Boozy Hot Chocolate Bombs

Hot Chocolate Bombs are all the rage, filled with marshmallows for a fun ‘explosion.’ The explosion is more subtle with Boozy Hot Chocolate Bombs; it includes an ounce of liqueur or liquor inside delicious chocolate for a fabulous treat!

You must have seen them, right? The Hot Chocolate Bomb phase is very real; inspired by a Tik Tok video, which I admit I’ve never seen. If that sounds good you’ll love my version; Boozy Hot Chocolate Bombs!

I did jump on the bandwagon; who doesn’t love hot chocolate especially when it’s made with luscious chocolate and includes marshmallows too; the little surprise when they melt and open up.

True to form for me, I saw this trend and thought, ‘Hmm, maybe a bit of booze in lieu of those marshmallows?’ and a very good thing was born.

I made my first batch for Valentine’s Day. And I don’t mean I made them in December so I could carefully craft a post that would be gaining some traction in time for Valentine’s Day…no, I made them two days before the day to give to my neighbors…I might have missed that moment to blog about them but my friends were sure happy.

These babes were filled with a combination of hot cocoa powder and a coffee/tequila liqueur. Oh my amazing!

My first effort used a combination of Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips and had one of my favorite liqueurs inside, Cabo Wabo Diablo…a tequila and coffee liqueur. Using the right chocolate and including a touch of the right liqueur will result in a fantastic cup of hot chocolate and the varieties are endless to celebrate special occasions.

I thought the entire process of making Boozy Hot Chocolate Bombs fun, but not without it’s pitfalls. I hope to share with you some of what I learned in this post so that if you decide to go a similar route your trip will be easier!

The bottom line is this…sealing up chocolate so that some powdered mix and marshmallows doesn’t scatter is about a million times easier than making sure NO liquid escapes. Maybe a billion even!

Still, when I gifted these to friends and neighbors, they do make a beautiful presentation and the real gift is the time you take to make something special.

So I’m going to do something that’s not typical…I’m sharing steps of the process with photos; these are fun to make and hopefully some of my experience will make them fun for you without the stress I had the first go around!

First things first..use good chocolate. If you decide to make these for kids, the process is the same but you’ll eliminate the booze and add some hot cocoa mix and marshmallows. You can try regular chocolate chips or chocolate candy melts because kids are not as discerning but not for these.

The type of chocolate you use does matter; we are finding that out through lots of trial and error and some delicious taste testing along the way! Decorating with it is fine…just don’t use it to make the forms.

I mentioned I used Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips (just for your info; purchase at your local grocery; they are way less expensive than online at their site or on Amazon). The resulting hot chocolate was absolutely delicious, very rich; the quality was obvious.

Other choices that would be good are chocolate bars like Lindt. I found that for me, I loved combining equal amounts of semi-sweet chocolate with milk chocolate; sort of my nirvana of chocolate.

So let’s get to the process!

1. Step one? Well it could be heating the chocolate but step one for me is cutting the form you use into individual pieces. I have a neighbor who has been making and selling these the last several months and Heather kindly gave me this tip.
   Seriously makes filling them so much easier than trying to do an entire form. You’ll see what they look like in Step Three but I have to share adorable ones I bought from Heather for the kids on my street…I made the boozy ones but didn’t want to leave them out!
   
2. I used this form; most come in a sort of burnt red and I thought it was hard to determine if the chocolate was thick enough; the colors are too similar.With these bright blue babies, that is no longer an issue! If you see some blue though the chocolate, you know to dab a bit more chocolate in there.
3. Melt your chocolate in a double boiler or a gerry-rigged version with a saucepan and a heatproof bowl on top. Chocolate that gets too hot seizes and is ruined…trying to keep on top of it’s temp when microwaving it is simply not worth it. Trust me. The best way to temper your chocolate is to use a thermometer and make sure it does not get above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
   
4. Starting with about a Tablespoon of melted chocolate, use the back of a spoon to spread it all over the form, making sure you make a rather thick edge of it where the two pieces will meet. Use more chocolate if necessary…with these more is always better!
5. Put the forms on a tray with parchment paper UPSIDE DOWN so that any extra flows to the rim and either freeze for 5 minutes or put them into the fridge for a bit longer.
   
