Cocoa Bombs

I am definitely an Instant Pot groupie and am part of a Facebook group that posts lots of yummy recipes. It was there that I came across the idea of "Cocoa Bombs."

We had been "Elf-ed" (surprised by a doorstep drop-off) shortly before Christmas with a box of goodies, including hot cocoa-making supplies (including mini-marshmallows, peppermint sticks, and more), and, as a result, Iver had been asking to make hot cocoa. My kids also adore bath bombs, so on this long, rainy weekend and after some careful treat-rationing, we stepped it up and went the extra step to make cocoa bombs (surprisingly, this family that doesn't really like to "cook" has done a lot of cooking/baking this year! Kelvin even learned how to make Pad See Ew, banana bread, and cook with an Air Fryer he got for Christmas).

I used the recipe here for our bombs (you do not actually need an Instant Pot to make these, but can melt chocolate in a microwave or over a stove, I guess, if desired). It was messy (it required a lot of dish- and counter-washing!) and they didn't look super pretty, but the activity was pretty easy (even for non-baking moms; the hardest step was dissolving the chocolate chips), kid-assistant-friendly, and the final product was still extremely tasty (actually very rich, to where even the choco-loving kids couldn't finish their serving).

Ingredients/supplies needed:

1. Silicone egg mold

2. Glass bowl

3. Instant Pot or microwave

4. Three-and-a-half cups of chocolate chips, for melting

5. Seven tablespoons of cocoa powder

6. Mini-marshmallows (approximately 1/2 cup)

7. Crushed peppermint, white chocolate, and other toppings as desired.

1. Melt chocolate. I used the Instant Pot as a "double-boiler" to melt the chocolate chips in a glass bowl over water using the sauté function (on the normal heat setting).

2.  When the chocolate is melted, you scoop it into the (ungreased) egg mold, and with a spoon, "paint" the sides and bottom, creating a chocolate shell or "cup." Reserve some chocolate for the "tops." Freeze the mold/cups for at least 10 minutes. 

 3. Remove the mold from the freezer, and fill each cup with a scoop (~1 Tbsp each) of cocoa mix, crushed peppermint if desired, and top with a few mini-marshmallows.

4.  Re-warm the chocolate if needed, and spoon the remaining chocolate over each cup to make a "lid" and to seal the bomb.  Freeze the mold again for at least 20 minutes. 

5. Pop out each chocolate bomb from the mold.  Drizzle (or, um, splat) with melted white chocolate and add other sprinkles, if desired. 

6.  Place bomb in a mug or cup, heat milk in a saucepan or in the microwave (x 2 minutes), pour milk over a bomb, stir, and enjoy! 

I was having trouble saving my video files but tried to upload one of us starting the bomb dissolution process (not sure if it'll work here), which the kids found exciting: 

Enjoying their yummy cocoa in special mugs!

(After a long standoff, Niall [the main chocolate-lover in the family] finally ate some *real* food for dinner, which was his requirement for being able to enjoy a bomb like his brother. He then "spilled" [?on purpose] his hot chocolate on his dining tray and asked for another!). 

Bombs away!