Regardless of the weather outside, this Nutella Hot Cocoa Bomb Recipe, will delight you, your friends, and your family. Don’t miss a chance for a warm, sweet, chocolatey treat!

What is a Hot Chocolate Bomb?
A hot chocolate bomb is the same as a hot cocoa bomb. Each is a chocolate shell that has been filled with hot cocoa mix, marshmallows, and almost anything else you can think of to fill them with. Using that filled chocolate sphere, you can then add warm liquid, and make a really yummy cup of hot cocoa. These are also a great, fun way to create a custom gift or a seemingly extravagant treat.
How to Make Basic Hot Cocoa Bombs
Hot cocoa bombs can be made just about any flavor and/or color you can think of. If you want to break out on your own, and make your favorite, here is the way to make a basic hot chocolate bomb. If you want the Nutella Hot Cocoa Bomb recipe, scroll on down to the bottom of this post!
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Ingredients to Make Basic Hot Cocoa Bombs
You only need three ingredients to make basic hot cocoa bombs:
- Chocolate Candy Melts (any flavor you want)
- Hot Cocoa Powder (any flavor that compliments your choice of candy melts)
- Marshmallows (My favorite is mini marshmallows because you can fill the hot cocoa bomb with marshmallows. Jumbo marshmallows are so big, you can only fit one in the bomb.)
Really, that’s all you need! The flavors and colors are only limited by your own imagination. Here are some of the flavors you might like:
- Cinnamon
- Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie
- Cookies N Cream
- Dark Chocolate
- Gingerbread
- Milk Chocolate
- Mint
- Peppermint Bark
- Pumpkin Spice
- Red Velvet
- Salted caramel
- Sugar Cookie
- White Chocolate
- White Chocolate Peppermint
Of course, a mold is an absolute necessity, and I recommend using silicone molds. The silicon molds will allow you to create those smooth, shiny, beautiful hot cocoa bombs each time!
Step-by-Step Instructions on How to Make Basic Hot Chocolate Bombs
Making basic hot cocoa bombs is so VERY easy. It only takes me about 15-20 minutes to make a set of 3 hot cocoa bombs, and that includes putting the decorations on top. Maybe your first time will take a little longer, but you’ll get the hang of it! Then, you’ll be able to make a set of these in no time flat.
Here’s the basic hot cocoa bomb method I like to follow:
- Microwave the chocolate candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals until it’s completely melted, smooth and shiny (we’ll learn more about that later).
- Spoon about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate into each half-sphere mold and coat all of the mold shape. Make sure you don’t leave any holes. Some folks like to use a pastry brush to get the chocolate up on the sides of the mold, but I don’t like that. I prefer to use the back of my spoon. For me, it’s easier, faster, and one less thing to wash when I’m done.
- Place the mold in the freezer for 3-5 minutes.
- Remove the mold, then work the little chocolate half-spheres out of the molds. Note, if you want to avoid having fingerprints, you can wear gloves, although I found that if I work fast, I don’t have any problem.
- Heat a plate in the microwave (about 45 seconds to 1 minute), 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.
- Fill half of your chocolate cups with 1 tablespoon of hot cocoa mix and a handful of mini marshmallows.
- Re-heat the edge of each un-filled chocolate cup and pop them on top of a filled chocolate cup. This will make the melted seams seal together.
- Decorate the chocolate spheres with sprinkles or drizzle–whatever you desire!
You can store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Or you can put them in the fridge – but this could cause your chocolate to get cloudy.
Can You Just Eat Hot Chocolate Bombs?
Eat a hot chocolate bomb? Of course you can! The chocolate shell is very yummy, and all the ingredients are too! You’ll just want to be prepared for the mess, because eating a dry cocoa bomb is going to be messy.
You can just bite right in, or you can put the bomb in a bowl. Then, you can break it up and eat it with a spoon. If you know you’re going to want to eat your hot cocoa bombs, you can leave out the hot cocoa mix. That way, they’ll be less messy, but still yummy!
If you want to be adventuresome and explore the world of hot cocoa shots, try these Harry Potter hot cocoa shots or birthday cake hot cocoa shots.
What chocolate is best for making hot chocolate bombs?
Best chocolate? Good question! In my opinion, there isn’t a perfect answer. My preference is using candy melts. What other chocolate is already colored, has so many awesome flavor options? And best yet, candy melts almost always produce a perfect hot cocoa bomb.
If candy melts just aren’t your cup of tea, other chocolate will work. Just keep in mind that other chocolate may need to be tempered. Or you may have to start with white chocolate to get the color you want. However, candy melts are literally the perfect molding chocolate…
Do I have to temper my chocolate?
Tempering chocolate is a necessity with some chocolates. If you decide to not temper your chocolate (if you don’t use candy melts), you may need to make your cocoa bomb shells extra thick on the sides and edges. That will help to prevent the chocolate from falling apart when you remove it from the mold, but it may still be brittle.
Can You Make Milk Chocolate Cocoa Bombs?
Milk chocolate hot chocolate bombs are just as easy as “not milk chocolate” hot cocoa bombs. All you have to do is use milk chocolate candy melts (my preferred ingredient). Or, you can use milk chocolate chips.
Can You Make White Chocolate Cocoa Bombs?
White candy melts will turn out beautiful white chocolate cocoa bombs. Whenever I’ve tried to make white chocolate into a hot cocoa bomb, it’s gone sideways and turned out too fragile. All I can say is: if you want to make these fast and simple, get the candy melts.
Vegan Hot Cocoa Bombs
It’s easy to make vegan hot chocolate bombs. All you need to do is find the vegan ingredients. I have made several vegan hot cocoa bombs, and they are no more difficult than the regular hot cocoa bombs. I recommend using vegan candy melts, if possible. My favorite vegan ingredients for making hot cocoa bombs are listed here:
You can always use your favorite vegan chocolate brand, but then you will probably want to temper the chocolate.
How To Color Chocolate for Hot Cocoa Bombs
If you are using chocolate that is not a candy melt, or you choose to color your candy melts you’ll want to be sure be sure that you use gel food coloring. You will also need to keep some olive oil or other neutral-tasting cooking oil on hand. While you are melting the chocolate, it can begin to seize-up. If this happens, you can add some oil (about a tablespoon for every half cup of chocolate). That should make it smooth out again. You can see this method in action on my Butterbeer Hot Cocoa Bombs post. It’s interesting to see, and may help you to watch it before you get into a jam.
What mold is best for making hot chocolate bombs?
Acrylic, metal, or silicon? If you want a round hot cocoa bomb, a metal or silicon mold is the way to go. My preference is a silicon mold. Your choice may depend on how many hot cocoa bombs you plan to make and what shape you want them to be. With a silicon mold, you can make a LOT of hot cocoa bombs, like I show in the video here. However, silicon molds are sometimes more expensive than acrylic. And, they are not available in as may shapes as the acrylic molds.
The drawback to using acrylic molds is that they don’t peel away from your chocolate as easily as the silicon does. Because of that, you may end up with more broken shells than if you used a silicone mold.
How to Use Hot Cocoa Bombs
There is no trick to using a hot cocoa bomb. But I really get a kick out of using them this way:
- Place your hot cocoa bomb into a mug.
- Heat your milk in a second cup – getting it nice and hot.
- 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!
Cookies and Cream Hot Cocoa Bomb Recipe
Because you’ve just read through this excellent resource all about chocolate bombs, and because you’re definitely going to want to keep up with this recipe for the Nutella Hot Cocoa Bombs, be sure to pin it to your favorite holiday recipes board on Pinterest. That way, you’ll be able to find it again fast!