocoa bomb!

What is a Hot Chocolate Bomb?

Hot chocolate bombs (also known as hot cocoa bombs) are simply a chocolate shell that’s filled with hot chocolate mix, marshmallows, and anything else you want to fill them with. Then you can make a cup of hot cocoa with it by putting it in a mug and pour hot milk or water over it. Hot cocoa bombs are a fun way to make custom gifts or just have a fun warm winter treat.

Can You Just Eat Hot Chocolate Bombs?

Yes, you CAN just eat hot chocolate bombs. My child doesn’t care for the whole LIQUID part. But she does love to just dig-in and bite down. I just put it on a small plate for her, because it’s a little messier than popping it in the mug and letting the chocolate melt into it’s awesomeness, but it still works!

If you’re going to eat rather than drink the hot cocoa bombs, you might want to leave the hot cocoa mix out of the recipe. That will cut down on the mess.

If you’d like to try an alternative to hot cocoa bombs, a couple of really fun options are Harry Potter hot cocoa shots or birthday cake hot cocoa shots.

How to Make Hot Cocoa Bombs

Here’s what it takes to make a generic, basic hot chocolate bomb. But, if you’re wanting the Leopard Print Hot Cocoa Bomb recipe, scroll on down to the bottom to get the goods!

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Ingredients to Make Hot Cocoa Bombs

There are only 3 ingredients in the basic hot cocoa bomb recipe:

  • Chocolate Candy Melts (any flavor is fine)
  • Hot Cocoa Powder (again, any flavor is fine)
  • Marshmallows (Mini marshmallows are best because they’re the best, and you can stuff the hot chocolate bomb with marshmallows. If you use jumbo marshmallows, you can only get one in there.)

Seriously, that’s it! I have found that you can make millions of different flavors (like cookies and cream, cinnamon, or mint–just some of my favorites) about a million different ways. And they can really be a unique creation for any occasion.

A mold for the chocolate sphere is a must-have, and I strongly recommend using silicone molds because they make for shiny, pretty hot cocoa bombs every time!

How to Make Hot Chocolate Bombs (Step-by-Step Basic Hot Cocoa Bomb Instructions)

It is so VERY easy to make hot chocolate bombs. A set of 3 hot cocoa bombs can be prepared in about 15-20 minutes, even with the decorations on top. Your first time might go a little slower, but once you get the hang of it, making a set of these will go super fast.

Here’s my go-to method for making a basic hot cocoa bomb:

  1. Microwave the chocolate candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals (stirring after each 30-second heating interval), until the chocolate is completely melted, smooth and shiny.
  2. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate into each half-sphere mold and coat all of the mold shape, making sure there are no holes in the chocolate. There’s no need to use a pastry brush to get the chocolate up onto the sides – just use the back of your spoon, it’s easier, faster, and one less thing to wash when you’re done.
  3. Place the mold in the freezer for 3-5 minutes.
  4. Remove the mold, then peel the mold away from the little chocolate half-spheres. If you don’t want fingerprints on your chocolate, you can wear gloves. Although I’ve found that if I work fast, I don’t have any problem with fingerprints.
  5. Heat a ceramic or glass plate, then put the rough edge of each chocolate cup on the surface of the hot plate so that the edge melts and creates an even surface.
  6. Fill half of your chocolate cups with 1 tablespoon of hot cocoa mix and a handful of mini marshmallows.
  7. Re-heat the edge of each un-filled chocolate cup and place them on top of a filled chocolate cup. This will allow the melted seams to seal together.
  8. Decorate the chocolate spheres with sprinkles or drizzle as desired!

An airtight container is the perfect place to store the completed hot cocoa bombs. You can store them at room temperature, or in the fridge. Just keep in mind that putting them in the fridge could cause your chocolate to get cloudy.

Check Out Our Video of How to Make This Leopard Print Hot Cocoa Bomb!

Our video of how we made this beautiful Leopard Print Hot Cocoa Bomb is available on YouTube. Please take a look, and while you’re there, subscribe to the NerdyMamma channel.

What chocolate is best for making hot chocolate bombs?

Which chocolate is best is really a matter of opinion. My opinion, is that candy melts are the best. The candy melts are already colored, they have some pretty delicious flavor options, and they are practically no-fail when making the perfect hot cocoa bomb.

If candy melts just won’t work for you, for whatever reason, any chocolate will do. But, candy melts are literally made for molding chocolate. They take a lot less guess-work than other chocolates, and the outcome is predictable.

Do I have to temper my chocolate?

If you’re using candy melts, like I recommend, you absolutely will NOT need to temper your chocolate. If you’re using chocolate chips or candy bars, you probably will have to temper your chocolate. If you decide to use not-candy-melt-chocolate, and you don’t temper it, you’ll want to make sure it’s pretty thick in the mold. You may even want to put two coats on the sides/edges so that your chocolate doesn’t crack and fall apart when you remove the cups from the mold. Even taking these measures may not be enough to keep the chocolate from being brittle.

Of course, if you want to make enough hot cocoa bombs for everyone in your neighborhood, maybe you don’t want to buy a ton of candy melts. Making tempered chocolate might be a great alternative – and well worth your time.

Can You Make Milk Chocolate Cocoa Bombs?

You can absolutely make milk chocolate hot chocolate bombs, if you want to. Milk chocolate candy melts are available, but you can also use milk chocolate chips, if that’s your preference. Keep in mind that if you’re not using candy melts, you will likely need to temper the chocolate.

Can You Make White Chocolate Cocoa Bombs?

