These salted caramel hot chocolate bombs are the easy button to make a warm and cozy cup of hot cocoa. They also make a great homemade gift to give to friends and family during the holiday season!
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Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa Bombs recipe
Have you ever seen those super cute hot chocolate bombs on social media and wondered, “where do people get those things?” Well, you can buy them in stores and at bakeries, but making them on your own is so simple and much more affordable!
A single packet of powdered hot chocolate mix is out, and delicious hot cocoa bombs are in! It’s just as easy to make the perfect cup of hot chocolate from a cocoa bomb as it is from a packet of cocoa mix. And adding real chocolate makes the flavor way better!
If salted caramel hot chocolate is not your things, then check out my recipe for peppermint hot cocoa bombs instead. But if you love the sweet and buttery flavor of caramel, then you’re going to love this recipe.
Making hot chocolate bombs is so much fun, and your future self will thank you when you need a quick warming drink on a cold day. Once you made the bombs, it takes just minutes to warm up some milk and melt the explosion of tasty sweetness. So let’s get started and make the best hot cocoa bombs you’ve ever tasted!
More candy recipes: Candied Orange Slices • Homemade Rock Candy • Easter Candy
Why you’ll love this recipe
I love these little spheres of goodness, and I know you will too! They’re so easy to love:
- You can gift hot cocoa bombs for all of the holidays around those chilly winter months! Make some for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or as a just because treat.
- It is a great make ahead item for parties. If you know how many guests you plan to have, just set out hot cocoa bombs for each person and have a way to heat milk.
- The flavor of homemade hot cocoa is so much better than a powdered mix on its own. This is the easiest way to make a rich and chocolatey mug of this sweet treat without a quick mix!
What are Hot Cocoa Bombs?
Hot cocoa bombs are chocolate candy spheres that are filled with hot cocoa mix, marshmallows and other sweet treats. When you pour hot milk over them, the chocolate sphere melts away releasing all of the fillings.
Mini marshmallows and sprinkles that were inside the hollow chocolate ball float to the top, while the melted chocolate shell and hot chocolate powder inside can be stirred into the cup. The result a creamy cup of cocoa with the most amazing flavor!
Hot cocoa vs. hot chocolate
While pretty similar in flavor, hot chocolate and hot cocoa have very different ingredients. Hot cocoa is most often made with a powdered mix. However, hot chocolate is made with melted chocolate.
These salted caramel hot chocolate bombs contains both chocolate and a powder mix, so you can call them hot chocolate bombs or hot cocoa bombs. Whatever you want to call it and however you make it, it’s delicious!
Tools & equipment
To make hot chocolate bombs successfully, you’ll need to have a few important things on hand.
Molds: First and foremost, you need silicone sphere molds to make them in. I’ve found these silicone molds to work perfectly because the chocolate always releases from them really easily.
Chocolate warmer: Though you can warm chocolate in microwave safe bowl, or in a double boiler on the stove, it’s much easier to use a melting pot. Chocolate can be very finicky when it meets heat, so a device like this keeps the chocolate warm without overcooking it.
Food-safe paintbrushes: For best results, use these culinary paintbrushes for assembly of the salted caramel hot chocolate bombs. You can also use a small spatula or the back of a spoon, but a small pastry paintbrush makes less of a mess.
Bags for gifting: Caramel hot cocoa bombs are great to gift! I like to put them in cellophane bags and tie them up with a pretty ribbon. These iridescent bags are really fun and festive and work for any holiday.
Other gifts: For a fun adult twist, gift a cocoa bomb with a mini bottle of sweet liqueur. Irish cream, coffee liqueur or a nice whiskey would taste so yummy with this, and you could also add a swizzle stick or a chocolate spoon.
Or you could make boozy hot chocolate bomb kits to give out to friends and family.
I created these printable hot chocolate bomb gift tags that you can add to your presents. They explain how to make them into a cup of hot cocoa.
Ingredients
These are so much fun to make, and you only need a few ingredients! Here’s what to have on hand to make these delicious treats:
- caramel candy melts: Instead of making the chocolate bombs with chocolate melts, use caramel! They will melt away the same way that the chocolate does when you pour hot milk over them.
- hot cocoa mix: Choose your favorite mix! You can use a homemade hot cocoa mix, a dark chocolate mix, something with those mini marshmallows, etc. Any powder cocoa mix will work as a filling inside the caramel shell.
- fillings: Fill this hollow shell with all of your favorite hot cocoa goodies. Mini marshmallows, candy pieces, extra meltable caramel candies, sprinkles. You can add anything you want!
