A couple of months ago my daughter-in-law shared a video with me of a new food craze called hot chocolate bombs and it blew my mind. It is basically hot cocoa, but it is the way the hot cocoa is delivered that is so amazing. When you pour hot milk over the beautifully smooth delicate sphere of chocolate, they melt and magically release the marshmallows and cocoa hiding inside. The ingredients are simple and straightforward: chocolate, hot cocoa mix, marshmallows. But it is the way they are manipulated that creates something altogether magical.
Step 1 – Research Begins
The search began in earnest on how to make these magical spheres of chocolate goodness and I scoured the internet for any tutorial I could find on the subject. In no time at all, I stumbled upon this recipe with a tutorial that was super informational, as well as this one that has some cute ideas for decorating.
Step 2 – Mise en place
Then began the process of procuring the necessary equipment and ingredients. A few days later that familiar Amazon box showed up at my house with everything I needed (and then some) to start making the chocolate spheres of goodness.
Step 3 – It’s Time!
The day arrived when the stars were aligned so-to-speak. With my newly acquired confidence from the tutorials combined with a strong craving for chocolate, it seemed as good a time as any to begin. To help keep the momentum going I turned on a Christmas playlist rolled up my sleeves and was ready to get elbow deep in some bomb-making.
The process seemed much easier than I anticipated, the only downside was the amount of chocolate I seemed to be consuming while making them. There is something dangerously addictive about melted chocolate! Thankfully, there was enough left to finish the project and I ended up with something I was pretty darn proud of, see evidence below.
Step 4 – Sharing the Love
What really made this whole endeavor worth it was in sharing these delicious orbs of chocolate goodness with those I love most. My first brave taste-testers Danielle (my S+C business partner) and her unsuspecting children were the happy recipients of the bombs in a socially distancing approved front door drop-off. Then I shipped out two pre-holiday packages that were carefully packed, one to my precious daughter a few hours away and my daughter-in-love in Chicago.
In this season when there have been so many things that seem to dampen our joy, the simple act of making something with our hands and sharing it with those we love can begin to stoke the fires of hope and joy again. It may just be chocolate, but it is chocolate made with love. And that makes all the difference.