White chocolate cocoa bombs are just as easy to make as regular chocolate hot cocoa bombs. To make white chocolate cocoa bombs, I always recommend using white chocolate candy melts. Every time I’ve tried to make white chocolate into a hot cocoa bomb using chocolate that is not candy melts, it’s gone sideways and turned out too fragile to make it work. So, if you want to make white chocolate cocoa bombs fast and simple, get the candy melts.

Vegan Hot Cocoa Bombs

Vegan hot chocolate bombs are just as easy as non-vegan hot cocoa bombs, if you choose the right ingredients. I have made several varieties of vegan hot cocoa bombs, and it’s not a problem. Just like with non-vegan hot chocolate bombs, I recommend using candy melts. Here are my favorite vegan chocolate ingredients for making hot cocoa bombs:

You can use your favorite vegan chocolate brand, but again, you’ll want to temper the chocolate (or just use a really thick coating when you’re molding it). It can be done, you’ll just have a wee bit tougher job.

How To Color Chocolate for Hot Cocoa Bombs

Candy melts come in a variety of colors and delicious flavors. However, if you’re using chocolate that is not a candy melt or you choose to color your candy melts (I know, sometimes the unexpected does happen), be sure to use gel food coloring. You should also keep some olive oil or other cooking oil on hand. If the chocolate starts to seize-up (gets stiff and difficult to stir), you can add a little oil (maybe a tablespoon–or more–for every half cup of chocolate) to get it to smooth out again. To see this method in action, you can check out my Butterbeer Hot Cocoa Bombs. It’s kind of neat.

What mold is best for making hot chocolate bombs?

This is a difficult question, and depends on a couple of things: how many hot cocoa bombs do you plan to make, and what shapes do you want to produce. You can make about a trillion hot cocoa bombs with a silicone mold, but you’re limited on shape. The other thing about silicone molds is that they can be more expensive than acrylic.

Acrylic molds come in more shapes than silicone molds, but they don’t neatly peel away from the chocolate. So, if the chocolate is not thick or happens to be brittle, you’ll end up with more broken shells than if you used a silicone mold.

How to Use Hot Cocoa Bombs

Using a hot cocoa bomb is easy peasy. My favorite way to use them is:

  1. Place your hot cocoa bomb into a mug.
  2. Heat your milk in a second cup – getting it nice and hot.
  3. Pour the hot milk over the cocoa bomb and let it “explode”.

You might have to stir a bit, but seriously, it’s so much fun!

Leopard Print Hot Cocoa Bomb Recipe

Now, because this is an excellent resource all about chocolate bombs, and because you’re definitely going to want to keep up with this recipe for the Cookies and Cream Hot Cocoa Bombs, be sure to pin it to your favorite holiday recipes board on Pinterest so you can find it again fast!

Leopard Print Hot Cocoa Bombs + VIDEO
Yield: 6 Leopard Print Hot Cocoa Bombs

Leopard Print Hot Cocoa Bombs + VIDEO

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

I love how easy it is to make hot chocolate bombs and this Leopard Print Hot Cocoa Bombs recipe is perfect for a complete "WOW" experience.

Ingredients

  • Paw Print Marshmallows
  • 2 cups Bright Pink Candy Melts
  • 1/4 cup White Candy Melts
  • 1/4 cup Black Candy Melts
  • 1 cup White Hot Cocoa Mix

Instructions

  1. In separate microwave-safe bowls, heat the white and black candy melts for 30-second intervals, stirring between until the candy is completely melted, smooth and shiny.
  2. Place the two chocolate candy melts into zipper top bags with a very small corner snipped off.
  3. Place 4-5 dots of white candy melt (1/2 the size of the end of your pinky finger) randomly over each mold.
  4. Place two black dots on either side of each white candy melt dot, almost surrounding the white dots.
  5. Place the molds into the freezer for 3-4 minutes to get the dots of candy to set.
  6. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the pink chocolate candy melts for 30-second intervals and stir until the candy is completely melted, smooth and shiny.
  7. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the melted chocolate into each of the half-sphere mold cups. Using the back of your spoon, coat the entire mold shape. Make sure to leave no holes in the chocolate and take care not to swirl or press too much as this will distort your leopard spots/
  8. Place the prepared mold into the freezer for 3-5 minutes.
  9. Take the mold out of the freezer, then peel the little pink
    chocolate cups out of the mold.
  10. Put an empty ceramic or glass plate into the microwave, and heat it for about 30 seconds (the plate should be warm to the touch).
  11. Take one pink chocolate cup, and turn it upside down on the hot plate. Turn the cup on the plate, so that the chocolate edge melts a little and creates an even surface. Repeat with all cups.
  12. Take half of your chocolate cups and fill with about 1
    tablespoon of white hot cocoa mix and 2-3 paw print marshmallows as needed to fill the cup.
  13. Using the heated plate, re-heat the edge of each empty
    chocolate cup and seat on top of a filled chocolate cup. The two cups should seal together.
  14. Use a bit of leftover pink chocolate to smear around the seam if necessary to assure a good seal.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 673Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 413mgCarbohydrates: 156gFiber: 3gSugar: 109gProtein: 5g

Did you make this recipe?

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Need More Hot Cocoa Bomb Recipes, Right? Check Out These:

Cinnamon Hot Cocoa Bomb and VIDEO

Harry Potter Hot Cocoa Bombs

Harry Potter Hot Cocoa Bombs

Cookie Butter Hot Cocoa Bombs and VIDEO

Cookie Butter Hot Cocoa Bombs

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