What is the shelf life of hot chocolate bombs? How Should They Be Stored?

Hot chocolate bombs are little chocolate balls of pure bliss that disintegrate instantaneously when you pour hot milk over them, unleashing all of the sweetness within, namely hot cocoa and tons of marshmallows. The issue now is, how do you keep chocolate bombs once you’ve made them? And how long will they be effective?

Hot chocolate bombs may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 60 days. Instead, you may store the bombs in a refrigerator or freezer for many months.

Today, we’ll break open these delectable chocolate balls and discover their secrets. We’ll address topics like what kind of chocolate to use for the bombs, what kind of mold to use, how to store them, and so on.

How Long Do Hot Cocoa Bombs Last?

Chocolate and cocoa powder are not perishable products. Even if you keep them at room temperature, they will not rot or spoil. Molds and bacterial contamination may develop if they are incorrectly kept. Yet, the most likely situation is that the chocolate will lose its quality well before that.

In comparison to many other sweet delicacies, hot chocolate bombs have a rather extended shelf life. If you store the bombs carefully, you may keep them fresh and useable for up to 1-2 months at room temperature.

Put them in the fridge or freezer to keep them fresher for longer. These bombs may easily survive months, or even 1-2 years, within the cooled temperature of a fridge, but only if properly stored.

How to Store Hot Chocolate Bombs?

While chocolate molds and cocoa powder are the two key components in a hot chocolate bomb, the concern here is not that they will become dangerous. Rather, it is about preserving them in a manner that will keep their quality the best.

With this in mind, the ideal method to keep these goodies would be in an airtight container in a cupboard or cabinet. Not only will the bombs last for many weeks, but you will also guarantee that the chocolate’s quality does not deteriorate too rapidly.

The aim here is to prevent moisture or water from entering the container. Otherwise, the chocolate and cocoa within would grow stale shortly. Moisture may also promote the growth of fungi on the munitions.

Another alternative is to keep them in the refrigerator. This allows you to keep them for much longer. But, like with many other foods, the chocolate will gradually lose its flavor the longer it is stored in the fridge. As a result, the best way to appreciate these bombs is to utilize them within a few days.

Do Hot Chocolate Bombs Need to Be Refrigerated?

Unlike many other typical meals, such as fish or milk, chocolate does not need to be refrigerated to stay fresh. Chocolate and cocoa powder may be stored at room temperature for an extended period of time. All you have to do is keep them in a cool, dry spot away from excessive dampness. They will grow stale otherwise.

If you want to preserve the chocolate firm and fresh for a long time or if you don’t have a secure location to store the chocolate out in the open, the refrigerator is your best alternative. The fridge is also a great place to keep untempered chocolate since the cooler temperature keeps it from melting.

What Is the Best Chocolate for Hot Chocolate Bombs?

While creating hot chocolate bombs, you may pretty much use whatever chocolate you desire. You may opt with the traditional semi-sweet milk chocolate bombs. You may also make them using white chocolate, which is a mixture of milk, butter, and sugar with no cocoa solids.

The majority of individuals like semi-sweet chocolate. Since chocolate isn’t naturally particularly sweet, you may increase the sweetness of your hot chocolate afterwards. Conversely, if you want some bitterness to balance out the sweetness of the marshmallow and extra sugar, use dark chocolate with a greater cocoa %.

If you like, you may even make a chocolate combination. You might, for example, construct the mold out of milk chocolate and then sprinkle it with white chocolate afterwards. Instead, you may pack the balls with dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and marshmallows. It’s all up to you and how you like your hot chocolate.

Do You Have to Temper Chocolate When Making Hot Chocolate Bombs?

Using tempered chocolate ensures that your chocolate bombs retain their precise form and crunch for a long time.

The first step in producing hot chocolate bombs is to melt your chocolate of choice. Tempering is the process of heating chocolate to a certain temperature in order for the molecules inside the chocolate to form an orderly structure.

Its well-organized structure makes the exterior of the chocolate glossy and smooth. It also gives chocolate its distinctive crunch when broken.

Moreover, since the underlying structure is so solid, tempered chocolate does not melt readily.

And these characteristics are critical for creating chocolate molds. If the chocolate is not in the proper temper, it will seem sloppy and unpleasant on the exterior. It will also take longer to set than you would want. As you try to shape the bombs with the chocolate mold, it will begin to melt because to the heat from your fingertips.

Nevertheless, if you temper the chocolate ahead of time, it becomes much simpler to deal with. Even as you begin to create the explosives, they will remain their shape.

As a result, pouring hot milk on top of the explosives causes them to melt and disclose their insides.

Can You Use Candy Melts for Hot Chocolate Bombs?

While preparing hot chocolate bombs, you may use candy melts. Candy melts are a vegetable oil and sugar combination that is often used to cover different confectionaries. As a result, it bears the term melt in its name.

You may now combine the candy melts in a variety of ways. Then, melt the candy and pipe it over the chocolate bombs, followed by a fast shower of sprinkles on top. The sprinkles will be held in place by the melting candy.

Instead, you may melt the candy and arrange it in a dish. Next, dip the whole bomb in the basin to coat the outsides. Candy melts come in a variety of hues. As a result, they may be a fun approach to make your explosives stand out.

Can You Use Almond Bark for Hot Chocolate Bombs?

Almond bark may be used in the same way as candy melts can. Almond barks are prepared from vegetable oil rather than cocoa powder. These will simply melt and may be used to coat your explosives.

Almond barks are available in a variety of tastes and forms. You may get almond barks with toasted almonds that you can insert into the explosives. As a result, as the bomb melts, the crunchy bark and nuts will provide a new texture to your hot chocolate drink.

Can You Use Water With Hot Chocolate Bombs?

The main point of hot chocolate bombs is to have another option to make a hot chocolate drink. If you don’t want to use milk in this method, you may use boiling water. Since the bombs are mostly chocolate and cocoa powder, boiling water will melt them exactly like milk.

Water lacks the fat and protein found in milk. As a result, the finished product will be less rich and creamy. Nevertheless, you may compensate for this by filling the bombs with a variety of tastes. For instance, you may put bits of milk chocolate into the shells.

It is preferable to avoid putting any liquid into the chocolate bombs while filling them. Since the liquid may cause the shells to break apart or melt too quickly, it might weaken them. As a result, you will not experience the chocolate explosion that is a big part of the attraction.

What Size Molds for Hot Chocolate Bombs?

While selecting the appropriate size molds for your chocolate bombs, keep the cup in mind. Since the bombs must fit nicely within the cup, the filling will most likely pour over and make a huge mess.

• RELATED: These Are the Finest Molding Chocolates!

3 or fewer is the normal mold size for producing chocolate bombs. The typical cup has a diameter of 3. To fit, the explosives need be at least a bit smaller than that. I suggest getting a mold with hemispheres that are 2 to 2.5 inches in diameter. You can safely manufacture chocolate bombs for most, if not all, cup sizes this way.

To summarize, hot chocolate with marshmallows is a wintertime beverage. And when it arrives in the shape of these magical balls, the experience becomes genuinely unforgettable.