The Untold Truth Of Hot Chocolate Bombs

It's a blustery December day. Visions of sugarplums are dancing in your head. You're stuck inside huddled around the fireplace in your winter's finest, plaid pajamas. The kitchen beckons you for a warm, soul-soothing beverage. Are you reaching for a cup of coffee? No. The seasonal beverage of choice is, of course, hot chocolate. 'Tis the season! We have the ancient Mayans to thank for this tantalizing drink. According to The Spruce Eats, the Mayans began drinking chocolate, made from crushed cocoa seeds, as early as 500 BC, and then it made its way to Spain, where they began sweetening the mixture and serving it warm around the 1500s. 

As a child, your mother may have reached for a package of Swiss Miss, the instant hot chocolate powder that mixed with milk and quickly satisfied your very basic taste buds. Well, those days are long gone. Today, we're all about the pomp and circumstance when we partake in the wintery delight. Cue: the hot chocolate bomb. This next-level creation may look like a visually appealing sphere of chocolate, but hiding inside is cocoa mix, marshmallows, and all sorts of edible bites of joy. The real fun begins when it is placed inside a cup of warm milk. It extravagantly melts open and transforms into a rich cup of hot chocolate. The sensation has inspired viral trends, caused the masses to line up, and even has influenced wannabe suburban chocolatiers to their hand at making them from scratch. 

As hot chocolate has evolved from the mundane to the simply lavish, it's no surprise that we've found ourselves with the hot chocolate bomb, but what exactly is it? According to the Food Network, the basic gist goes something like this. Individual chocolate balls, in the form of hollow spheres, are created from fresh chocolate and molds. They are filled with cocoa mix and whatever else you'd prefer in your hot chocolate, this is typically marshmallows and sprinkles, but anything sweet fits the bill. They are often decorated on the outside with icing and even more candy, like crushed cookies, and sprinkles. You'll next place the chocolate bomb in a mug of hot milk. The bomb begins to dissolve in the milk, releasing whatever goodies are inside. You simply stir and voila!

They've gotten to the height of popularity so much that big retailers, including Target, Walmart, Trader Joe's, and even Costco have gotten in on the action. Novice cooks haven't been spared from the challenge and have begun their own DIY journeys into making these edible pieces of art. Sphere silicone candy molds are all over Amazon as well as the crafting giant, Michael's.

As 2020 banished us to the indoors, bored people took to the newest social media sensation, TikTok, to blow off steam, and so the global craze for hot chocolate bombs was born. Ambitious home cooks became amateur chocolatiers as they showcased their creations, with some videos landing millions of views. According to Eater (and to the joy of dentists everywhere), the hashtag #hotchocolatebombs has been used nearly 200 million times. 

If you think there's nothing more visually satisfying than watching a ball of chocolate dissolve into a cup of milk, think again. Meet Olaf. Winter is a good time to stay in and cuddle, but it's made infinitely better with the loveable snowman in chocolate bomb form. That is, if you can get your hands on him. He's certainly worth melting for as eager hopefuls line up daily at The Ganachery in Disney Springs at Walt Disney World, the only place to find him, for their chance at snagging this adorable treat. Fans first caught wind of it thanks to the Disney Parks TikTok that went viral. The swoon-worthy Olaf bomb is made up of caramel hot chocolate and vanilla bean marshmallows. According to Today, the shop has only 75 molds making it difficult to keep up with the demand. They usually sell out within 45 minutes of the store opening daily. May the force be with you if you attempt to get your hands on this one. 

We're not sure about you, but a $32 piece of chocolate in snowman form from Neiman Marcus just may not be in the budget this year. Luckily, you won't have to sacrifice the cute factor, or your wallet, thanks to Trader Joe's. The retailer with an almost cult-like following that has given us cauliflower gnocchi and Speculoos cookie butter comes in clutch this holiday season with a hot cocoa snowman. 

Complete with a white chocolate exterior that gives way to milk chocolate chips and mini marshmallows, this one will only set you back $1.99. Perfect as a stocking stuffer, or to keep for your own indulgences (because 2020), fans are obsessed with this version that is not only delicious but totally adorable. We hate to be the one to break the bad news to you, but you may be left to melt into a puddle outside of TJ's, because this has proven to be nearly impossible for staff to keep on the shelves. 

When a piping hot cup of chocolate is made properly with quality ingredients, there's nothing like it. Chocolate makers have not stopped at the basics as the potential for the trend has gone well beyond your standard milk chocolate. Using the finest Belgian chocolates, creative entrepreneurs are expanding our holiday palates with inventive flavors. Over in Orangeburg, NY, the Chocolatier Matisse, owned by Danielle Hudak, offers not only the standard milk, dark, and white chocolate varieties, but a plethora of flavors like Nutella, mint truffle, dark cherry, and even Lucky Charms. Color us intrigued!

The Southern Bytes uses her favorite flavors of hot chocolate bombs to create adult homemade cafe mochas. She also makes a Mexican cocoa bomb that's sugar and spice (and everything nice). Salted caramel lattes may be all the rage at Starbucks, but in hot chocolate form, they are positively divine and maybe just a bit sinful. Savory meets sweet in this homemade salted caramel hot chocolate bomb on Eating Well that pairs the flavors of rich caramel with a crunchy sea salt. 

In the past year, there has been one character that has captured our hearts while taking the pop culture world by storm. That's Baby Yoda, also know as the Child. The adorable Baby Yoda was introduced in the Star Wars Disney+ original television series, The Mandalorian, and has since manifested before our eyes into endless merchandise, including cuddly plushes, pop sockets, coffee mugs, t-shirts, and more. Do, or do not, but we can't help jumping on board with this trend. How could we forget the Baby Yoda Cocktail? You don't have to be a fan of the series to love this little guy.

The Baby Yoda trend continues on in the form of hot chocolate bombs! Galerie Candy came up with this genius idea and we're frankly sad we didn't think up this one ourselves. With the element of surprise, a seemingly plain chocolate bomb bounces and dissolves into a warm mug of milk to reveal a Baby Yoda marshmallow. The cuteness is strong with this one — it's both satisfying to watch transform before your eyes and even more delicious to eat.