Once the chocolate has set, remove the half-spheres from the moulds (pop them out of the moulds if you’re using silicone ones, and use a bench scraper if the moulds are hard) I soon learned it's not a great idea to drop a chocolate ball into warm milk - the milk goes everywhere and the ball just floats on the top. I eventually figured out it's better to pour over the hot milk, which I really wish I'd known before. So I would say if you had to choose, the silicone mold is better because it's basically foolproof. The silicone mold is also cheaper. The downside is that it takes a bit more time to hand paint each mold so if you're making a lot, you might want to go with the acrylic mold. Aldi's Moser Roth chocolate bombe was velvety smooth - but a little bit pricey (Image: Reach PLC/Daily Record)

Everyone knows there’s nothing quite like a good, warm, sweet hot chocolate for when you most need a delicious, cosy treat. Especially if it comes with marshmallows! It’s also true that the coolest, quirkiest way to make it at home is by using a hot chocolate bomb. You could get these in the shops if you want, but why not have a go at making your own if you know how? You’ll find all the hot chocolate goodness you’re looking for this winter in our Christmas drinking chocolate selection. We’ve got drinking chocolate, hot chocolate makers and hot chocolate melts, plus plenty of other chocolatey accessories. You’ll find hot chocolate for you and hot chocolate gift sets to give as presents – we’ve even got a hot chocolate fountain for anyone who adores molten chocolate… The perfect drink for Christmas If you're really serious about making cocoa bombs to sell, you'll want to get some couverture chocolate which is made to melt really smoothly and use in chocolate molds.My first foray into the world of trendy sweets seen on TikTok has certainly been an interesting one and there are certainly ones I would try again. Built by Dualit, our Velvetisers contain top-tier engineering directed towards one goal — making you the smoothest, silkiest, velvetised hot chocolate possible. Say goodbye to expensive coffee shop trips. With the Velvetiser, you’ll be able to make premium, barista-grade hot chocolates in the comfort of your own home, even with your own hot chocolate station. This also far exceeds Whittards 12g per cup, which explains why our testers felt the bombs were much sweeter than the standard hot chocolate we compared them to. Pro-tip - No microwave? You can temper your chocolate the old-fashioned way. I go over it in my chocolate tempering tutorial. Molding the chocolate spheres with a silicone mold

Long gone are the days of mixing hot chocolate powder with milk before popping it all into the microwave, which, if you ask me, sounds so much more inconvenient.Fill half of the half spheres about 3/4 of the way with your favorite hot chocolate mix and marshmallows. Step 4 - Use a gloved finger to clean off the excess chocolate to make a seamless look or simply roll the bomb in spriles to finish the look. How to use hot chocolate bombs For those who’ve never made or seen one before but are curious, a hot chocolate bomb is a sweet little ball of chocolate, hot chocolate mix, and other ingredients. You pop it into a mug or cup of your choice, pour hot milk over it, and watch as the bomb melts into a glorious chocolatey drink. Any ingredients you’ve put inside will then be released for a sweet, sensational look and taste. Our Absolute Favourite Hot Chocolate Bomb Recipe If your chocolate is dull, has white residue on top or just bends when you try to break it, it's not tempered and you may have heated it too far. Don't worry, you can seed it with more chopped chocolate. Just add in 6 ounces of finely chopped chocolate and stir until melted. You may need to heat for 5-10 seconds to get it fully melted. Test again before using. The chocolate was a little bit sweeter than the rest, which wasn't a problem for me as I have quite the sweet tooth.

My first ever foray into hot chocolate bombs was with the Moser Roth Belgian Milk Chocolate Bombe from Aldi. The budget supermarket is usually known for its good quality, so I had high hopes.You don’t have to limit yourself to only putting marshmallows and the hot chocolate mix inside your bombs! Why not try adding in some other sweets, other flavour powders (like orange or peppermint, perhaps – just not those two at the same time), or some crushed-up biscuits? I'm going to show you how to use two molds, a silicone mold, and an acrylic mold. I thought that I had to use an acrylic mold to get that ultimate shine but to be honest, after decorating I'm not sure I could even tell the difference between the two. Step 6 - Place the mold face down onto some parchment paper until it's almost set but still soft. About 5 minutes. This allows the excess chocolate to pool onto the parchment paper to build up the rim of the chocolate. Coffee is delicious, but it’s not for everyone—nor is its high levels of caffeine. The same can be said about tea. That’s why when winter rolls around and hot cocoa re-enters the scene, we’re so excited. Hot cocoa, unlike the aforementioned two beverages, really is for the masses. Who wouldn’t want a mug of steamy, velvety, rich hot cocoa to curb the winter blues and satisfy their sweet tooth, especially if it’s spiked? And with marshmallows on top? Say no more.