There’s not much extra I can say to sell you on these other than repeat the title: hot chocolate bombs. These little spheres of chocolate magic are filled with homemade cocoa mix, marshmallows, sprinkles, and whatever else your heart desires. They ‘explode’ when you pour hot milk over them, turning into the cutest (and most entertaining) cup of hot chocolate you’ve ever had.
Are they the easiest way to make hot chocolate? Probably not. You could just mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and call it a day. But are they the most adorable way to make hot chocolate? I contest yes. I had so much fun making these—decorating them with all kinds of chocolate and toppings—and they make great gifts if you temper the chocolate right. Pour steaming hot milk over one, and the heat melts the chocolate, revealing the goodies inside. It’s part dessert, part science experiment, and 100% delightful.

Tempering Chocolate: Should You Bother?
Tempering chocolate is hard. I’ll be honest— despite the many people online saying it’s easy, I’ve always found it hard to temper chocolate, especially in an Indian kitchen that is always running hot in a tropical climate. Small temperature changes can make it finicky to work with, especially if you temper in the summer.
So, do you need to temper your chocolate for this recipe? Not necessarily. You can get by if you use Candy Melt chocolates- these are designed to set at room temperature and don’t need tempering. However, they have some downsides:
- The chocolate taste will be more artificial, sugary, and the actual product will contain emulsifying oils which aren’t good for you
- Candy melts are often just as expensive as good coverture chocolate, so you’re paying just as much for a product that does not taste as good
- The bombs won’t have that shiny, professional finish. Your decorations also won’t have that sharp finish
- They’ll need to be stored in the fridge, as they can melt at room temperature
If you decide to not temper, you can buy compound chocolates from Wilton, Morde, or Van Houten, based on the price range comfortable to you.
If you decide to temper the chocolate, you’ll need ‘coverture’ chocolate. Couverture chocolate is a high-quality chocolate that contains a higher percentage of cocoa butter (at least 31%) compared to regular baking or eating chocolate. It is specially formulated for tempering, melting, and molding, making it a favorite among professional chocolatiers and pastry chefs. We love the brand Callebaut.
- You’ll get glossy, beautiful bombs that can be easily decorated
- They’re stable at room temperature and can make for gorgeous gifts
- Best of all, they’re delicious, quality chocolate that melts beautifully and tastes best



Ingredients and Equipment needed
Ingredients
- Chocolate: If you temper, then get Couverture chocolate like Callebaut. If you don’t want to temper, get a Compound chocolate brand like Wilton, Morde, or Van Houten, based on the price range comfortable to you. You can also choose from milk, dark, or white chocolate based on preference
- Oil-based food colour: If you plan on colouring your chocolate, you will need powder oil-based food colour. Avoid gel or water-based food colours as they will immediately ‘seize’ or ruin your chocolate. We like oil-based colours from Wilton and powder based colours from Ajanta (an affordable option)
- Hot chocolate mix: If you want to make your own like us (and you might as well, if you’re going through the effort of making these bombs), you’ll need cocoa powder, brown sugar, milk powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. If you’re not feeling it, use your favourite store bought brand instead
- Fillings & decorations: Whatever you want to dress this up. You can use marshmallows, sprinkles, gems, m&ms, edible glitter, and more
Equipment
- Molds: I used these silicone molds, which you can find on Amazon or your local bakery store. You don’t have to use round molds, although they’re the popular option. I also made some gift-box and wreath shaped bombs using my entremet molds. You can also use plastic molds, but if you do then you’ll need to temper your chocolate or the chocolate won’t release cleanly
- Plastic bowl & spoon: Chocolate doesn’t temper well in a glass bowl. Use a microwave-safe plastic bowl instead. Plastic insulates heat better than glass or ceramic, reducing the chances of overheating. You’ll also need a plastic spoon for stirring—it minimizes mess and retains less heat than metal utensils
- Cupcake liner: You’ll need something to place your set chocolate shells on. If you touch them too much with your bare hands, they will leave fingerprints and the heat of your hands can also melt and ruin the shell. I like cupcake liners because they’re already round shaped and can hold a half-shell both sides up, so you can use them when filling and decorating. Non-stick parchment paper can be an alternative if you don’t have any
- Piping bags: If you want to pipe patterns using leftover chocolate on your shells. An alternative can be a ziplock bag with the corner cut off


Step-by-Step Instructions (with photos)
Tempering Chocolate
- Prep your cocoa butter: Start by preparing your cocoa butter for the process. While it’s not entirely necessary, it helps the chocolate temper better and with less fuss. Take 2% of cocoa butter by the weight of the chocolate (if you have 100g chocolate, use 2g cocoa butter), grate it finely using a microplane or grater, and put it in the freezer.
- Prep your chocolate: While this freezes, chop your chocolate into small and uniform pieces. If you’re working with a large block, take the time to chop or grate it finely. You need this to be very fine or the chocolate will have hot spots and won’t melt properly.
- Set aside seed chocolate: Next, you need to save some chocolate for seeding. If you’re using cocoa butter, the seeding process becomes less important, and you only need to use 1/4th of the chocolate for seed. If you’re not using cocoa butter, however, seeding is critical and the only way to remind the chocolate of the correct crystal structure. In this case, you need to save 1/3rd of the chocolate as seed.
- First burst in microwave: Once your seed is set aside, place the non-seed 3/4th (or 2/3rd) chocolate in a microwave-safe plastic bowl. With your microwave at 50% power (about 500W), heat the chocolate for 45 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir vigorously to distribute the heat.
- Second burst in microwave: Heat for another 30 seconds at reduced power, and stir thoroughly again. Stirring this much may feel unnecessary, but it distributes heat evenly and prevents hot spots.
- Third burst in microwave: Heat for another 20 seconds and stir. By now, most of the chocolate should have melted if you shopped it finely enough. If not, keep stirring until the mixture has cooled entirely and there is no heat in the bowl or chocolate.
- Fourth burst in microwave: Skip this step if your chocolate has melted entirely after stirring for 1-2 min. Otherwise, place it back into the microwave for another 10 seconds and stir.
- Seeding: Once all the chocolate has melted, add your reserved seed chocolate and grated frozen cocoa butter to the bowl. Start mixing vigorously, this will cool down the bowl and agitate the chocolate into forming the stable crystal structure required for tempering. Mix for around 10 minutes until it reaches 25°C- 27°C (approximate room temperature for Indian households). In these 10 minutes, the chocolate will start to thicken and reach a gloopy texture, and small bits around the edges of the bowl may start to set. This indicates that the chocolate has tempered and you’re ready to create the shells.






Creating chocolate shells
- Fill the Molds: Spoon about 2 tablespoons of tempered chocolate into each cavity of your mold. Use the back of a spoon to spread the chocolate evenly to the edges, ensuring no gaps or thin spots.
- Flip and Drain: Turn the entire mold upside down over a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper or a silicone mat. Let the excess chocolate drip out, leaving behind an even chocolate shell. Use an offset spatula or knife to scrape along the edges of the mold, creating clean, even rims.
- Set and Strengthen: Refrigerate the mold for 5 minutes to firm up the chocolate. If the shells look too thin, add another layer of chocolate to the edges or the entire interior. Spread evenly and clean the edges again.
- Final Set: Let the shells set completely in a cool, dry room for about 60 minutes.






Making the Hot Chocolate Mix
While the shells are setting, prepare the hot chocolate mix. Mix cocoa powder, milk powder, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Grate cinnamon and nutmeg into the mix. Use a whisk to mix everything together thoroughly. You can store this in an airtight container until ready to use.






