Of course there’s a WHOLE SECTION on this in the book Hot Cocoa Bombs, but I know you’re dying to know NOW: Which chocolate should I use to make my hot cocoa bombs? The answer is two-fold.
REAL chocolate OR MELTING WAFERS.
Real chocolate, the bar kind, usually used for baking or straight eating, requires tempering to hold the shape of a cocoa bomb. This is a semi-complicated process that takes time to master. It makes a shiny, stunning cocoa bomb, but it does take patience (and a thermometer!).
Melting wafers, melting chocolate, coating chocolate (or any variation on that name) is absolutely perfect for beginners because it is designed to melt quickly and smoothly and to retain it’s hardness and shine after cooling. Read: IT DOES NOT NEED TEMPERING! However, this is due to some fancy engineering and some added ingredients, so taste can suffer.
I absolutely recommend starting with my favorite high-quality, delicious-tasting melting wafers from Ghirardelli. They’re available HERE in my shop if you’re placing an order. You can also buy them on Amazon, at Target, Walmart, or sometimes your regular grocery store. They come in milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate. You can even purchase a variety pack of milk, dark AND white, to have one of each on hand for any cocoa bomb creation!
For colored chocolate, or bright white, Wilton makes great melting chocolate too, called Candy Melts. It’s a bit more waxy/oily, but it’s easily available in a multitude of colors at Walmart and Michaels. The bright white candy melts are my favorite for coloring with oil-based food coloring.
Learn more, including how to temper chocolate for hot cocoa bombs, in my new book Hot Cocoa Bombs, out now!