Cookbook review by Tracey Zabar
Cocoa bombs are spheres of tempered chocolate, with cocoa powder and little marshmallows inside. You place one inside a mug, and pour hot milk over. The bomb explodes, and there's your sweet treat. Buy the book for detailed instruction on how to temper the chocolate and fill the molds. What to make next? Perhaps the adorable dark chocolate reindeers with pretzel antlers or one with peanut butter and milk chocolate. I will sit in front of the fireplace and decide with a mug of this hot chocolate.
Recipe excerpted with permission from Cocoa Bombs: Over 40 Make-at-Home Recipes for Explosively Fun Hot Chocolate Drinks by Eric Torres Garcia, Ryland Peters & Small 2021. Photograph by Alex Luck © Ryland Peters & Small 2021
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Anyone would be delighted to receive one of these adorable snowman cocoa bombs over the festive period. They have so much personality you almost feel bad for drowning them in hot milk.
10 oz./285 g tempered white chocolate
TO FILL
3 tablespoons white chocolate hot cocoa mix/drinking chocolate powder
15–21 white mini marshmallows
TO DECORATE
6 candy eyes
3 large white marshmallows
3 orange chocolate drops
melted dark chocolate, for piping and sticking
3 small pretzels
TO SERVE
hot milk of your choice (allow about 1 cup/ 235 ml per serving)
MAKES 3 COCOA BOMBS
1. Use the tempered white chocolate to make 6 cocoa bomb half-shells, following the instructions on pages 16–17, then remove from the molds.
2. Prepare 3 small cupcake liners/cases on a parchment-lined baking sheet, or use a clean silicone mold turned upside down. This will hold the bombs in place as you assemble and decorate them.
3. Following the instructions on pages 18–19, warm up a pan or plate—you will use this for sticking the half-shells together.
4. To fill your cocoa bombs, spoon 1 tablespoon of white chocolate hot cocoa mix/drinking chocolate powder into a half-shell, then add 5–7 mini marshmallows. Take care not to overfill the shells.
5. Take another empty half-shell and place it carefully, rim-down onto the warm pan or plate. Let the chocolate rim melt for 3–5 seconds, then gently press together with the filled half-shell to seal, following the detailed instructions on pages 18–19. Wipe off any excess chocolate around the rim and set aside in the prepared cupcake liner/case or on the upside-down silicone mold.
6. Repeat with the remaining half-shells and filling to make 3 cocoa bombs.
7. To decorate, stick the candy eyes onto the large marshmallows using the melted chocolate, then add orange chocolate drops as noses. Paint or pipe a smile in melted chocolate onto each of the large marshmallows, then paint or pipe 3 buttons onto the cocoa bombs. Cut the small pretzels in half and stick each half into the underside of the marshmallows as snowmen arms.
8. Gently stick the marshmallow heads to the cocoa bombs with a little melted chocolate, being careful to align the faces and arms with the buttons, and holding for 30 seconds or until set. Leave for 15–20 minutes at room temperature to allow the decoration to dry.
9. Package the bombs as gifts, or to serve, place a cocoa bomb inside a cup or mug, pour over the hot milk of your choice and watch the bomb explode. Stir to mix evenly and serve warm.
Tracey Zabar's Chocolate Chip Sweets: Celebrated Chefs Share Favorite Recipes is available here.
A delectable collection of innovative chocolate chip recipes by world-renowned chefs, pastry chefs, and bakers
Tracey Zabar's One Sweet Cookie Cookbook is available here.
A delicious collection of cookie recipes from extraordinary chefs, pastry chefs, and bakers. A great gift sure to delight anyone who loves to bake.