Decorate and fill
Once the chocolate has fully set, carefully remove the shells from the molds. Place half of the shells hollow-side up in cupcake liners to keep them steady while you work. The remaining half should be placed dome-side up in flattened cupcake liners or baking paper.
Now comes the fun part: decorating! Melt any leftover tempered chocolate and use it to create patterns on the dome-side shells. You can keep it simple with drizzles of chocolate or go all out with edible glitter, sprays, and sprinkles. If you’re feeling creative, try painting designs like snowflakes, Christmas trees, or even a snowman or a Rudolph face. For a festive touch, mix different colors of chocolate or use crushed candy canes for texture. Let your decorations set completely before moving on to the assembly stage.






You make many designs based on the chocolate colours you make and the sprinkles and decorations you use. Here are some ideas for inspiration.






Assembly
Fill the hollow-side shells with about 1.5 tablespoons of the hot chocolate mix. Add extras like marshmallows, sprinkles, or crushed peppermint if you want.
To seal, heat a dry metal plate or baking sheet until it’s warm to the touch. Take a decorated shell and press its edge against the warm surface for a second or two, just enough to melt the rim slightly. Quickly place it over a filled shell, aligning the edges carefully. If needed, use a small amount of melted chocolate to reinforce the seam, smoothing it with a spoon or spatula.






Hot Chocolate Bombs
Ingredients
Chocolate Shells
- 175 g good-quality coverture or compound chocolate dark, milk, or white or a mix based on the final colour you want. Use coverture if you plan on tempering and compound if not
- 4 g cocoa butter optional but highly reccomended
Hot Chocolate Mix
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup milk powder
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 stick grated cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
Extras for Filling and Decorating:
- Mini marshmallows sprinkles, crushed candy canes, or chocolate chips
- Edible glitter colored chocolate, or sprays for decoration
Instructions
Temper the Chocolate
- Grate your cocoa butter, if using, and put in freezer for 10 min while you prep chocolate.
- Finely chop or grate your chocolate.
- If you are using cocoa butter, add ¾ of the chocolate to a microwave-safe plastic bowl. If you are skipping cocoa powder, add 2/3rd of your chocolate.
- Heat the chocolate at 50% power (500W) in the microwave for 45-seconds and stir to distribute hot spots. Repeat in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and again for another 20 seconds. If most of your chocolate (~80%) has not melted by now, stir and heat for a last 10 second burst.
- Add the remaining ¼ (or 1/3) chocolate and frozen cocoa butter. Mix vigorously with a spatula for at least 8-10 minutes until thick and glossy. The mixture will get thick and gloopy, and the chocolate on the edges will start to set.
Make Shells
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of chocolate into each cavity of a silicone mold. Spread evenly to the edges with a spoon.
- Turn the mold upside down over a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat to drain excess chocolate. The shell should still be thick but if it's not, you may need to repeat to build a second layer of chocolate shell.
- Clean the edges with a spatula.
- Let the shells for 60 minutes in a cool, dry place.
Prepare the Hot Chocolate Mix
- In a bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, powdered milk, sugar, salt, and grated spices until evenly combined.
Decorate
- Carefully pop the set chocolate shells out of the molds. Place half the shells hollow-side up and the other half dome-side up in cupcake liners.
- Melt leftover chocolate and use to decorate the dome-side shells. Add edible glitter, sprinkles, or other decorations.
- Let set completely, another 15 minutes.
Assemble
- Fill hollow shells with 1.5 tablespoons of cocoa mix, mini marshmallows, and extras like sprinkles or candy.
- Heat a dry metal plate or baking sheet in the oven or airfyer.
- Melt the rims of the decorated domes by placing them on the hot plate for 1-2 seconds. Pick it up and and seal it over a filled shell. Smooth the seam with melted chocolate if needed.
Serve
- Place a hot chocolate bomb in a mug. Pour steaming hot milk over it, stir, and enjoy!
Notes
- If you're not tempering chocolate and instead using compound chocolates, just grate all of it and melt it in the microwave for 30 second bursts until its done, stirring between each burst
- Storage: Store tempered bombs at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 weeks. For untempered bombs, refrigerate and consume within 1 week.
- Reheating Chocolate: If chocolate thickens while working, microwave for 2-5 seconds and stir vigorously.