This Month's Recipe: Hot Cocoa Bursts!

These Hot Cocoa Bursts (my pacifist name for this trendy treat) were all the rage back in 2020, so I admit I'm late to the game. I know this isn't exactly a healthy recipe, either, and it takes some work to make these look nice, but they make great holiday gifts, so I wanted to share with my recipe with you!

These hollow chocolate balls are filled with hot cocoa mix and any other fun things you want to include. When you pour hot milk over them they melt, releasing their contents into the liquid. So it's fun to pack them with interesting ingredients, like pieces of crushed peppermint, and mini marshmallows.

Special thanks to Emily Hsu Yoona of Dalkomi Cafe for her advice on the right tools for this project!

Hot Cocoa Ingredients:

• ½ cup organic cacao powder (I used Navitas cacao+reishi blend for a little extra somethin' somethin')

• ½ cup organic cane sugar

• Pinch of pink sea salt

Chocolate Shell Ingredients:

• 2 bars high quality chocolate bars (I used Divine, a Fair Trade farmer co-owned company that makes wonderful chocolates)

• 30 mini marshmallows (I used Dandies vegan marshmallows. During the holidays, this company offers mini pink peppermint marshmallows!)

• 1½ cups filtered water

You'll Need:

• A double boiler, or heat-proof bowl that fits inside the rim of a saucepan

• A silicon or rubber spatula

• Two 2.5" diameter silicon hemisphere candy molds (I used these)

• A silicon pastry brush (I used this)

• A candy or other cooking thermometer

• A skillet

• A parchment lined baking sheet

• Disposable gloves (to prevent fingerprints on your shiny chocolate surfaces)

• Paper candy cups

Cocoa Mix Instructions: