Cocoa Bombs Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Beat butter, margarine and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy.
• Beat in vanilla extract and water and blend thoroughly.
• Beat in cocoa.
• Slowly add flour and nuts and mix until completely incorporated.
• Roll dough into walnut-sized balls and place on ungreased baking sheet.
• Flatten balls slightly.
• Bake until cookies are set but not browned, about 8 minutes.
• Roll in powdered sugar while still warm. Do not skip this step.
• When cooled, roll in powdered sugar again (or sift powdered sugar over tops). Do not skip this step.
• Note: This type of cookie tends to be on the dry side. If you want it to be moister, try underbaking by 1-2 minutes.

Steps:

• To temper the chocolate: Put 8 ounces of the chocolate in a double boiler over low heat. Heat, stirring, until the chocolate is almost melted (about 100 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). Remove from the heat and add the remaining chopped chocolate in 2 or 3 additions, stirring until melted. The tempered chocolate will be thick and about 90 degrees F.
• Divide the chocolate among 2 large 6-cavity silicone hot chocolate bomb molds (2 1/2-inch diameter cavities). Use a small brush to brush the chocolate up the sides, making an even coat on the sides and in the bottom. Make sure the sides are thick enough all the way to the edge of the molds. Let sit at room temperature until completely set, 20 to 30 minutes. (If it is very hot, you can pop the molds in the refrigerator for a minute or two to finish.)
• Wearing latex gloves, gently remove the chocolate half-spheres from the molds. Set on a piece of parchment paper on your work surface. Divide the hot cocoa among 6 of the half-spheres, then add 3 or 4 pumpkin marshmallows, 1 ghost, 1 spider and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sprinkles to each of the same half-spheres.
• Warm a small nonstick skillet over very low heat. To seal the bombs, set an unfilled half-sphere on the skillet open-side down for just a second to warm the chocolate. Set on top of a filled half-sphere, matching the seams as much as possible. Repeat with the remaining half-spheres. Let sit until hardened, about 5 minutes.
• To make the marshmallow webs: Put the regular marshmallows in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until the marshmallows inflate and soften, 10 to 15 seconds. With gloved hands, pull up a little bit of marshmallow and stretch between your fingers to make thin webbing. Stretch the webbing over and around the bombs. Continue to pull and stretch the marshmallow until all of the bombs are covered in webbing. Add 2 candy eyes or a spider to each, if desired.
• To serve, heat 6 to 8 ounces milk per bomb until very hot. Add to mugs and drop in the bombs. Enjoy, stirring to melt the chocolate.

Steps:

• To make bath bombs successfully, have ingredients ready to mix. Choose your moulds carefully and have, at least, 2 molds ready for filling. Read the instructions first so you know what you are doing. Carefully measure out the wet ingredients (if you have too much, you will end up with "slop", and, if that is the case, just dry the product out and leave it loose (it will still work!).
• To Start: Combine the baking soda, citric acid, cornstarch, and borax.
• Melt the cocoa buter in a microwave safe measuring cup or over low heat in a small pot. Add to the baking soda mixture. Combine the mixture and add the essential oils. Mix well. Mixture should hold together when you make a ball.
• Working quickly, press the mixture FIRMLY into your mold, making sure the edges are clean. Leave the mixture in to the mold for a couple of minutes, then pop out. While one tray is drying, work on the other (I put a small cutting board over top of the mold, flip over, then lift the mold off). Let bombs dry overnight undisturbed. Once dried, place them in a decorative bag and tie with ribbon.
• To use: Drop 1 bomb into your tub and relax.
• ~Or~ leave the mixture in the mixing bowl for 24 hours, periodically mixing the ingredients, breaking up the clumps. Once the product has dried out, place in a nice decorative bag with a colourful ribbon. Makes nice gifts.
• Helpful Hints: Your favorite perfume could be used in the bomb. Realize that while it is messy, wasteful, and considering how expensive perfumes are -- but it can be done. Remove the sprayer nozzle and spray into a measuring cup the desired amount Because perfume is so concentrated, use 3/4 - 1 tsp, or until you are satisfied with the smell.
• I have used large ice cube trays that I use just for bath bombs. When picking a mould you want something that is not too big (you end up wasting product) and soft edges (the bombs end up too fragile with sharp angles). When the bombs are in the molds, and I have pressed firmly down, I will run a sharp knife along the bottom of the mold to get a clean, flat edge. You can put lavender flowers, rose petals, etc in your mixture, but sometimes it ends up clogging your drains, so think carefully about what you are putting in the bombs -- if you put too much dried fowers in the bomb may not come together.
• Commercial bombs have lots of hidden ingredients it them that are not necessarly good for the skin, like Sodium Laurel Sulphite -- which gives you the "bubbling action" You get nice bubbles, but this product (in its raw state) will actually burn the skin.

Steps:

• Melt semi-sweet chocolate as directed on package. Use some of the melted chocolate to brush thin layer of chocolate onto bottoms and up sides of 12 silicone sphere molds, using about 3 Tbsp. chocolate for each mold. Freeze 15 min. or until firm.
• Repeat with some of the remaining melted chocolate to add second thin layer of chocolate to molds. Freeze additional 15 min. or until chocolate is firm
• Remove chocolate spheres carefully from molds. Fill 6 spheres with marshmallows and hot cocoa mix.
• Brush reserved melted chocolate around top edges of remaining 6 chocolate spheres; place, upside down, over filled spheres. Let stand 30 min., then refrigerate up to 1 week.
• For Each Serving:
• Place 1 Hot Cocoa Bomb in mug. Bring 3/4 cup milk just to boil; slowly pour over bomb in mug. Let stand 15 sec.; stir.