If you keep up on viral trends, then you’ve for sure seen the hot chocolate bombs circulating around social media. And if you haven’t seen it, allow me to enlighten you. Imagine a beautiful bath bomb, one that you drop in a hot bath to see it instantly dissolve into the water. A hot chocolate bomb is exactly that, but edible, and instead of a bath, you drop it into a mug.
Made with a hard chocolate shell, the inside is filled with hot chocolate mix and marshmallows. Once it’s dropped into a cup of hot water or milk, the shell dissolves and the powder mixes with the liquid, making the drink interactive.
Christina Padrazo, owner of Cupcakes and Everything Chocolate, started making the trendy dessert last year, but has seen the popularity explode this year.
“I actually wasn’t going to make them this year,” she said. “But so many people asked me for them that I felt like I was missing an opportunity.”
She quickly found that to be true. In her home kitchen in East Setauket, Padrazo had 175 hot chocolate bombs to make for next week and already had 70 ordered for the following week. “As of right now, it’s my most popular item.”
Although the concept is simple, perfecting them has taken Padrazo some time. First, she has to temper the dark chocolate, a process of heating and reheating that gives the chocolate a nice snap. Then she brushes the chocolate by hand into silicone circular molds until it hardens. She pops them out and fills half with her homemade hot cocoa mix and a few marshmallows. Using a baking sheet that has been heated up in the oven, she melts the edge of the top half of chocolate to adhere it to the bottom.
Then comes the fun part — the toppings!
“People know that I’m obsessed with gold dust,” Padrazo said, brushing one of the perfectly spherical balls with a light gold coating, giving it a magical look. She also has a s’mores topping, made with toasted marshmallows and a square of Hershey’s chocolate and a peppermint topping, made with crushed candy cane.
Although they look too pretty to eat, half of the fun is dropping them into a hot cup of liquid and seeing the shell disappear and reveal the chocolaty interior. Padrazo sells her hot chocolate bombs (and other sweet treats) on her website and at In the Attic Too in Peconic. Here’s a few other spots on the North Fork where you can pick them up:
Disset Chocolate: At Dart’s Christmas Tree Farm, 2355 Main Bayview Road in Southold, or order via website.
North Fork Chocolate Company : At their shop at 740 Main Rd, Aquebogue, or order via website.
North Fork Flour Shoppe: Order via website or email [email protected].