6. Seriously working with one at a time is SO much easier than trying to do a form with six sections. See how thick that rim is? Perfect!
7. Once they have adequately chilled remove them from the fridge or freezer and peel off the silicone form; it should be easy. Don’t handle the half sections too much; tempered chocolate should not melt too easily but better safe than sorry right?
   
8. Once the half spheres are completed, most recipes I’ve seen call for simply warming one half by putting the edge on a warm plate, filling it, and then warming the edge of the second piece and adhering them together. That might work when marshmallows are inside but I thought it more problematic with a liquid.
9. So I changed things up a bit. I added some hot chocolate mixture to the liqueur or liquor I used to make it like a paste and I stuck the top and bottom pieces together with additional chocolate that I piped on the edge of them; that made a huge difference and one I recommend.
   
10. That edge for Boozy Hot Chocolate Bombs has to be solid chocolate sealing the top and bottom together so I piped a thin amount along the edge, filled one half, topped with the other piece and then smoothed any extra with my fingertip. With liquid inside, the finished ‘bomb’ has to be tight. Should I share how much liquid seeped out of mine while I tried to figure out the best way to do this?
11. Enough, I’ll say that! I worried endlessly about that seam being perfect. Don’t. Once you’re done and you’ve both drizzled more chocolate on it, added some sparkle, and put it into a pretty cupcake wrapper, no one, including you, will notice an imperfection. I did find my Wilton Mini Cupcake Tins to be perfect for holding my pieces while working.
12. You can even forego smoothing that rim and rolling the edge in sanding sugar or other decorations for a simple way of making them pretty.
13. When all of the forms are filled and ready for decorating, please please please remember that I said to use a double boiler OK? White chocolate is even fussier than dark chocolate; watch the temp carefully. If you use the same pan and wash it, make sure it is totally dry, water is the devil if it gets in melted chocolate. If you’re using a bowl, just use a second one, even safer.
14. After piping on the white chocolate, I decorated with gold sparkles and white pearls. Honestly go crazy with what you love. For the one I made for St. Patrick’s Day, I used a mixture of gold and white shapes and green crystals. I love the decorating part, it’s what makes this fun. I even bought a new mixture for Easter…of course I’m going to make more regular hot chocolate bombs for the kids on my street and these are perfect colors!
    
15. If you’ve never piped before before; keep it simple. I used some small sandwich bags for the melted chocolates, snip a little (and I mean REALLY little) from one corner and you’ve got a small piping bag.
16. Better too when dribbling on the boozy hot chocolate bombs if you do it from a bit of a distance, too close and I thought the chocolate was too thick. And like anything, practice makes perfect. Amazing how much quicker I pulled off my second try for St. Patrick’s Day compared to that Valentine’s Day effort.

Of course the best part is enjoying the Boozy Hot Chocolate Bombs. Warm, rich, and delicious, it’s the perfect cup of hot chocolate. I made the little green hats with two mini marshmallows.

I flattened one for the brim part; dunked both pieces quickly in water and then rolled them in green cake decorating sugar.

Let them dry for a bit and then attach the two pieces with a dot of white chocolate and another dot to ‘glue’ it to the boozy hot chocolate bomb. They were easy to pull off when I went to serve the drink and I got double duty out of them as a garnish too!

While this post concentrates on how to make a Boozy Hot Chocolate Bomb with a liquid filling, if you want to go non-alcoholic, it’s easy. Instead of the liquor, fill the bottom half of your chocolate bomb with a couple of Tablespoons of Hot Cocoa Mix (I prefer the Ghiardelli brand) and a small handful of marshmallows.

Proceed to seal them as instructed or for a bit quicker method since there is no liquid to worry about, simply place the bottom section on a warm plate for a minute to melt the edge, fill it with the marshmallows and hot cocoa mix and then repeat with warming the edge of the 2nd half and seal the two together.

