Hot Cocoa Bomb Gifts

Hot Cocoa bombs have been making waves this year, so why not spread the love to others? This year, I wanted to help my husband gift his coworkers something really cozy and special with pairs of hot cocoa bomb gifts that can all enjoy during their holiday weekend!

Creating the hot cocoa bomb gifts can be really easy and budget-friendly!

What You'll Need

• Two (2) 6-hole silicone baking mold (2.5" diameter)
• Two 12-oz. bags of Candy Melts in any color (you can buy more bags for multicolored bombs)
• Hot Cocoa mix
• Clear treat bags
• Optional:
  • Ribbon
  • Marshmallows
  • Candy Canes
  • Sprinkles
• Microwave-safe bowl
• Microwave-safe plate
• Cupcake liners

Your upfront cost for these gifts will be able $20-$26, which would make 18 hot cocoa bombs for $1. The more you make, the cheaper it is. If you're looking to keep costs low, stick to one bag of candy melts and consider adding a crushed candy cane or some sprinkles to jazz them up. One bag of candy melts will make you 10 cocoa bombs. I used 2 bags to make 18 cocoa bombs in 2 different colors with a swipe of a third on top to hold the sprinkles.

How to make Hot Cocoa Bombs Gifts

Start with heating up your candy melts in the microwave for 1 minute, then in 20-30 second increments. Stir in-between increments. Slow and steady wins the race here, or at least keeps the candy melts from burning. Once you've got a nice, runny consistency, pour 1 tablespoon into each circle. The melts will solidify pretty quickly, so don't work slowly. Rotate the mold around to make sure all of the mold domes get an even coat. Once the candy melts stop moving around, throw the mold into the fridge for 10 minutes to harden.

Since the candy melts already include chocolate, you'll only be using about 1 tablespoon of hot cocoa mix. Otherwise, you'll be drinking too strong of a drink (and not in a good way). Gently roll the domes out of the mold. DO NOT stretch the molds to release them. This will break the domes. rolling the mold off the domes is the best way to get them out.

Heat a small plate in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Place the dome down onto the plate and swirl it around to even out the edge. Place your hot cocoa in one half dome (the bottom dome). You can also add a few mini marshmallows.

Take another half dome (top dome) and melt the edge until even. This will make your seal for the bottom dome. After you place your 2 halves together, run your finger along the outside to smooth it out. If there are any holes, dab your finger into the chocolate on the plate and fill it in. If your have any cracks, melt a little bit more of the candy melts and use your finger or spoon to fill in the spaces.

Once the seal is dry, you can melt more candy melts and drizzle on top to make a fun design! Crush up candy canes and sprinkle onto the drizzle before it drills to add a minty element to the drink. Place the hot cocoa bomb in a cupcake liner, then into a treat bag. Close with some ribbon to add a decorative element!

Important Tips

• The best part about using these candy melts is that they are very forgiving. If you crack a few, crush them back into your melting bowl and try again!
• Use a shallow bowl. I used my pour-spout mixing cups (my go-to mixing "bowls") and I learned that a lot of melts get wasted along the tall sides. When I used my small desert cups from Target, I realized I had a much better handle on the melts. So, if you can, use smaller, shallow bowls. The melts stack tall in the beginning but melt into short puddles after about 2 minutes.
• If you plan on layering colors (IE: doing color swipes on top like I did), give the melts a minute or two with stirring to cool off just a tad. If you place the melts directly onto the hot cocoa bombs right after pulling them from the microwave, you'll cause a giant hole to form with all the melts melting into the hot cocoa powder.
• Smooth out all the edges of the domes BEFORE placing the hot cocoa into the dome. I made this mistake with the first hot cocoa bomb I made and had many regrets. Smooth out first, fill second.

I'm so excited for Mike to take all these adorable hot cocoa bomb gifts to work and give out to everyone. The three of us have been enjoying all my testing fails and a few extra good ones! If you're really nervous about trying this DIY out, make one hot cocoa bomb at a time. Put on a Christmas movie and just enjoy making this quiet recipe/craft! I believe in you!

What extras would you add to the hot cocoa bomb gifts? Let me know in the comments below! Looking for more ideas on gifts you can make for Christmas? Check all of my winter posts for DIY gifts, decor and more!