- toppings: I like to melt chocolate melting wafers and drizzle it over the top of completed salted caramel hot chocolate bombs. Then you can add sprinkles of any type, powdered sugar, sanding sugar, or any other pretty toppings to make these cocoa bombs even more appealing. For the salted flavor here, sprinkle the tops with flaky sea salt!
How to Make Salted Hot Chocolate Bombs
While these may seem difficult to make, if you follow these detailed instructions you shouldn’t have any issues! I’ve got you covered with every step, so just follow along to make the cutest salted hot cocoa bombs:
Melt the caramel wafers in a chocolate warmer, or over a double boiler using a heat safe bowl. If you aren’t confident in either of those methods, you can melt them in the microwave.
Just place into a microwave safe bowl and warm in 20-second intervals, stirring in between until the caramel is creamy and smooth. You can also follow the package instructions for the best method to melt the caramel.
Once melted, use a spoon or brush to paint the melted caramel candy onto the inside of your silicone molds. Make sure that the caramel is in even layer and it is not too thin or there will be weak spots in the dome.
Set these aside until they harden. You can either leave them at room temperature or refrigerate to help speed up the process.
Carefully remove the sphere halves from the silicone molds. To cut down on fingerprints on the outside of the caramel, use the molds as a stand while you assemble them.
Add cocoa mix, a pinch of sea salt and all of your desired fillings into the one half of the domes. Use 3 tablespoons of hot cocoa powder mix, some mini marshmallows, and any other fillings.
Seal the caramel spheres with a pastry brush or the back of a spoon by painting melted caramel around the edge of an empty half. Then press it onto the filled half of the shell and fill in any gaps with extra melted caramel. Set aside until the caramel hardens.
Repeat this process until you’ve completed filling all of the domes.
To decorate, melt some chocolate and either use a spoon or piping bag to drizzle it over the top. Make sure the melted chocolate isn’t hot or it will melt the caramel sphere! Be sure to add some flecks of flaky sea salt to the top to identify any that have salt inside.
Then sprinkle with your desired toppings. Allow chocolate drizzle to harden, then store, enjoy or gift each salted caramel hot chocolate bomb!
How to Use Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa Bombs
Ready to melt a hot chocolate bomb into a perfect mug of cozy goodness? Here’s how to do it!
Warm milk on the stovetop or in the microwave. Be careful not to boil the milk, just get it hot.
Place your hot chocolate bomb in the mug that you want to use. To watch the magic happen, use a clear glass mug. Then pour the hot milk over top of the bomb and let it melt away the caramel shell.
The marshmallows and sprinkles will float to the top and all the other ingredients should begin to melt into the hot milk. Stir it all together to combine the hot cocoa mix with the milk.
Add a boozy boost if you want! Then you’re ready to enjoy your special mug of hot cocoa!
FAQ
Place in an airtight container and store at room temperature for about a month. For gifting, place them in cellophane bags or put each one in a cupcake liner inside a gift box or cookie tin! Try to keep them in a structured container so that they don’t roll around.
It is not necessary to refrigerate salted caramel hot cocoa bombs. However, it could extend their shelf life. If you know that your kitchen tends to get warm, then I wouldn’t store them on your countertop. Placing them in the fridge is a safer decision!
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Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa Bombs
ingredients
Hot Cocoa Bombs
- 1 cup caramel candy melts
- 2 ¼ cups hot chocolate mix
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- ½ cup chocolate candy melts
- 2 tablespoons chocolate sprinkles for garnish
- 1 pinch flaky sea salt for garnish, plus more to taste
Hot Chocolate
- 8 ounces warm milk
- 1 caramel hot chocolate bomb
instructions
Hot Cocoa Bombs
- Melt the caramel wafers on the stovetop, with a chocolate melting pot, or in a microwave safe bowl.
- With a spoon or brush, paint the melted caramel into clean silicone molds. Make sure it is in an even layer and there are no thin, weak spots. Refrigerate until firm, about 15-20 minutes. You can also leave them at room temperature to firm up.
- Carefully remove the dome halves from the molds. Use the molds as a stand while you assemble the cocoa bombs.
- Into half of the domes, spoon in 3 tablespoons hot chocolate mix, mini marshmallows and any other fillings like sprinkles.
- With the brush, paint melted caramel around the edge of one of the empty domes and, quickly, press it onto a filled half. Refrigerate until firm, about 15-20 minutes.
- Decorate with some melted chocolate, sprinkles, edible glitter or candies.
- Then remove from molds and place in cellophane bags or a gift box to give away or use!
Hot Chocolate with Hot Cocoa Bombs
- First, warm some milk on the stove or in the microwave. Don’t boil it.
- Place the hot chocolate bomb in a mug.
- Then pour the hot milk over top. The chocolate shell will melt into the milk. Marshmallows and other fillings will float to the top.
- Stir together then sip on your creation!
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