Boozy Hot Chocolate Bombs are a fun and creative venture and a delightful drink to boot; once you start you’ll find all sorts of ideas that would require the perfect boozy hot chocolate bomb!

PIN IT! ‘Boozy Hot Chocolate Bombs’

Boozy Hot Chocolate Bombs

Barbara Baker

A shell of chocolate is filled with a paste made of hot chocolate mix and either a liqueur or liquor. Mixed with hot milk it makes a luscious adult hot chocolate.

5 average from less than 50 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cooling Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Desserts

Cuisine American

Servings 6 Servings

Calories 839 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 12 tablespoons hot cocoa mix
• 6 ounces Irish Whiskey
• 6 ounces white chocolate for decorating
• Cake Decorating Crystals
• Marshmallows for serving
• 1 ½ cups milk heated

Instructions

 

• Use a double boiler or set a bowl over a pot of simmering water and combine the semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips in it. Make sure the vessel does not touch the water. Gently stir until the chips have melted.
• Spoon about a Tablespoon of chocolate into each mold and using a spoon, swirl the chocolate to coat the entire inside of the mold. Use a knife to swoop across the mold and clean off any extra and then place the mold upside down on parchment paper. When all the molds are filled, either freeze for about 5 minutes or refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• Repeat the same process with the chilled molds so that you have two coats; making sure there is a nice amount at the lip of the chocolate. Freeze or refrigerate again.
• Gently remove the chocolate shells from the silicone molds and place in a muffin tin or other container to stabilize them.
• For each bomb, combine 2 Tablespoons of hot cocoa powder with 1 oz. of Irish Whiskey (or your spirit of choice) until you have a paste. Add this mixture to 6 of the shells.
  NOTE: If you’re making non-alcoholic bombs, simply add 3 tablespoons of hot cocoa mix to the 6 shells and top with a handful of mini marshmallows.
• Using a plastic baggie, pipe a fine line around the edge of one or both spheres. Place the top one on the bottom one filled with the paste (or marshmallows and mix), center to fit accurately, and if necessary, wipe extra chocolate from the rim with your forefinger. Or leave it and roll the sphere in decorative sprinkles.
• This is a most important step, these balls have to be tightly sealed to avoid having the alcohol leak. I worried that I didn’t love the look but honestly once you decorate them, you’ll never notice a less than perfect seam; having it work is more important!
  
  (For bombs without alcohol, you can place a plate over the pot of simmering water to heat it up a bit. Then press the rim of each of the empty half spheres to the plate to melt them a bit before filling them and then adhere the two together.
• Wipe out and thoroughly dry your double boiler or use a new dish and melt the white chocolate chips. Fill a small plastic baggie with the melted chocolate and cut a TINY hole on one edge; drizzle the chocolate over each ball. Top with your favorite sprinkles. Refrigerate the completed balls.
• To serve, place a ball into a cup and pour hot milk over it until the ball bursts open. Stir until smooth and top with marshmallows if desired.

Notes

Bombs without booze

You can pipe chocolate to adhere them together as done for these chocolate bombs or alternately use this method. Place a plate over one of the pots of simmering water to heat it up a bit. Then press the rim of each of the empty half spheres to the plate to melt it just a bit so that the spheres will adhere to each other. Fill the bottom with cocoa mix and marshmallows and put the top in place and let them cool in the fridge or freezer.

Note that this recipe is for 6 full balls. The forms come packaged with two forms, each with 6 half spheres so you can make 6 balls at a time. If you want to make a dozen, buy two sets or simply finish one set and repeat the process.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Boozy Hot Chocolate Bombs

Serving Size

 

1 Serving

Amount per Serving

Calories

839

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

33

g

51

%

Cholesterol

 

31

mg

10

%

Sodium

 

428

mg

19

%

Carbohydrates

 

112

g

37

%

Protein

 

13

g

26

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Calories

839

Keyword boozy, hot chocolate bomb, irish whiskey, tequila

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!